A science fiction fantasy short story collection by award-winning and New York Times–bestselling authors featuring the adventures of human avatars.   The development of “Avatar” technology—the fusion of human awareness consciousness with remote robotic bodies—offers breathtaking advances in medicine, culture, work, transportation, education and imagination. The Avatar project is designed to drive the exponential innovations needed to make General Purpose Avatars an everyday reality.   The transformational potential of avatars is endless—and who better to illustrate the possibilities than some of the most insightful science fiction writers working in the field today? The collection, edited by New York Times–bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and award-winning author Mike Resnick, with scientific editor Dr. Harry Kloor, one of the foremost visionaries in avatar technology, showcases the amazing possibilities of avatars.   In these fourteen stories, imagine a group of remote spectators traveling remotely during a rigorous mountain climbing expedition, or a severely injured athlete able to play his favorite sport vicariously through another body, or a comatose woman using an avatar to interact with her family and the outside world even though her body is failing, or a skilled operative using an avatar on a dangerous search-and-rescue operation, or medical specialists using avatar bodies to enter hot zones that no vulnerable human can breach.   These provocative journeys written by premiere science fiction authors explore the wondrous possibilities of avatar technology—and they still only scratch the surface.