The Steel Orb

This anthology is one volume from C.J.S. Hayward's collected works. It includes an offbeat chain letter parody, a no less whimsical work (although more serious) in which a Church Father comments on a postmodern trend, a solemn farewell to a holiday, a look at all spirituality boiling down to two basic rules, a relatively long short story that looks at what, exactly, can be good about a life filled with pain, a paean of praise about the glory of the Creator reflected in the Creation, a dialogue exploring whether, exactly, time is what a watch measures, and then two closing, connected stories. One is a science fiction short story, and the other a fantasy novella, but they have much in common.