Just as the cover image of a salamander specimen confronts us with the ambiguities of life and death and transpecies kinship, this interdisciplinary volume by international scholars in queer theory, critical theory, cultural studies, and science studies confronts readers with humanistic, ethical, scientific, and aesthetic questions of what is 'human,' what is ab/normal, and how the Human is employed within queer theory. Giffney (women's studies, U. College Dublin, Ireland) and Hird (sociology, Queen's U., Canada) introduce 15 provocative essays on topics as diverse as Christ, the Antichrist, dogs, starfish, werewolves, vampires, cartoons, cyborgs, bioengineered glowing green bunnies, the death drive, and the "queer" in queer theory. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)