I was hoping that Ursula K. LeGuin being one of the anthology editors would counterbalance the fact that this anthology came on the tail end of the 1970s (published in 1980), but I still felt like the overall quality was iffy and reflective of all my prior stated issues with this era of SF/F. LeGuin and Kidd’s taste did lead to more stories that I enjoyed, but I still skimmed in sections and this wasn’t a keeper for me. Interfaces is a themeless anthology, and they explain at length in the introduction that themes are limiting and “leach the suspense” out of the stories. I honestly disagree with this, but I take their point that the lack of a theme leads to surprise and discovery.
My favorite story here is probably “Earth and Stone” by Robert Holdstock, which is a time travel story that takes a philosophical and spiritual bent. I really liked his descriptions of the culture shock and gaps in knowledge, as well as the main character’s transformative inner journey. It falls within the Connie Willis camp of well-researched historical time travel that I enjoy. “For Whom Are Those Serpents Whistling Overhead?” by Jean Femling reminded me of Sherri Tepper, and was a strong story about a woman discovering a sphinx. Femling’s inner characterization was very good. “The Summer Sweet, The Summer Wild” by Michael G. Coney was an interesting post-apocalyptic look at what happens when a herd of caribou develops psychic abilities. And the final story, “Slow Music,” by James Tiptree, Jr., is a technically very strong story but one that I find very sad so is not my favorite Tiptree.
Overall, I think this was a better anthology than the previous few I read, but I don’t think it’s worth a re-read or really is something I would recommend beyond the stories above. However, if you are interested into UKL, the introduction is an interview format discussion between her and Kidd, which I enjoyed and is a good look into their process.