Gathered here are Thomas Cannon's short stories that have been published over the years. It is an eclectic collection with a few fantasy stories near the end of the book. The title story, Alternate Forms of Life, is a story the author treasures writing. Alexander, the main character, has Aspergers' and showcases that people on the autism spectrum are complex people with value. That is not to say Alexander is an accurate representation. For conflict and humor reasons, he does have some stereotypical behavior. The intent is that people with autism and those with loved ones on the autism scale will connect to some of the things Alexander says, does, and experience.

Some stories came from a single idea. Hammerschlagen combines the ideas of someone throwing her cigarette in the same spot every day and seeing the game Hammerschlagen played in a beer tent. Seven Questions was a response to the writing prompt: "The three witches are blowing this way." Blue Tarp came from Cannon seeing an online auction for half of a manufactured home.