A volume to dip into rather than read right through.
Fourteen new stories and 10 reprints, some of full novella length, hitching together two familiar themes, military science fiction and space opera.
In his brief note, editor Schmidt conflates the two topics, believing that many readers find them indistinguishable, and leaves Robert Silverberg to discuss the matter in his historical introduction. The term “space opera,” Silverberg writes, was coined by fan Wilson Tucker in 1941 and intended pejoratively; gradually the sting dissipated as science fiction began to transcend its pulp origins. We see this process reflected in the three oldest entries here: Poul Anderson’s human hunter vs. intelligent alien prey, “Duel on Syrtis”; Cordwainer Smith’s Hugo-winning “The Game of Rat and Dragon,” in which telepathic humans and cats team up to destroy hyperspace predators; and Anne McCaffrey’s seminal human brain-in-a-spaceship, “The Ship Who Sang.” (None of the three, unsurprisingly, can remotely be classified as either military or space opera.) The new tales all derive from their authors’ distinctive, established universes with highly developed settings, plots, and characters, making it difficult for newcomers to absorb much from a single story embedded in an unfamiliar saga. Orson Scott Card’s tale introduces a new cycle spun off his endlessly intriguing Ender’s Game child-warrior books. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson extend their neo-Dune chronicle with a story set during the action of Frank Herbert’s original Dune. Alastair Reynolds offers a tale from his classic space opera Revelation Space. From Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet series we learn how Adm. “Black Jack” Geary got his nickname. Elizabeth Moon’s tale from her generally impressive Vatta military-family saga bridges the prior novels and the new series opener (Cold Welcome, 2017). Other famous series represented here include a 1987 story from Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan space opera and new entries from Catherine Asaro (Skolian Empire), Jody Lynn Nye (Imperium), Linda Nagata (The Red), David Drake (RCN), David Weber (Honor Harrington), and more. The question remains, how likely are readers to jump from one series to another, and indeed, how many will want to?
A volume to dip into rather than read right through.Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 1-78565-593-0
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Titan Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
An exciting, thought-provoking mind-bender.
In Crouch’s sci-fi–driven thriller, a machine designed to help people relive their memories creates apocalyptic consequences.
In 2018, NYPD Detective Barry Sutton unsuccessfully tries to talk Ann Voss Peters off the edge of the Poe Building. She claims to have False Memory Syndrome, a bewildering condition that seems to be spreading. People like Ann have detailed false memories of other lives lived, including marriages and children, but in “shades of gray, like film noir stills.” For some, like Ann, an overwhelming sense of loss leads to suicide. Barry knows loss: Eleven years ago, his 15-year-old daughter, Meghan, was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Details from Ann’s story lead him to dig deeper, and his investigation leads him to a mysterious place called Hotel Memory, where he makes a life-altering discovery. In 2007, a ridiculously wealthy philanthropist and inventor named Marcus Slade offers neuroscientist Helena Smith the chance of a lifetime and an unlimited budget to build a machine that allows people to relive their memories. He says he wants to “change the world.” Helena hopes that her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, will benefit from her passion project. The opportunity for unfettered research is too tempting to turn down. However, when Slade takes the research in a controversial direction, Helena may have to destroy her dream to save the world. Returning to a few of the themes he explored in Dark Matter (2016), Crouch delivers a bullet-fast narrative and raises the stakes to a fever pitch. A poignant love story is woven in with much food for thought on grief and the nature of memories and how they shape us, rounding out this twisty and terrifying thrill ride.
An exciting, thought-provoking mind-bender.Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-5978-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
A new series starts off with a bang.
A queen and her young daughter are forced to separate and go into hiding when a corrupt politician tries to take over the kingdom.
Queen Cressa of Weirandale is worried about her 8-year-old daughter, the “princella” Cerúlia. The people of Weirandale worship a water spirit, Nargis, who grants each queen a special gift called a Talent. Cressa herself is able to meddle with memories, for example, and her mother possessed supernatural strategic abilities that served her well in battle. Cerúlia, however, appears to have none, because surely her insistence that she can talk to animals is only her young imagination running wild. When Cerúlia’s many pets warn her about assassins creeping into the royal chambers, the girl is able to save herself and her mother. Cressa uses her Talent, which actually extends to forcing anyone to tell her the truth, to root out traitors among the aristocracy, led by the power-hungry Lord Matwyck. Fearing for her daughter’s life and her own, Cressa takes Cerúlia and flees. Thinking Cerúlia will be safer away from her mother, Cressa takes the girl to a kind peasant family and adjusts their memories so they believe Cerúlia is their adopted daughter. Kozloff’s debut is the first of four Nine Realms books, and Tor plans to publish them over just four months. Luckily, the series opener is a strong start, so readers will be grateful for the short wait before Book 2. Kozloff sets a solid stage with glimpses into other characters and nations while keeping the book together with a clear, propulsive plot.
A new series starts off with a bang.Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-16854-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
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