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riverwise's review
3.0
The next in the ....Infinity series of anthologies edited by Jonathan Strahan. This one is themed around massive engineering projects, with a scope that ranges from the strictly Earthbound out to the rest of the solar system and then on into deep space (and time). In some ways it feels like quite an old fashioned anthology, with a fair chunk of the stories feeling like something I might have come across in Asimov's circa 1989, but in others it's more up to date - several of the stories tackle climate change head on, which wouldn't have been half as likely back then. As ever with an anthology I preferred some stories to others, so I'll highlight a few of my favourites.
'Cold Comfort' by Pat Murphy and Paul Doherty is one of those climate change stories, a near future tale of methane farming in the Arctic, helped by a great sense of place. Charlie Jane Anders' 'Rager In Space' is probably the most fun, as Clueless-esque teen slang meets the last surviving AI. 'Apache Charlie & The Pentagons Of Hex' is one of the stories that made me come up with the Asimov's comparison above, perhaps because that was where I first met Mr Steele. It's an easy going tale of (basically) a biker gang, but the huge alien construct they roam over is a fine idea. Probably the best story is Ken Liu's 'Seven Birthdays'. It's certainly the most wide ranging one in the whole book, over an epic canvas of space and time.
'Cold Comfort' by Pat Murphy and Paul Doherty is one of those climate change stories, a near future tale of methane farming in the Arctic, helped by a great sense of place. Charlie Jane Anders' 'Rager In Space' is probably the most fun, as Clueless-esque teen slang meets the last surviving AI. 'Apache Charlie & The Pentagons Of Hex' is one of the stories that made me come up with the Asimov's comparison above, perhaps because that was where I first met Mr Steele. It's an easy going tale of (basically) a biker gang, but the huge alien construct they roam over is a fine idea. Probably the best story is Ken Liu's 'Seven Birthdays'. It's certainly the most wide ranging one in the whole book, over an epic canvas of space and time.
jaybatson's review
4.0
Disclosure: I received a free, advance copy of this book in exchange for a review. Disclosure: I'm darn sure this didn't affect my review ;-)
Oh, what fun!
Typically, story anthologies are not super fun for me. I guess I hadn't found the right collection; this one was a blast.
Here we have a collection of stories themed around planetary (or larger) engineering. Terra- and mass-forming, transportation of celestial bodies - all types of super-creative ideas for VERY large scale construction projects. And though there could be a risk that this topic could end up being dry, virtually every one of the stories was wrapped in a bundle of character development that worked in a perfect arc.
It's pointless to try to review each story; in fact, it would remove the fun of discovery. Just know that what you get in this collection is expansive thinking, presented to you in nicely wrapped packages full of surprise inside. Think Almond Roca - in story form.
I'm certain there's a hope among the contributing authors that readers will "discover" a new favorite author, and dive into more from that author. That's definitely the case for me; I have a year's worth of new authors to dive into. (I'm looking at you, Robert Reed.)
For reference, it's four stars according to my book review guidelines. For joy, though, it's a five-star rating.
Oh, what fun!
Typically, story anthologies are not super fun for me. I guess I hadn't found the right collection; this one was a blast.
Here we have a collection of stories themed around planetary (or larger) engineering. Terra- and mass-forming, transportation of celestial bodies - all types of super-creative ideas for VERY large scale construction projects. And though there could be a risk that this topic could end up being dry, virtually every one of the stories was wrapped in a bundle of character development that worked in a perfect arc.
It's pointless to try to review each story; in fact, it would remove the fun of discovery. Just know that what you get in this collection is expansive thinking, presented to you in nicely wrapped packages full of surprise inside. Think Almond Roca - in story form.
I'm certain there's a hope among the contributing authors that readers will "discover" a new favorite author, and dive into more from that author. That's definitely the case for me; I have a year's worth of new authors to dive into. (I'm looking at you, Robert Reed.)
For reference, it's four stars according to my book review guidelines. For joy, though, it's a five-star rating.
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