Reviews

The New Space Opera by Jonathan Strahan, Gardner Dozois

kaiysea's review against another edition

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adventurous

4.0

I liked most (maybe all?) of the stories. However, I forgot to note my favorites. C'est la vie.

spikeanderson1's review

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1.0

This is a must miss The 2nd one was much better. I really hated this compilation...I read about half of them... one or two was 'ok' , the rest sucked

sadiemay7's review

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Good, esp. if you like the authors in it.

benlundns's review

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3.0

This was really a book full of hits and misses. The book grabbed my interest because there were a few authors names I recognized and I was very interested in short stories by them. Unfortunately the first several stories were severe disappointments, I seriously considered giving up on the book altogether a few times. But eventually the stories did start to run more to my liking. Minla's Flowers was an especially nice surprise.
However the stories that were unenjoyable tempered by the ones that left me wanting more lands the book in 3 star territory. If I only enjoy half the book, is it really worth it? The hallmark of a good anthology (in my opinion) is that I want to read more by that author, usually reading a collection of stories like this lets me add new books to my want-to-read list. I want to dive deeper into the universe that author has created. Too many of these stories left me wanting to get the first spaceship out of there.

spinnerroweok's review against another edition

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4.0

There are good stories here, and there are great stories here.

My favorites:
The Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons - A Shakespearean acting troupe travels the galaxy.
Minla's Flowers by Alastair Reynolds - A man tries to save a planet, but they don't listen.
Remembrance by Stephen Baxter - Are there some things better left forgotten?
The Emperor and the Maula by Robert Silverberg - 1001 Nights in space.
Art of War by Nancy Kress - Someone has mommy issues.

I would listen to these again.

bookcraft's review against another edition

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3.0

The whole thing gets just barely 3 stars out of 5. There were some great stories and some not so great ones; there were also some great narrators and some not so great ones. The following is more quick notes (some including spoilers) than actual reviews of most of the stories, so I'm putting it under a spoiler tag. I have rated each story on its own, and averaged those to get the book rating.

SpoilerSaving Tiamaat by Gwyneth Jones (read by Carrington MacDuffie)
3.5/5
People will be people, even when those people are aliens, and the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Verthandi's Ring by Ian McDonald (read by Caroline Shaffer)
3/5
Wibbly wobbly timey wimey.

Hatch by Robert Reed (read by Paul Michael Garcia)
3/5
Inscrutable trilobite.

Winning Peace by Paul J. McAuley (read by Tom Weiner)
2/5
It's missing something, but I'm not really sure what. I wasn't really invested in any of the characters, and they were not terribly distinct from each other.

Glory by Greg Egan (read by Cat Gould)
4/5
People will be people, even when they are aliens, and some of them are more like cancer.

Maelstrom by Kage Baker (read by Tom Taylorson)
1/5
The humor is too broad for me, and seems far too self-indulgent and amused by itself. I particularly dislike futuristic stories that drop current pop-culture references like people 200 years from now are going to a) care about them and remember them, and b) have the same context and perception of them that we do now.

Blessed by an Angel by Peter F. Hamilton (read by Paul Michael Garcia)
1/5
Somehow I don't think that the author wanted my reaction to be what it was. I was appropriately horrified at the "angel" and his behavior, but I was equally horrified at Paul et al's behavior.

Who's Afraid of Wolf 359 by Ken MacLeod (read by Tom Weiner)
2/5
Meh. The worst kind of space opera: no characterization. This might have made a nice novel, but as a short story it read more like a synopsis than a story.

The Valley of the Gardens by Tony Daniel (read by Carlos Lopez and Peter Macon)
no rating
The portions of the narration by Carlos Lopez are painfully awkward. I had to stop listening and will probably try to read the story in ebook form instead, because it was interesting.

Dividing the Sustain by James Patrick Kelly (read by Kevin Kenerly)
3/5
Weird, and weirdly entertaining. Not really the surprising twist it was intended as.

Minla's Flowers by Alastair Reynolds (read by Paul Michael Garcia)
4/5
Depressing. Good, but depressing.

Splinters of Glass by Mary Rosenblum (read by Peter Macon)
3/5
I suspect I wasn't paying as much attention to this as I should have been, because it felt like it ought to have made more sense than it did.

Remembrance by Stephen Baxter (read by Pamela Garelick)
2/5
I usually like Stephen Baxter, but this felt like a short piece of a much longer story, especially with the addition of new plot stuff near the very end that wasn't really addressed.

The Emperor and the Maula by Robert Silverberg (read by Carrington MacDuffie)
3/5
Scheherazade in space. The romance angle was kind of weird, and I couldn't connect with the protagonist at all.

The Worm Turns by Gregory Benford (read by Erica Sullivan)
4/5
I really like the banter and the turns of phrase. I've seen the author's name around, but with so many books out there, I hadn't gotten around to reading anything by him yet. Putting him on my list.

Send Them Flowers by Walter Jon Williams (read by Kevin Kenerly)
4/5
Intergalactic con artists. I'm probably giving this a higher rating than it deserves, but I love this type of story.

Art of War by Nancy Kress (read by Tom Taylorson)
4/5
There will always be people who try to understand perspectives outside their own, and there will always be people who can't imagine there is any perspective other than their own.

Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons (read by Tristan Morris)
4/5
Shakespeare in space.

austinbeeman's review against another edition

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4.0

THE NEW SPACE OPERA IS RATED 81%
18 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 7 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF

I was halfway through this anthology before I realized that it was an original anthology. Before that I’d assume that it was a themed anthology of modern Space Opera similar to The 2020 Look at Space Opera Book, edited by Allan Kaster (85% Positive.)

Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan have certainly assembled a list of excellent writers, even if the stories in this collection are not their best work. The tales are full of wild galaxy-expanding baroque speculation and it is sometimes hard to find anything firm to ground yourself. Adventure abounds, as if the authors really wanted to make this into blockbuster movies.

At 81% Positive, with no Poor or DNF stories, it is worth reading. Two stories really stood out:

“Minla's Flowers” • (2007) • novella by Alastair Reynolds. An adventurer and his AI spaceship land on a planet at war, but needs to come together to evacuate. He befriends a young girl who’s life will be of great importance to the mission. In an out of cryogenic sleep, the protagonist sees the rapid transformation of the society as they try to get unified and able to escape. This is brilliant in its execution of its concept and full of power human characters. A superb novella.

“Muse of Fire” • (2007) • novella by Dan Simmons

A troupe of intergalactic Shakespearean actors performs for alien races that are progressively more awe-inspiring and strange. They may be performing for humanity’s very survival. This is a story that slowly expands from small conversations to the most majestic possible scale, while never losing the humanity of its characters. I loved this.

***

THE NEW SPACE OPERA IS RATED 81%
18 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 9 GOOD / 7 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF

Saving Tiamaat • short story by Gwyneth Jones

Good. A diplomat’s biases get in the way of negotiations between two factions on a primitive planet.

Verthandi's Ring • short story by Ian McDonald

Good. Wildly inventive story of war across galaxies with trillions dead and characters that basically live forever. Complicated to follow and maybe not entirely worth it.

Hatch • (2007) • short story by Robert Reed

Average. A dense baroque tale of people that live on the outside of a Jupiter-sized Great Ship.

Winning Peace • (2007) • novelette by Paul J. McAuley

Good. A fun adventure yarn about an indentured pilot and his owner/boss in a post-war world involving an artifact from a ancient culture.

Glory • (2007) novelette by Greg Egan

Good. Provincial squabbles get in the way of exploration of an ancient civilization’s mathematic remnants.

Maelstrom • (2007) • novelette by Kage Baker

Average. A quirk comedic story of a man who puts on a theater performance on Poe’s “Descent into the Maelstrom” for a rough planet.

Blessed by an Angel • (2007) • short story by Peter F. Hamilton

Average. Higher beings infiltrate a world and attempt to infiltrate it by seducing a couple. Over complex backstory for a very slight story.

Who's Afraid of Wolf 359? • (2007) short story by Ken MacLeod

Average. Man offends the Tychoon on a space station and is sent to investigate the problems on Wolf 359.

The Valley of the Gardens • (2007) • novelette by Tony Daniel

Good. Two parallel love stories combine with a brutal war fought against a collective consciousness. Good characters and great prose, but a ending that just keeps it out of greatness.

Dividing the Sustain • (2007) novelette by James Patrick Kelly

Average. On a large colony ship, individuals must ‘recast’ themselves to keep happy and sane. One man decides to recast as gay and finds himself drawn into intrigue around the Captain and his wife.

Minla's Flowers • (2007) • novella by Alastair Reynolds

Great. An adventurer and his AI spaceship land on a planet at war, but needs to come together to evacuate. He befriends a young girl who’s life will be of great importance to the mission. In an out of cryogenic sleep, the protagonist sees the rapid transformation of the society as they try to get unified and able to escape.

Splinters of Glass • (2007) novelette by Mary Rosenblum

Good. On the wild icy frontier of Europa, a man is hiding out from a large corporation. Then a former lover comes looking for them and they have to run.

Remembrance • (2007) • short story by Stephen Baxter

Good. A rememberer recounts the history of earth’s conquering and subjugation by an aquatic race.

The Emperor and the Maula • (2007) novelette by Robert Silverberg

Average. A Sci-Fi reworking of the story of Scheherazade.

The Worm Turns • (2007) • short story by Gregory Benford

Good. Wild adventure inside a wormhole with aliens. Dense science talk.

Send Them Flowers • (2007) • novelette by Walter Jon Williams

Good. A fun romp as a trader and a womanizer try to stay just ahead of the people they’ve cheated and husbands who’s wives they’ve seduced.

Art of War • (2007) short story by Nancy Kress

Good. A military art historian with seizures and painful family issues is sent to catalogue the human art stolen by an alien race in a war.

Muse of Fire • (2007) • novella by Dan Simmons

Great. A troupe of intergalactic Shakespearean actors performs for alien races that are progressively more awe-inspiring and strange. They may be performing for humanity’s very survival.

thestarman's review

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3.0

VERDICT: Average ~ 3.2 suns (mostly goodthink).
REVIEW: Not all tales within are "space opera," in my opinion. Not a keeper, but good enough to recommend.

BREAKDOWN:
Spoiler

3/18 stories were 2 stars or lower for me. 5/18 rated 4 or more stars:

Saving Tiamaat by Gwyneth Jones - 1.6
Verthandi’s Ring by Ian McDonald - 1.7
Hatch by Robert Reed - 3
Winning Peace” by Paul J. McAuley - 2.8
Glory by Greg Egan - 3.3
Maelstorm by Kage Baker - 2
Blessed by an Angel by Peter F. Hamilton - 4.6
Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359? by Ken Macleod - 2.8
The Valley of the Gardens by Tony Daniel - 4.3
Dividing the Sustain by James Patrick Kelly - 2.9
Minla’s Flowers by Alastair Reynolds - 4.9
Splinters of Glass by Mary Rosenblum - 3.3
Remembrance by Stephen Baxter - 3
The Emperor and the Maula by Robert Silverberg - 4
The Worm Turns by Greg Benford - 2.9
Send Them Flowers by Walter Jon Williams - 3
Art of War by Nancy Kress - 3
Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons - 4

AVERAGE (MEAN) ~3.2 stars

chronotope's review

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5.0

An excellent collection, well worth the low price of it's soft-cover edition. This book is full of really good space opera stories and should be picked up by any fan of the genre.

graff_fuller's review

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adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

01 The New Space Opera (anthology)
Average Rating: 60/18 = 3.33 Stars

My favorite story was by Alastair Reynolds called Minla's Flowers - 4.5 Stars

My least favorite stories were by Gwyneth Jones called Saving Tiamaat AND James Patrick Kelly called Dividing the Sustain. BOTH were rated at 2.5 Stars.

Short stories are using rated lower for me, since I really do not enjoy this medium. I enjoy long form story telling...500 plus pages and long standing series...so that we can live in this world for a LONG time and truly get to know the characters...where they almost become family.

In short stories, you are dropped into a story in the middle and you only get a few scenes. It really is a frustrating experience for me.

The rating will obviously differ with each person. There are not ANY in this anthology that is horrible.

01: Gwyneth Jones: "Saving Tiamaat"
- 2.5 Stars - just wasn't that interested.
02: Ian McDonald: "Verthandi's Ring"
- 3 Stars - a little too loopy for me.
03: Robert Reed: "Hatch"
- 3.5 Stars
04: Paul J. McAuley: "Winning Peace"
- 3 Stars 
05: Greg Egan: "Glory"
- 3.5 Stars 
06: Kage Baker: "Maelstrom"
- 3.5 Stars 
07: Peter F. Hamilton: "Blessed by an Angel"
- 3.5 Stars 
08: Ken MacLeod: "Who's Afraid of Wolf 359?"
- 3.5 Stars 
09: Tony Daniel: "The Valley of the Gardens"
- 3.5 Stars 
10: James Patrick Kelly: "Dividing the Sustain"
- 2.5 Stars 
11: Alastair Reynolds: "Minla's Flowers"
- 4.5 Stars 👆
12: Mary Rosenblum: "Splinters of Glass"
- 3 Stars 
13: Stephen Baxter: "Remembrance"
- 3 Stars 
14: Robert Silverberg: "The Emperor and the Maula"
- 3.5 Stars 
15: Gregory Benford: "The Worm Turns"
- 3 Stars 
16: Walter Jon Williams: "Send Them Flowers"
- 3.5 Stars 
17: Nancy Kress: "Art of War"
- 4 Stars 
18: Dan Simmons: "Muse of Fire"
- 3.5 Stars