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graff_fuller's review
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
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
donfoolery's review
Back on my "currently-reading" list since I just picked up the MMPB (and added it to goodreads--hooray for librarian status!)
cathepsut's review
Review for GLORY by Greg Egan
An ingot of metallic hydrogen gleamed in the starlight, a narrow cylinder half a meter long with a mass of about a kilogram.
A very abstract beginning. I skimmed past most of that science-tech babble, I confess. I liked the story that followed the info dump.
However...
“There’s more to life than mathematics,” Joan said. “But not much more.”
Math was always one of my best subjects at school, but still... too much! Math Fiction? Mathematical SF?
It was ok, nice idea of a vaguely Star Trekky set-up without the Prime Directive and more cloning and uploading of consciousness. Plus that hard SF thing with the needle that I skimmed... Did I miss the big reveal, aka Brig Crunch? It probably just flew right over my head.
Glory by Greg Egan can be read for free here: https://outofthiseos.typepad.com/blog/files/GregEganGlory.pdf
An ingot of metallic hydrogen gleamed in the starlight, a narrow cylinder half a meter long with a mass of about a kilogram.
A very abstract beginning. I skimmed past most of that science-tech babble, I confess. I liked the story that followed the info dump.
However...
“There’s more to life than mathematics,” Joan said. “But not much more.”
Math was always one of my best subjects at school, but still... too much! Math Fiction? Mathematical SF?
It was ok, nice idea of a vaguely Star Trekky set-up without the Prime Directive and more cloning and uploading of consciousness. Plus that hard SF thing with the needle that I skimmed... Did I miss the big reveal, aka Brig Crunch? It probably just flew right over my head.
Glory by Greg Egan can be read for free here: https://outofthiseos.typepad.com/blog/files/GregEganGlory.pdf
sophronisba's review
3.0
Favorite stories: "Flowers for Minla" (Alistair Reynolds) and "Art of War" (Nancy Kress)
lisarue's review against another edition
5.0
This anthology is awesome. Several of the stories created brilliant images and scenes in my mind, especially Dan Simmons'.
realbooks4ever's review
3.0
The trouble with reading a 515 page book of short stories is that by the time I finish it I can't remember all of the plotlines. I was sure that if I just marked the ones I enjoyed as I went along it would be sufficient enough to at least remember those. No. So I give you a list of the ones I marked, and the one story that did stand out enough for me to choose it as my favorite.
SAVING TIAMAAT - Gwyneth Jones
WINNING PEACE - Paul J. McAuley
MAELSTROM - Kage Baker
WHO'S AFRAID OF WOLF 359? - Ken Macleod
MINLA'S FLOWERS - Alastair Reynolds
REMEMBERANCE - Steven Baxter
THE EMPORER AND THE MAULA - Robert Silverberg
THE WORM TURNS - Gregory Benford
ART OF WAR - Nancy Kress
And the winner is: SPLINTERS OF GLASS - Mary Rosenblum. This fast-paced story is set on Europa, where there are cities carved in the ice underground. A wonderfully written chase scene on powered "boards" had me on the edge of my seat!
SAVING TIAMAAT - Gwyneth Jones
WINNING PEACE - Paul J. McAuley
MAELSTROM - Kage Baker
WHO'S AFRAID OF WOLF 359? - Ken Macleod
MINLA'S FLOWERS - Alastair Reynolds
REMEMBERANCE - Steven Baxter
THE EMPORER AND THE MAULA - Robert Silverberg
THE WORM TURNS - Gregory Benford
ART OF WAR - Nancy Kress
And the winner is: SPLINTERS OF GLASS - Mary Rosenblum. This fast-paced story is set on Europa, where there are cities carved in the ice underground. A wonderfully written chase scene on powered "boards" had me on the edge of my seat!
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