I got this book as a gift, with the Lois McMaster Bujold story autographed (thank you, Shirley – you’re the best!). I admit I was tempted to only read the Lois story, because 1: I wasn’t sure how to review an anthology, and 2: Once you’ve read the Lois story, you know nothing can beat it, right? But I decided that was cheating, and I’m glad I read the rest. There was some good stuff from authors I knew, interesting stuff from authors I will now seek out, and just generally good stories from good authors who like to write about space. I liked the little explanatory note at the beginning of each story saying what had inspired the idea, and I was amused how many times that inspiration was Star Trek.
It’s kind of awe-inspiring to read a collection of short stories written by the masters, and seeing how much they can do in so few pages. They have to write believable, relatable, root-worthy characters, a plot that makes at least a little sense, enough background so the reader’s not totally lost, a little action, a little plot advancement, and a satisfying conclusion all in a fraction of the space they usually get. Most of them succeed amazingly well.
My favorite stories were Lois, of course (a nice quiet reflection on the aftermath of battle), a haunting tale of soldiers reconnecting a decade after a doomed skirmish on another planet (Symbiont, Robert Silverberg), and a goofy little story about an interstellar hamster spy. George R.R. Martin’s was an interesting idea – what happens to future generations who are trapped in a ship, with only vague memories and handed-down stories about where they came from and why they’re out there. One story was about a group of prisoners who are forced to terraform planets and then move on when they’re done, with no guards necessary since there’s no escape. Pretty cool, but didn’t make me care about the characters as much as some others.
Overall, a delightful read and good collection of space stories. Lois is in good company.