Customer Reviews

Best Science Fiction Novellas of the Year #2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This installment from the late Mr. Carr continued the wonderful idea of gathering widely varied SF for readers' enjoyment. It contains five novellas, each of which makes this book worthwhile all by itself.

"Enemy Mine," soon thereafter produced as the movie, IS different--much different--from the movie. The emphasis is on atmosphere and story rather than violence. Five stars.

"Palely Loitering," taking its name from the second line of the poem *La Belle Dame Sans Merci,* is a STELLAR exploration of temporal travel and anomalies--along with very rich setting and emotion. Four stars.

"Moon Goddess and the Son" reads as a down-and-gritty journey for a young girl who only wants the Moon and will do anything to attain it--Almost. Three stars.

"Songhouse," by distinguished SF writer Orson Scott Card, is so lavish with a sense of the epic: without (the institution called the Songhouse, the galactic emperor), and within (personal journey of discovery and the development of a child prodigy). It is different from most SF you'll read. Four stars.

"Ker-Plop" was described by Mr. Carr as succumbing to the "my alien artifact is bigger than your alien artifact" syndrome. It's pretty darn impressive, math-heavy in a few little parts, and ends with an unorthodox thought: the big-and-bad aliens may not be harmful, but we no longer have room for arrogance. Four stars.

The symphony of these five works makes for a collection you can read again, and again, and again.

I don't know why this series was stopped after two books, if there was a reason other than poor sales. Certainly this one wasn't very good, with a measly 3.40 average, at least for a Year's Best books anyway. Too many dull stories in a row doesn't help. Just your garden variety book this one, too.

Some confusion with categories between editors and awards too. The boring Priest story is a Hugo Novelette according to Locus, and in volume 6, sub-titled short stories and novelettes, there is a Nebula Novella from Wolfe. Certainly looked like it, at 70 odd pages. Confusing people wouldn't help, I'd imagine.

Terry Car Novella 2 : Enemy Mine - Barry B. Longyear
Terry Car Novella 2 : The Moon Goddess and the Son - Donald Kingsbury
Terry Car Novella 2 : Palely Loitering - Christopher Priest
Terry Car Novella 2 : Songhouse - Orson Scott Card
Terry Car Novella 2 : Ker-Plop - Ted Reynolds


Two fighters on opposite sides of a war, and on different species are forced to work together to stay alive.

This relationship also moves on to the next generation, and the human combatant becomes a diplomatic bridge between the two alien races, once they are out of the hairy situation.

4 out of 5


Father-son seduction space trip.

3.5 out of 5


Time flux bridge.

3 out of 5


Leave me in Control.

3 out of 5


Checker out the big ship, and all those people!

3.5 out of 5




3.5 out of 5