Customer Reviews

Carmen Miranda's Ghost Is Haunting Space Station 3

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This is one of those books that is chiefly written for SF & Fantasy fandom by the SF& Fantasy fandom. As such, readers new to the genre may find it puzzling why anyone would love a book with such a strange title and theme chosen for its short stories. The origin of this anthology is a song written by famous filk (SF music, for those who are unfamiliar with the term) singer Leslie Fish. Apparently the song came about after "too much turkey and eggnog . . . and a table centerpiece decoration . . . and space age music on the hi-fi that just happened to swing into a rhumba". To get the full story, you'll have to read the Afterword in this anthology.

It's an unexpected anthology, with a wide range of tones and styles. "Provisional Solution" by B.W. Clough is a very light toned, lively take on the manifestation of Carmen and her trademark fruits. "Basket Case: Or:The Grapes of Wrath" by Bruce B. Barnett interprets the themes into a hard SF detective story with delightful success. Don Sakers, the editor of this anthology, has two short stories in this collection. The first is "The Man Who Travelled in Rocketships" a touching story that's meant as a memorial to Heinlen. The second is "Tarawa Rising" about an aging drag queen coming to terms with themselves with a little ghostly help. Other authors include, Anne McCaffrey, Esthner Friesner, C. J. Cherryh and, of course, the woman who started it all, Leslie Fish.

Why would anyone have 19 stories and a song about Carmen Miranda's ghost on a space station? SF writers having fun would have to be my main interpretation. And that's no bad thing, there are some brilliant stories within this anthology, some hysterical giggles, some thought provoking moments, and even some bittersweet memories. For the filksong fans, the sheet music for the song that Leslie Fish wrote is included at the end of the anthology. In some ways, I guess I'd say that this is sort of an in-joke anthology, since the folks most likely to pick it up are fans, but I highly reccomend it to any SF or Fantasy reader! Here's just a bit of Leslie's song:

"Carmen Miranda's Ghost is haunting
Space Station Three.
Half the staff has seen her,
plus the Portmaster and me.
And if you think we've had too much
Of Cookie's homemade rum,
Just tell me where these basket hats
of fruit keep coming from!"

Happy reading! ^_^ shanshad

Lots of nostalgia since this anthology was put together near 30 years ago but surprisingly relevant. Silly basis but, as I said "GREAT FUN"

Am I going to surprise you when I say an anthology titled _Carmen Miranda's Ghost Is Haunting Space Station Three_ is a mixed bag? Most anthologies are, and it seems to me like the more specific the theme, the greater the chance you'll get a lot of dubious fare but a few flashes of brilliance. The ghost of Carmen Miranda in space is about as specific as I've seen. Some of the stories inspired by Leslie Fish's wonderful filksong are indeed dubious, but few are bad, five or six are good, and one is truly excellent. All of them share a certain charm, regardless of quality.

"The Carmen Miranda Gambit" is my hands-down favorite. Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett must have seen the musical 'Chess,' or they were inspired by the same events. Either way they manage to combine chess, sports celebrity, and a long-dead flamenco dancer in a clever and entirely serious manner. I would keep the book on my shelves for this story alone.

Nothing else measured quite so high, but "Basket Case" (Bruce B. Barnett), a space station murder mystery; "Shadows On the Wall" (Ron Robison), a series of statements from crewmen explaining their station's unusual luxury; "Bertocci's Proof" (Leslie Fish herself), a story speculating on what comes after death; "Wings" (C.J. Cherryh), dealing with a similar theme in a lighter way; and "And Now the News:" (Betsy Marks and Anne G. DeMaio), in which the dead of the past return to steer the present, were each a kind of treat. The offerings from Anne McCaffrey and Susan Shwartz also stand out.

What remains is harmless fun, mostly--I probably won't remember them two weeks from now but they moved well enough and did homage to the premise. Of course, this is all personal taste. Maybe your favorite would be one I didn't much care for, or you'd yawn through the Scott and Barnett piece, who knows? Regardless of which stories you liked, I think if the premise got you to pick up the book in the first place, you'd find something inside to make you laugh, or think, or hunt down a recording of Ms. Fish's song.

Now I just wish someone would base an anthology on 'Popeye the Sailor's Ghost Is Haunting Space Station Four!' (No, really, that exists. Look it up!)