In the Distance, and Ahead of Time (Five Star Speculatvie Fiction) [Hardcover]

George Zebrowski (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786246871 | ISBN-13: 978-0786246878 | Publication Date: October 2002

George Zebrowski offers 10 stories that present glimpses of our future including Nebula award finalist, "Heathen God".

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

From a darkly humorous tale of the power of words ("Death and the Librarian") to a never-before-published response to the events of September 11 ("Ilion"), Friesner's 12 stories illustrate the author's acutely sensitive vision of wonder in the everyday world. Often cloaked in humor, these tales always provide keen insights using sf and fantasy as vehicles. Known primarily for his "Star Wars" novels, including Heir to the Empire, Zahn's short stories also deliver strong plots and memorable characters. Beginning with a tale of interstellar war against a hive-mind ("Point Man") and ending with a novella that combines space travel and music in a unique and surprising fashion, Star Song's six pieces illuminate the author's versatility and eclectic tastes. Zebrowski's many novels (e.g., Macrolife) mark him as a visionary as well as a master of hard sf. The ten short stories collected in In the Distance provide a benchmark of his creativity. From tales of the near future ("The Water Sculptor") to those of the far future ("Between the Winds"), the author expands his concept of the human condition to embrace the stars. Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent authors, these three volumes belong in most libraries where short sf is popular.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Zebrowski keeps a relatively low profile for so able an author, and the great black hole Out-of-Print has swallowed much of his work. So these 10 stories rescued from oblivion constitute another shot by Five Star on behalf of the good guys and their readers. A repeating character, Christian Praeger, figures in three unpretentious but intelligent space adventures: "The Water Sculptor," "Parks of Rest and Culture," and "Assassins of Air." "The Sea of Evening" addresses Fermi's paradox: if there are no intelligent aliens, why don't they contact us? "Wayside World" connects one of Zebrowski's own creations with the late grand master Poul Anderson's created world named Cleopatra. "The Soft Terrible Music" is played out in a fantastic house in Antarctica, while the title story wanders out to a new planet on which human settlers have made claims that may not help the native population or environment. Finally, "Transfigured Night" and "Between the Winds" are fine variations on the theme of virtual reality. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (ME) (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786246871
• ISBN-13: 978-0786246878
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,334,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well written futuristic, often gloomy, look at humanity, December 17, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Distance, and Ahead of Time (Five Star Speculatvie Fiction) (Hardcover)

This futuristic, often gloomy, look at humanity is divided into three sections. The near futures consist of five tales; the middle distance contains three stories; and the far futures include two entries. Each of the ten tales is well designed so that the audience believes in the possibility (and in some cases the probability) that the setting could one day exist though short stories typically do not by their nature lend itself enough time for the background. This is the key to George Zebrowski's collection as the audience believes that the paths the author chose, whether it is relatively short run, somewhat into the future, or way out in time seem feasible based on present reality. This is Mr. Zebrowski's talent as the stories go back to the 1960s, but stand the test of time, which is the critical litmus indicator for works over three decades old, especially within a book that prides itself with the title chosen. Readers will be surprised to realize that though some of the tales are more than four decades old, they have a timeless quality about them, as if the author had a vision and set it down on paper. This anthology is highly reccomended.

Harriet Klausner