Customer Reviews

Eyes of Amber and Other Stories

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I would classify myself as a Joan Vinge fan. I've read as much of her work as I can get my hands on, which unfortunately isn't much. For original work, she is not very prolific, and many of these are out of print. Thank goodness for Amazon's used marketplace.

This collection is among her best, as good as Snow Queen. "Eyes of Amber" won her first Hugo, and it is an incredible story. A great foreward by Vinge explains that the story was written very quickly for a particular issue of Aasimov's, and it has the feeling of raw and unclean inspiration, tossing together like a salad the ideas of an alien race that speaks in music and an alien race that has not developed anything resembling human morality.

"Tin Soldier," her first published piece, is also included in this collection. It is not as complex as her later works, but it is a sweet and well-paced love story in a world where women are the ruling class. Also noteworthy is "To Bell the Cat," a story that attempts to create a completely alien but understandable race. It is rare enough to see aliens that are not bipedal in modern sci-fi, it is fascinating to read someone trying to create aliens that are not even animal, in the earthly sense.

Can't wait to pick up her other collections!

Ms. Vinge is a very talented writer, and this collection proves the point. The title story is just so wildly inventive, it's hard to imagine how the authoress came up with the idea. Set on Titan, the large moon of Saturn, the unbelievably alien culture is so unlike human society, it's incredible. Or is it so different after all? It's a real treat, and you'll remember the story for a long time.

Another excellent story is "The Crystal Ship", an extremely well-written story about a decadent society that has lost its way in a haze of drug use and the Star Well, which may be a method of transportation, or a one-way trip to death.

Other noteworthy stories in the collection include "View from a Height" about a sort-of solitary trip in a space ship, and "Media Man".

Highly Recommended.

That book is really impressed me....the way author wrote the stories is really professional....the great mixture of fantasy,modern sci-fi and litareture....Especailly Soldier is really a great story...A must read one!!!!!

Joan D. Vinge is one of the best sci-fi short-story writers.The humanity idol is given in both the mediaman and the lead soldier in the background.Esspecialy the story THE LEAD SOLDIER MUST BE READ BY EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD!