Federations (Paperback)

~ (Editor), Lois McMaster Bujold (Contributor), Orson Scott Card (Contributor), Anne McCaffrey (Contributor), George R. R. Martin (Contributor), L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Contributor), Alastair Reynolds (Contributor), Robert Silverberg (Contributor), Harry Turtledove (Contributor)
Key Phrases: pilot officer, fantasy magazine, master torturer, Tau Ceti, Tiger's Eye, Pioneer Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Accomplished editor Adams (The Living Dead) explores a host of galaxy-spanning empires in this breathtakingly rich anthology. Lois McMaster Bujold's elegant, elegiacal masterpiece Aftermaths brings grace and sorrow into the silence between stars. Clever and subtle, Alan Dean Foster's Pardon Our Conquest examines how diplomacy is perceived by the losing side. Even Harry Turtledove's Someone Is Stealing the Great Throne Rooms of the Galaxy far surpasses what one might expect from the pun-filled adventures of a space hamster named Rufus Q. Shupilluliumash. Newer writers also contribute standouts: Trent Hergenrader's Eskhara is poignant, masterful and terrifyingly relevant to modern life, Georgina Li's Like They Always Been Free is a harsh, bright vision of futuristic love and Catherynne M. Valente's Golubush, or Wine-Blood-War-Elegy smoothly transforms mundane copywriting into a linked series of flash fictions. Superior writing, fantastic storytelling and creative adherence to the theme will keep readers enthralled. (July)
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Product Description

Edited by John Joseph Adams, editor of Wastelands and The Living Dead. From Star Trek to Star Wars, from Dune to Foundation, science fiction has a rich history of exploring the idea of vast intergalactic societies, and the challenges facing those living in or trying to manage such societies. The stories in Federations will continue that tradition, and herein you will find a mix of all-new, original fiction, alongside selected reprints from authors whose work exemplifies what interstellar SF is capable of, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, George R.R. Martin, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Alastair Reynolds, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverberg and Harry Turtledove. Additional authors: Alan Dean Foster, Kevin J. Anderson, Doug Beason, John C. Wright, Allen Steele, James Alan Gardner, Catherynne M. Valente

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Prime Books (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607012014
• ISBN-13: 978-1607012016
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #299,122 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good space operatic anthology, December 5, 2009

By	R. Friesel Jr. "found_drama" (Burlington, VT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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In many ways, I've started to come to believe that you can't go wrong with a John Joseph Adams' collection. Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse was incredible, The Living Dead was great, and Federations...? Also very very good.

The "dust jacket description" of this anthology pretty much sums it up... It collects a few different modern takes on the classic science fiction trope: What does it take; what does it mean for a civilization to be interstellar and/or pan-galactic?

My take of Federations, it gets a composite rating of 3.9130 (individual stories below)

* "Mazer in Prison" (Orson Scott Card): 3/5
» About what you'd expect from Card. So it doesn't disappoint but it doesn't exactly thrill, either.
* "Carthago Delenda Est" (Genevieve Valentine): 4/5
* "Life Suspension" (L. E. Modesitt, Jr.): 2.5/5
* "Terra-Exulta" (S.L. Gilbow): 3/5
» Reminds me a bit of that Stephen King piece that opens Wastelands. The letter-writing format is a tough one to write in and I appreciate the effort here. And I don't dislike this piece but it seems... too short? or just that its hand is tipped too early and that kind of blows the ending a bit?
* "Aftermaths" (Lois McMaster Bujold): 4/5
* "Someone is Stealing the Great Throne Rooms of the Galaxy" (Harry Turtledove): 2/5
» Not terribly intriguing, and a little puerile/juvenile. To me... I can see why it was included (for the variety and for the perspective it brings) but it just doesn't do it. Not for me.
* "Prisons" (Kevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason): 2.5/5
» So much potential, and almost good; but why did I wind up feeling like it needed to be more subversive? (E.g., so many heteronormative relationships!--if the prison revolt leader had been lovers with another man, well now maybe that might have been a little more intriguing.)
* "Different Day" (K. Tempest Bradford): 5/5
* "Twilight of the Gods" (John C. Wright): 4/5
» The Tolkien-esque language can be a little off-putting at first but it really starts to make sense after you get about a third of the way in.
* "Warship" (George R. R. Martin and George Guthridge): 5/5
» I can't imagine why it took so long for Martin to shop this piece--unless Guthridge really brought that much to it. The execution is very spot-on.
* "Swanwatch" (Yoon Ha Lee): 4/5
» I want to like this more. It's beautiful but a bit oblique--and that's fine but somehow it doesn't jump to where it needs to be.
* "Spirey and the Queen" (Alastair Reynolds): 5/5
» Awesome. Did you like Watts' Blindsight? Did you like Sterling's "Swarm"? A little bit like that. (Only robots.)
* "Pardon Our Conquest" (Alan Dean Foster): 3.5/5
* "Symbiont" (Robert Silverberg): 4.5/5
» Highly disurbing; more so than I thought it would be. (Just read this one; skip the introduction.)
* "The Ship Who Returned" (Anne McCaffrey): 4/5
* "My She" (Mary Rosenblum): 4.5/5
» Brilliant. Nicely subversive and almost perfect.
* "The Shoulders of Giants" (Robert J. Sawyer): 2.5/5
* "The Culture Archivist" (Jeremiah Tolbert): 5/5
» This one is funny in the way that "Someone is Stealing..." (vida supra) could/should have been.
* "The Other Side of Jordan" (Allen Steele): 4.5/5
» Serves a little bit as a reminder that one of the things you're going for (when you're going for sci-fi) is the "deep milieu". This has got it. And I love it for it.
* "Like They Always Been Free" (Georgina Li): 4/5
» Very dense; worthwhile.
* "Eskhara" (Trent Hergenrader): 5/5
» The allegory bits are obvious but rather than detract, they make it all very worth while.
* "The One with the Interstellar Group Consciousnesses" (James Alan Gardner): 4/5
» Cute, and a bit novel, but kind of like an artisan soda: not really bad for you but not really necessary but damn tasty but kind of a cloying aftertaste?
* "Golubash, or Wine-War-Blood-Elegy" (Catherynne M. Valente): 4.5/5
» A little on the oblique side but the framing for the story is absolutely killer.

10 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, April 25, 2009

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

Federations is a bit of an odd duck. Or an odd hybrid duck, even. A mixture of new stories, and reprint stories. The introduction says it is inspired by a Star Trek and Star Wars childhood, but the editor has moved on beyond there - and this will show the tropes of interstellar fiction. So keeping the Federations name is a little odd.

The book is decent, but only of a reasonable original anthology standard. There are some good reprints - e.g. Orson Scott Card in his non-bad mode. There are those that are minor, with Alastair Reynolds worst story I think. Certainly no strategy here of finding the best reprints, by any stretch.

New stories - veterans like Allen M. Steele who turn in an ok Coyote story, but are certainly capable of better. Jeremy Tolbert delivers an inventive tale.

Some of the new work is very slight, though, particularly the shorter stories. Gilbow, for example, and Li. Apart from being mediocre, those thinking they were getting Star Trekking on buying the book may find themselves launching the volume into space, perhaps to collide with large dumb objects like architectural support. There are a couple of poor stories. The sub-par Bradford piece of alien arrival would be completely disposable and forgettable in 1947.

Catherynne Valente is certainly far more talented than the extremely limited types like the Bradfords, Andersons, Gilbows, Hergenraders and Lis could ever hope to be. However, even she belabors the point in her story to where the bouquet becomes tiresome.

There are a couple of spoof type pieces to break things up, too, which is good. Space cadet hamsters, even.

Probably not unreasonable to mention The New Space Opera as a volume of interest to people that are getting this book - and people other than me will likely do so - you would have to suggest that if you could only get one, get one of the Dozois books.

If you have a liking for this sort of thing, it is still worth a look, and worth supporting anthologies along these lines as they aren't common. Less common than the magical cat variety, perhaps. Definitely way better than those, however.

The other great thing is it is multiformat, usable by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Prime are to be commended for being reader friendly. If you have a choice between this and an equivalent work from a DRM-infested, geolocked overcharging publishers who assumes you are likely a thief then give Prime or their counterparts your money. Go and read the other for free in a bookshop, or a library, or some other method.

Federations : Mazer in Prison - Orson Scott Card
Federations : Carthago Delenda Est - Genevieve Valentine
Federations : Life-Suspension - L. E. Modesitt
Federations : Terra-Exulta - S. L. Gilbow
Federations : Aftermaths - Lois McMaster Bujold
Federations : Someone is Stealing the Great Throne Rooms of the Galaxy - Harry Turtledove
Federations : Prisons - Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason
Federations : Different Day - K. Tempest Bradford
Federations : Twilight of the Gods - John C. Wright
Federations : Warship - George R. R. Martin and George Guthridge
Federations : Swanwatch - Yoon Ha Lee
Federations : Spirey and the Queen - Alastair Reynolds
Federations : Pardon Our Conquest - Alan Dean Foster
Federations : Symbiont - Robert Silverberg
Federations : The Ship Who Returned - Anne McCaffrey
Federations : My She - Mary Rosenblum
Federations : The Shoulders of Giants - Robert J. Sawyer
Federations : The Culture Archivist - Jeremiah Tolbert
Federations : The Other Side of Jordan - Allen Steele
Federations : Like They Always Been Free - Georgina Li
Federations : Eskhara - Trent Hergenrader
Federations : The One with the Interstellar Group Consciousnesses - James Alan Gardner
Federations : Golubash or Wine-War-Blood-Elegy - Catherynne M. Valente

Put the kid in charge of the search, or I'm pissing off, and you are B@ggered.

4 out of 5


Delegate message wait.

3 out of 5


Snow woman space pilot revival.

3.5 out of 5


Grimpting formation.

3 out of 5


Dead Barrayan space pickup, no necroph1lia.

3.5 out of 5


Hamster space cadet to the rescue.

3.5 out of 5


Warden, we're permanently revolting.

3.5 out of 5


Alien multi-deals.

2.5 out of 5


Ring Gap Into Madness.

3.5 out of 5


Diseased and down to the hologram. Cleanout needed.

3.5 out of 5


Black hole dive tune.

3.5 out of 5


'Space war is godawful slow.'
Everything is also not as it seems in this conflict, partly as a result of the above.

3 out of 5


We lost we war, or that's what they tell us.

4 out of 5


Mate killing double deal final finish.

4 out of 5


Prosthetic palsy.

3 out of 5


Speaker monopoly.

3 out of 5


Slowship 0. Fastship 1. World already populated. Ship's co-captains petulant, decide to piss off to another galaxy.

3.5 out of 5


Humpty survival UP ex-bad guy Swarm sneak.

4 out of 5


Leaving Coyote love letters.

3.5 out of 5


Boy kiss.

2.5 out of 5


Seditionist siege planet.

3.5 out of 5


The Union of matchmake is on the rise.

3 out of 5


Transport war vintage.

3 out of 5




3.5 out of 5