19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Promising Look at a New Imprint, February 6, 2007
This review is from: The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Vol. 1 (Mass Market Paperback)
My criteria for endorsing anthologies is that I have to appreciate more than 50% of the stories inside, so I'm happy to report that I enjoyed 12 of the 16 stories in this volume, or 75%. Enough that I can heartily recommend it here.
Standouts for me include Paul Di Filippo's "Personal Jesus," which introduces us to the perfect combination of spirituality and technology, the godPod, "Zora and the Land Ethic Nomads" which returns us to Mary Turzillo's Mars of indentured homesteaders, and James Lovegrove's absolutely briliant "The Bowdler Strain," about which too much said could give the game away, but which I will say was $#!+ fantastic! I also admired what Tony Ballantyne was doing with his "Third Person," laughed out loud at Mike & David's PKD pastiche "Jellyfish," and was quite taken with Jay Lake & Greg van Eekhout's "C-Rock City." I'm still contemplating the ending of Neal Asher's "Bioship," and wish that the Wakowski brothers final Matrix film had looked a little more like Keith Brooke's "The Accord," a very interesting little piece that strikes me as an attempt to justify the ways of Agent Smith to man. So, all in all, certainly enough here to get my endorsement, and I recommend checking it out. Meanwhile, I understand a Solaris Book of New Fantasy is planned and I look forward to it enthusiastically.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hoping for another volumne, February 18, 2008
This review is from: The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Vol. 1 (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a collection of sixteen stories by some of the best BL & Solaris Publishing authors. No need to worry that you will read stories from unknown writers, hoping to make it in the tough world of publishing. These authors have already proven their worth, most in Warhammer, W40K, Punktown, or some other well known series. Here is a list of the authors with a story in this book, as well as the title of a book s/he is known for:
Introduction by George Mann
Jeffrey Thomas (One of my personal favorites. Author of Deadstock.)
Neal Asher (Author of Polity Agent)
Jay Lake (Author of Mainspring) & Greg van Eekhout (Author of Show & Tell and Other Stories)
James Lovegrove (Author of Escardy Gap)
Paul Di Filippo (Author of Neutrino Drag)
Peter F. Hamilton (Author of The Dreaming Void)
Adam Roberts (Author of Gradisil)
Stephen Baxter (Author of Time's Tapestry)
Ian Watson (Author of The Inquisition War [W40K])
Mike Resnick (Author of the Starship series) & David Gerrold (Author of the War Against the Chtorr series)
Mary A. Turzillo (Author of Your Cat & Other Space Aliens)
Brian Aldiss (Author of Harm)
Keith Brooke (Author of Genetopia)
Simon Ings (Author of The Eye)
Tony Ballantyne (Author of Divergence)
Eric Brown (Author of Helix)
**** As with all anthologies, some stories are better than others. Every reader will have their personal favorites and possibly realize that there are a few other authors with writing styles they may wish to look in to. To me, the entire experience was like sampling various writing flavors to see which I loved best. I sincerely hope to see another such Solaris anthology in the future. ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Collection of New Science Fiction From 2006, December 8, 2009
This review is from: The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Vol. 1 (Mass Market Paperback)
George Mann opens the collection by praising the short story format and science fiction for preserving it. This format is "just long enough to explore an idea, just short enough to pack an emotional punch." (p. 7). These sixteen stories are all readable and several are quite good.
Author bios are included in an appendix-like final chapter. The collection would be strengthened by moving the relevant bios to the beginning of each story and adding additional material about other works by each author.
Three representative stories:
Neal Asher's "Bioship" describes a relationship triangle between a ship's captain, an attractive passenger, and--the ship.
Stephen Baxter's "Last Contact" shows us a mother and daughter keeping in touch as the end of the world seems to draw closer.
Keith Brooke's "The Accord" takes another look at the implications of uploading our personalities into a virtual reality. This and two other stories have subsequently been combined into a novel,
The Accord. Fair warning for those who might just prefer to read the novel.
This is a good collection and is recommended to science fiction fans of all varieties. Satisfied readers might want to follow up with
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume 2 and
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume 3.
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