Customer Reviews

Space Opera

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Generally, science fiction anthologies are a mixed bag, some terrific stories, some terrible stories that you think may be in there just because the author has a "name." Space Opera, however, is nothing like any anthology I have ever read before. It is a one-note song, but that one note sings a joyful song. Made up of short stories commissioned for this anthology, they all share a theme, music. Within that theme, there are as many variations as the human mind can devise. Some stories are only tenuously connected with music, like the faintest hum. Others throb, resonate and pound into your brain like Sony's megabass. But all are worth reading, and some reading 2 or 3 or 4 times to capture all the rich nuances. For anyone who loves science fiction and music, Space Opera is a rare find and a thrilling melody. I particularly enjoyed the story contributed by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and not just because we are both nurses. Anne Berson RN (bersonfamily@worldnet.att.net)

I liked these stories and thought they were well-chosen. Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarbourough make a good team. It was an interesting concept, mixing music and science fiction. This was a very good book for a collection, although I did prefer McCaffrey's Pern series.

The book was enjoyable. Made for some light reading during lunch hours at the office. But it wasn't up to the standards that I expect from a collection like this. Perhaps someone with more of a musical background might enjoy it more than I did. A couple of the stories were very engrossing and entertaining, but overall it wasn't the best I have read.

Loving the editors' stand alone works as well as their collaborations, I expected this book to contain short stories that lived up to their title. Space Opera = Opera in Space. Yes, I know "space opera" is a viable subgenre of science fiction, but given the musical bent of the theme, I was hoping for a more traditional interpretation.

Several of the stories made engrossing reads and held my attention. I found this to be quite the entertaining bunch of stories by authors familiar and new. I especially loved Peter S. Beagle's story, was surprised by the craft in Robin Wayne Bailey's story, and felt a little bittersweet (because of her passing) reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's story.

As a fan of science fiction, I heartily endorse this anthology. Sadly, not all the stories lived up to my expectation, mostly because I felt too few of them weren't science fiction-y enough. A music lover, I loved the theme, just was hoping for a bit more music and science fiction.

Still, well worth your read, especially for the masters' whose works appears within these pages.

I had loaned my copy of this book to a friend, which is always a bad idea with your favorite books, right?

So in looking for a replacement of this book, I was very sad to see it was out of print. Thank goodness for the used book market!

If you lived through Chicago's traffic jam in this past year's horrible snow storm, the first story, Bluesberry Jam, will resonate the most for you.

It's hard to pick out a favorite story from the anthology, all of them are so wonderfully written. I'm a life long fan of McCaffrey, but this anthology is just a recipient of her name. The music and the literature blend so well together. Yes, this may be a sci-fi/fantasy compilation, but it is true literature in how it speaks to us as a human being.

Well worth the time to hunt down, and I assure you, this copy is going nowhere. Just wish we could also have a Kindle version as well.

I am a fan of Anne McCaffery's Science fiction, and I just finished this (back in December, getting caught up here) anthology that she co-edited with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. Ann Scarborough is new to me, and I am going to look up her first novel, Song of Sorcery, which is mentioned in the introduction, primarily because Sweet William, the name sake of one of my favorite flowers, is a significant character. I did enjoy Scarborough's story "Scarborough Fair." The main character, Anne, is a writer, and I always enjoy these glimpses into other writer's lives. Anne is also a bit of a genealogist, and that interests me also, as I have been doing a little research on my family tree.

My favorite stories in the collection are "Bluesberry Jam" by Gene Wolfe, "Ever After" by Paula Lalish, "The Last Song of Sirit Byar" by Peter S. Beagle, and "A Bird in the Hand" by Anne McCaffery.

"Bluesberry Jam" is about a traffic jam that lasts so long that it develops a culture and social services. "Ever After" is a sort of a silly story, about making wishes and finding love; the ending has more truth in it than most `true' stories. "The Last Song . . ." reminds us about the power of song, the power of our words--to create what is real in this life. "A Bird in the Hand" is a kind of who dunit in space . . . I like mysteries, and science fiction, so this is the perfect escape.