Traces [Mass Market Paperback]

Stephen Baxter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1999

Stories set in a variety of futures from the award-winning heir of Arthur C. Clarke: Traces gives a kaleidoscopic vision of the possibilities for humankind. There are vision of histories which differ from our own, either through small changes -- what if Germany had won WWI ('Mittelwelt') -- or through a fundamental difference in physical laws -- what if Archimedes had been right in his clockwork-like cosmological vision ('No Longer Touch the Earth'). There are visions of futures in which people struggle to survive in a variety of bizarre environments ('Downstream', 'The Blood of Angels'), or, weakened and powerless, inhabit the end of worlds ('Inherit the Earth', 'George and the Comet'). There are explorations of astonishing events of our own lifetimes, in particular the grand expansion into space ('Zemlya', 'Moon Six', 'Pilgrim 7'). These visions give an impression of the contingency of our everyday here-and-now, surrounded as it is by an infinite array of possible pasts, presents, and futures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A luminous collection! Baxter can overwhelm you with a traditional SF "sense of wonder" until your jaw drops' SFX on Vacuum Diagrams

From the Publisher

'The best SF author in Britain' -SFX

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 359 pages
• Publisher: Voyager (January 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006498140
• ISBN-13: 978-0006498148
• Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 2.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,443,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Superior but still Mixed Bag of Stephen Baxter Stories, March 26, 2000

By 

Jvstin "Paul Weimer" (Circle Pines, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Traces (Mass Market Paperback)

In collected stories, there is always the risk of getting nuggets of iron pyrite in with true treasures. Rarely does a collection have a complete slate of hits without a miss. Even the best author can have a few lesser lights mixed in with the best.

Stephen Baxter's collection Traces shows this maxim quite well. Unlike the thematic Vacumn Diagrams, its a pretty diverse collection, including probably the best story of the lot, the imaginative "Moon Six". The titular story, on the other hand, is a forgettable tale at best. In between range stories of various strengths and weakness, ranging on sf treatments of subjects from Verne to Gagarin.

American fans of Stephen Baxter like myself will appreciate having the collection, but this is definitely not the place to start with his work if you are new to his brand of idea bursting stories.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to a Great witer, March 28, 2004

By 

adamvs (montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Traces Hb (Hardcover)

I had just about given up on contemporary science fiction. Then i picked up "traces". Stephen Baxter offers hard science fiction with excellent characterization. I haven't read any missteps in his work, although his sense of narrative is more experimental than some readers may accept.