This is the second volume in a relatively new original anthology series from longtime Tor Books editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden. Nielsen Hayden has exceptional--and somewhat eccentric--tastes when it comes to selecting science fiction and fantasy, something that's clearly evident in this book. The 13 stories presented here include works from established pros such as Ursula K. Le Guin and Geoffrey A. Landis, as well as pieces from some not so familiar names such as Ted Chiang. (Chiang's work "The Story of Your Life" is only his fourth published story, although his first earned him a Nebula Award.) The literary styles vary as widely as the authors, and in some respects the only thing they have in common is their overriding quality. But this volume definitely has something for everyone and is an excellent source for some terrific reading. --Craig E. Engler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Rare's the sequel that matches its predecessor, especially when the original is as acclaimed as Starlight 1, which won the World Fantasy Award for best anthology. This diverse compilation of SF and fantasy, however, seems to live up to the expectations set, offering 13 original and powerful stories with an overall darker, grimmer cast than the ones that came before. M. Shayne Bell's protagonists travel time to revise the nation's history by attempting to correct the humiliations suffered by the black singer Marian Anderson in Jim Crow America ("Lock Down"). Geoffrey A. Landis introduces a physicist whose brilliance rivals Einstein's, but whose status as a homeless, unmarried mother forces theories about three-dimensional space to the back burner ("Snow"). The rich in Jonathan Lethem's dystopic "Access Fantasy" rape and kill the disenfranchised poor before retreating behind their "One-Way Permeable Barrier." "The Death of the Duke," Ellen Kushner's adults-only fairy tale, eroticizes the moment of death when the Duke is pierced by his male lover's sword. Strong and varied, this anthology has gathered some gems of the genre.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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