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The Furthest Horizon: SF Adventures to the Far Future (Paperback)

~ Gardner Dozois (Editor) "Guyal of Sfere had been born one apart from his fellows and early proved vexation for his sire..." (more)
Key Phrases: terraforming ships, galactic brain, unpolished quartz, Solomon Gursky, President Gram, Sol Gursky (more...)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In his preface to this collection of 17 stories and novellas, all published between 1950 and 1998, Gardner Dozois points out that the notion of the far future could not exist without the concept of deep time; that is, this planet's history stretches back billions of years. His groundwork prepares the reader for the vast scale of the fiction that follows.

The best stories combine unabashedly science-fictional wonders with intimate characterization and clear story lines. Cordwainer Smith's "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard"--set on an Earth ruled by the mysterious Lords of the Instrumentality and populated by true men, hominids, and homunculi--is the story of two people who climb a ruined causeway to the clouds where the Abba-dingo, an ancient computer, will foretell their future. It reads like a lucid dream: strange, compelling, and beautiful. Unfortunately, it's followed in short order by "Bumberboom," nominally far-future SF but really a comic fantasy unlikely to be enjoyed by the same readers who appreciate Smith's piece. Michael Moorcock, in "Pale Roses," shows how it should be done, combining fantasy motifs with science-fictional sensibilities in a wickedly playful, psychologically dark, and cliché-mocking story of terminal ennui set in his Dancers at the End of Time milieu. Several of the later stories, particularly those written in the '90s by Robert Reed, Alexander Jablokov, and Paul McAuley, strive for transcendence but miss by a whisker. The anthology closes with a satisfyingly circular time-and-universe-spanning epic, Ian McDonald's "In the Days of Solomon Gursky," which manages brilliantly to give the reader a wonder-filled roller-coaster ride, yet end on a human note. --Luc Duplessis



From Booklist

Editor Dozois' latest theme anthology presents 17 stories, many of them classics, set in a future so far from now that memories of today's humans have been lost by our descendants. The contents' original publication dates range from 1950 for Jack Vance's "Guyal of Sfere" to 1998 for Ian McDonald's "The Days of Solomon Gursky." Vance isn't the only writer represented who treds the boundary between fantasy and sf, for stories by Michael Moorcock, Avram Davidson, and Cordwainer Smith are similarly mixed. Gene Wolfe, Keith Roberts, and James Tiptree Jr. are other old hands on hand, while Paul J. McAuley, Alexander Jabolokov, and Robert Reed stand out among the more newly come contributors. Special mention must go to Poul Anderson's "Genesis," the basis of his new novel Genesis. For Dozois, it is another anthology, another feather for his cap. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (May 5, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312263260
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312263263
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,988,794 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Gardner R. Dozois
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
Guyal of Sfere had been born one apart from his fellows and early proved vexation for his sire. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
terraforming ships, galactic brain, unpolished quartz, royal hostelry, nut roaster, floating habitat, mass driver, weather machines, human ship, power ring
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Solomon Gursky, President Gram, Sol Gursky, Mistress Christia, Prince of Roum, Zembac Pix, Lady Charlotina, Duke of Queens, Adam Tesler, Christian Brannock, Museum of Man, Judy's Comet, Guyal of Sfere, Heaven Tree, Nebula Award, Spirit Ring, Catherine Gratitude, Ice Mother, Mouth of Truth, Alpha Ralpha Boulevard, Hugo Award, Iron Orchid, Second Cycle, Werther de Goethe, Captain Mog
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The Good New Stuff by Gardner R. Dozois
Scatterbrain by Larry Niven
 

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Customer Reviews

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have collection of short science fiction, August 14, 2000
By "sdixonsf" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
When Dozois introduced the first of these retrospective anthologies a couple of years ago (THE GOOD OLD STUFF), I didn't buy it at first because of what I considered a hefty price tag for a paperback. Still, every year the best anthology of science fiction I buy is inevitably Dozois' Year's Best collection, so I have a great deal of respect for his selections. Finally, I broke down and bought that earlier volume, and I have bought each since (The Good New Stuff, Explorers, and now The Furthest Horizon).

Each of these volumes has been very well-packaged, and filled with some of the best classic science fiction short stories to be found anywhere, but in my opinion this newest volume is definitely the best yet. Granted, this is partly because all of the stories deal with one of my favorite science-fictional premises, the depiction of the extremely distant future. Even with such a seemingly-limited topic, Dozois has managed to assemble a varied and entertaining collection.

The real standout stories are Cordwainer Smith's "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" , Jack Vance's "Guyal of Sfere" (originally part of The Dying Earth), James Tiptree, Jr.'s "Slow Music", and Ian McDonald's "The Days of Solomon Gursky", but there are also great works by Brian Aldiss, Frederik Pohl, Avram Davidson (a story I had never seen anywhere before), Walter Jon Williams, Robert Reed, Alexander Jablokov, and Poul Anderson.

This volume definitely goes on my permanent bookshelf. I cannot recommend it too highly.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading; don't get too excited, though, June 27, 2002
By P CASON (Birmingham) - See all my reviews
Of the 17 stories, I would say most are average. There are a couple of dogs and a few gems. I thought Reed, McDonald, Anderson were excellent. Strong finish, otherwise pretty average, but worth reading.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, August 20, 2009
A good anthology, at 3.50, a bit over the 3.75 mark to round up. The title suggests the theme, which is stories set a long way into the future, whether on Vance's Dying Earth, or in Smith's Instrumentality Of Mankind.

So says the editor: "Most science fiction takes place in the future, but even within the genre, few writers have ever had the imagination, poetic skills, and visionary scope to write convincingly about the really far future, and stories of that sort, which usually take place at least thousands and often millions of years from now, are among the rarest in science fiction."

The Keith Roberts story is set in the world of one of the incarnations of Moorcock's Eternal Champion, to wit, The Ice Schooner. So that was an interesting find.

I certainly do prefer the more recent stories to the older ones in this book, particularly Williams and McDonald, along with Robert Reed to pick the next.


Furthest Horizons : Guyal of Sfere - JACK VANCE
Furthest Horizons : Old Hundredth - BRIAN W. ALDISS
Furthest Horizons : Alpha Ralpha Boulevard - CORDWAINER SMITH
Furthest Horizons : Day Million - FREDERIK POHL
Furthest Horizons : Bumberboom - AVRAM DAVIDSON
Furthest Horizons : Coranda - KEITH ROBERTS
Furthest Horizons : Nightwings - ROBERT SILVERBERG
Furthest Horizons : Pale Roses - MICHAEL MOORCOCK
Furthest Horizons : Anniversary Project - JOE HALDEMAN
Furthest Horizons : Slow Music - JAMES TIPTREE, JR.
Furthest Horizons : The Map - GENE WOLFE
Furthest Horizons : Dinosaurs - WALTER JON WILLIAMS
Furthest Horizons : The Death Artist - ALEXANDER JABLOKOV
Furthest Horizons : Sister Alice - ROBERT REED
Furthest Horizons : Recording Angel - PAUL J . McAULEY
Furthest Horizons : Genesis - POUL ANDERSON
Furthest Horizons : The Days of Solomon Gursky - IAN McDONALD

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Dead rebellion expansion.

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4 out of 5
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Difficult Reading: Not Worth the Effort
Though there are a few gems in this collection, the majority of stories here are difficult to read at best, incomprehensible at worst. Read more
Published on August 21, 2002

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Dozois' Fault
With the exception of Gene Wolfe's The Map, the best these stories can do is mediocre. Dozois, I'm certain, did an excellent job picking out these stories, and that the fault... Read more
Published on November 19, 2001 by Glenn McDorman

1.0 out of 5 stars BORING!!!!!!!!!!
I have never before written a review for a book, but in this case I felt I owed it to my fellow readers to warn them to save their money. Read more
Published on August 2, 2001 by Richard Panza

5.0 out of 5 stars A stellar Far, Far Future SF stories collection
Gardner Dozois collects a fine assortment of really far future SF stories in one of his best anthologies to date. Read more
Published on August 16, 2000 by Jvstin

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