I tend to really like these anthologies, however this one falls flat. I think the beauty of an anthology with diverse authors is that it takes a concept and each author has a tremendous amount of freedom to fully explore it. Although there is some of that here, the authors seem to constrained to the Paradisi parameters. Each story is fine on its own, but if you try to read a couple in a row, it gets old fast. It feels like each author goes out of their way to explain what Paradisi is like- which becomes very repetitive.
The bottom line is that I really like all of these authors and their writing- but taken together the anthology falls flat.

I'm liking the Pardisi world. I'm usually a mystery reader, but I followed an author of both genres and discovering a new world (for me, and for the stories). This is an anthology full of new authors to me, and to this new future world. The stories cover centuries, since the project covers the nearer future on earth to near and far future on the new world. I found the stories very good to excellent. (Of course, I'm new to the genre.)

I have now read a number of the Chronicles, of which this collection is a worthy addition. What a novel (to me) idea to invent and open source a universe and common history and let creative writers run with that!! I absolutely love it!! This collection is a delightful and varied contribution and I hope more contributions flow and add to this very broad endeavor.

Reviewing two of the representative stories in this box set -- they are all awesome!!!
>>>>> Reviewing “The Fall of Seren” by Cheri Lasota >>>>>
Serentyn Myric climbed up to the Keenbarrows, hills of the old dead. She was to be the chosen sacrifice for the entire village. This was her destiny from the time she was born. She was pondering the words of the old prophecy. Would her power be able to hold back Dinistrydd, a catastrophic meteor strike that had done so much damage to her world year after year? Was she going to die?

She thought back to when Idris had taken her to a cave to see something he had found. The first chamber had a smell of death and she was glad to move away from it. It opened up into a cavern and she saw all sorts of glowing, colorful worms on the walls. As they sat on the floor watching, he let her read his thoughts of wanting to kiss her. She wanted that too.

When the time had come, her friend Idris had followed her, upset that the elders would let her face this alone and would not agree to face the disaster and join their powers to hers. When she would not abandon her fate, Idris kissed her and something frightening happened. She realized he had given her most of his psychokinetic power before he said goodbye. And if she survived what was coming, he asked her to find him in the far away place he was going to now. Could that happen? Would she ever see him again?

This was a really compelling story about unlikely heroes. I highly recommend reading this one, along with all the other great stories in the box set. What a wonderful treat for the reader!

>>>>> Reviewing “Down and Out in Caprinet” by Fexlix R Savage >>>>>
Gustav Gunther woke up from the helio crash with none of his weapons; even his contacts were missing! His head hurt and he pulled off a wrapping to discover his DOT, an implant which connected him to the Net, was cut out of his head. The stranger, referred to as the “runty SOB” and eventually identified as Saul, led him through the jungle. Apparently Saul had been a member of the 11th ship heading to Paradisi system which disappeared. The other 10 colonist ships chose to ignore the missing ship in their escape to Paradisi. Gustav was now hearing about their fate.
As they continued through the jungle, Gustav realized he had a fever from his wound. He and Saul rode creatures like dolphins down the river until a storm forced them to shore. The redhead Gustav encountered earlier cutting apart his crashed helio was riding a large bird. She argued with Saul and had the bird snatch his up by its claws; it then dropped him from high above to his apparent death. Gustav passed out and was luckily found by fishermen. They took him to their village where he seemed to fit right in. Now it was time to make the choice – stay or continue on? What will the future offer him? Can he survive this world?
We hear the story through switching back and forth from the original incident and Captain Gunther’s court-martial, interspersed in the story. The world is described so well that the reader feels like a part of it. The extreme views of the native people reflect clearly their attitudes toward Gunther, one of the original Descendants. The story progresses relentlessly, and you never know what’s coming. It was a good read and I highly recommend it.

This was my introduction to the world of Paradisi. I couldn't have asked for a better beginning. It tells the story of what has always happened when a group that's technologically advanced decides the native people are in the way.

Some stories are superior to others, of course. The general theme is a little depressing, because as usual humans disperse to a planet where they displace, enslave, or otherwise treat non-human life inhumanely.

This was a spur of the moment reading choice for an airplane trip - and it was perfect. Sci-fi short stories can be tricky because the author can't spend masses of time building background and characters. That's problematic with other planets and imagined realities. However, all of these were entertaining to read and while not the greatest fiction ever written, they passed the time pleasantly. I plan to look for more.

Because this is a multi author book, some stories are great and some are soso.