Adam Roberts. Thing and Sick. (Solaris Rising 3)
In a remote Antartic research station, the Fermi Paradox is solved, which has a big impact on the two men in the cabin..
Adam Roberts. Trademark Bugs : a legal history. (Reach for Infinity)
A wry take on the pharma companies and just how low they would stoop in the search for profits, and just how limited the response by governments and the public at large might be.
Adam Roberts. What Did Tessimond Tell You? (Solaris Rising 1.5)
Do physicists use words like ‘geezer’, ‘galoomph’, ‘cahoots’, and ‘bald bonce’ ?
Adam Roberts. Shall I Tell You the Problem with Time Travel. (Solaris Rising)
Clever and amusing time travel story, if you accept that the scientists involved don’t quite have the same grasp on the relationship between cause and effect that you would expect.
Adam Roberts. The Ice Submarine. (Further Conflicts)
A tense science thriller, with an interesting background – a West/East conflict is underway, but the protagonist is the commander of a Muslim nuclear submarine
Adam Roberts. Hair. (Year’s Best Science Fiction 27th Annual Collection).
An intriguing story, one that you read and want to think about, and then re-read.
Extraordinary Engines : the definitive Steampunk Anthology, ed Nick Gevers pub Solaris 2008
An excellent collection, with only a couple of weaker contributions. A couple are more fantasy than steampunk, but there is high quality writing throughout and a couple of stories that linger (Youmans, Lanagan and Lake) for some time.
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume Three. (ed George Mann, Solaris 2009.)
The third in the Solaris series hits the street just as the word on those
We Think, Therefore We Are’ ed Peter Crowther pub DAW Books 2009
Daw and Crowther provide the goods once again, in a pocket-sized collection that manages to 15 almost invariably top quality stories.
Celebration. ed Ian Whates. NewCon Press, 2008
This is a good collection featuring some strong stories by many of the biggest names in British SF.
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, ed George Mann, 2007
Sixteen stories, of which I’d say 8 hit the mark. It’s a collection of fairly traditional SF, eschewing the new speculative, as perhaps might be expected with the authors for the most being well established. The majority of the stories could have been written anytime during the 1990s, making it a good, if safe collection, and a solid start.
Forbidden Planets, edited by Peter Crowther, DAW Books 2006
Overall, the quality of the stories is high, and a fine collection showcasing primarily British authors, although perhaps just a tad below the quality of last year’s ‘Constellations’.
Constellations, edited by Peter Crowther, DAW Books 2005
If it’s SFnal bang for your buck you’re after, you won’t get much better value for money than this during 2005.
Science Fiction The Best of the Year 2007 edition, ed Rich Horton, Prime Books 2007
A collection more in tune with my preferences than last year’s, with the exclusion of Analog stories being the primary cause of that.
Year’s Best SF 11. David G. Hartwell, Kathryn Cramer. Eos, 2006
Stories by : Adam Roberts, Alastair Reynolds, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Bruce Stirling, Bud Sparhawk, Cory Doctorow, Daryl Gregory, David Langford, Gardner R Dozois, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Hannu Rajaniemi, James Patrick Kelly, Joe Haldeman, Justina Robinson, Ken MacLeod, Larissa Lai, Lauren McLaughlin, Liz Williams, Matthew Jarpe, Michael Swanwick, Neal Asher, Oliver Morton, Paul McAuley, Peter F. Hamilton, R. Garcia y Robertson, Rudy Rucker, Stephen Baxter, Ted Chiang, Tobias S. Buckell, Vonda N McIntyre.
infinity plus two edited by Keith Brooke and Nick Gevers, (PS Publishing, 2003)
A nice volume to have on the shelves, with a wide range of quality content which showcases a wide range of SF, and high production values. The high price and limited print run will restrict the volume to collectors, but as the stories aren’t originals, we can’t complain that the average SF reader is being deprived.
Live Without a Net. edited by Lou Anders. Roc, 2003
All in all, an interesting varied collection, and well worth the shelf-space.
‘infinities’. edited by Peter Crowther, (Gollancz 2002)
This is a handsome hard-back book which would grace any shelf (albeit that the shape of the book will require a deep shelf!). The stories are of varying quality and SFness, but work together well. A recommended purchase for those of you who haven’t got the stories in their PS Publishing format.
Adam Roberts. Park Polar. PS Publishing, 2003.
A bit of a head-scratcher to be honest, as the story is some way below the standard of other published by PS Publishing.
Adam Roberts. Jupiter Magnified. PS Publishing, 2003.
Quite a different story to the two mentioned above, with a vivid image providing an unsettling backdrop to the human reaction to the event being portrayed.