Alastair Reynolds. Night Passage. (Infinite Stars ed Schmidt, Titan Books, 2017)
clever stuff, although admittedly the characters are rather one-dimensional, with one of them handily having prior knowledge that helps explain the background.
Reviewing short SF since 2000
clever stuff, although admittedly the characters are rather one-dimensional, with one of them handily having prior knowledge that helps explain the background.
A clever use of a doctoral thesis defence enables the reader to find out more about the anomaly to which the putative Dr Chatterjee has given her name.
Reynolds’ short stories are rarer than hen’s teeth these days, so I looked forward to reading this story once I spotted his name on the cover (which has an illustration of a spacesuited figure with a seagull tied to his lap….)
A second story from Reynolds featuring an intelligent Tyrannosaurus Rex in recent years..
Used to trilogies that frequently go to the far reaches of the galaxy in both space and time, Reynolds still manages to get an epic sweep into this narrative.
Only a few pages long, but Reynolds pack a lot into it!
Against a background of water shortages and climate change, a single mother has to face a challenge.
Reynolds at his best in identifying a bogglingly long-term problem, and putting in a very human angle on its solution.
Reynold’s ‘Sleepover’ starts closer to home than most of his stories. But don’t worry, horizons are expanded in due course.
As ever, a strong collection of stories, albeit fairly ‘safe’ in terms of a relatively narrow range of sources.
Already with a couple of collections from his two decades’ worth of short stories, NESFA have produced a handsome book which for the Reynolds’ fan is, as the Dutch would say, ‘een must’.
Getting Alastair Reynolds’ name on a book cover is of course a Good Thing. However, I’m not so sure though that getting him to write a Near Future Optimistic story is a Good Thing, as his strengths are far future, galactic-spanning stories.
Interzone celebrates its 25th Anniversary Issue, courtesy of the sterling work of Andy Cox and
This is the last David Pringle edited/published issue of Interzone, and the Pringle era ended
Hideaway, Alastair Reynolds. Far future, with humanity in dire straits. The enigmatic Waymakers have, perhaps,
Reflections. Robert Silverberg The latest technological developments in slowing the speed of laser light give
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Aliette de Bodard, Charles Coleman Finlay, Daryl Gregory, Dominic Green, Elizabeth Bear, Garth Nix, Geoff Ryman, Gord Sellar, Greg Egan, Gwyneth Jones, Hannu Rajaniemi, Ian McDonald, James Alan Garner, James. L. Cambias, Jay Lake, Karl Schroeder, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Mary Robinette Kowal, Mary Rosenblum, Maureen F. McHugh, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Paolo Bacigalupi, Paul McAuley, Robert Reed, Stephen Baxter, Ted Kosmatka
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Ann Halam, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Cory Doctorow, Daryl Gregory, Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, Jason Sanford, Jeff VanderMeer, Karl Schroeder and Tobias S. Buckell, Kathleen Ann Goonan, M Rickert, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Neil Gaiman, Paolo Bacigalupi, Robert Reed, Rudy Rucker, Sue Burke, Ted Chiang, Ted Kosmatka, Vandana Singh.
There’s a lot to like in the 83 pages, which will satify my Reynolds habit for some time, without having to invest the amount of time necessary to read his last two novels, currently sitting unread on my shelves.
The third in the Solaris series hits the street just as the word on those
This is a good collection featuring some strong stories by many of the biggest names in British SF.
The stories are almost without exception an excellent introduction to the genre, covering a wide spread and with something for most readers. If your kids are past the Harry Potter stage, then give them this hefty volume to help them take a step (or rather, a giant leap) in the right direction.
This has quite simply got to be the strongest original collection in SF in recent years. If you are a regular visitor to Best SF and tend to concur with what I see as being the best in short SF, then this volume is a must have.
At the beginning of this month I reviewed the collection of Alastair Reynolds stories set
If you’re not familiar with the novels, then get a hold of this collection to judge whether you should invest a bit of money, and a lot of time, to familiarise yourself with the epic vistas of the Revelation Space universe
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’.
not as much boggle for my buck as I had hoped, but still a lot of boggle in there!
Well worth the read, and with a novella in the recent Science Fiction Book Club, Dozois edited ‘One Million AD’, Reynolds is very much pushing his telescope to its limits!
But the quibbles aside, an engrossing read and a page-turner. Reynolds latest novel, ‘Pushing Ice’ is out in hardback, although I’ll probably wait until next year for the paperback. (You would think Gollancz would supply review copies wouldn’t you?)
If it’s SFnal bang for your buck you’re after, you won’t get much better value for money than this during 2005.
Over the past fortnight I’ve been indulging myself with Alastair Reynolds fourth novel ‘Absolution Gap’
A very strong volume, IMHO, with only the Palwick story being the one to which I would object to (although with the proviso that the Sterling and Cadigan stories were for my more towards the fantasy end of the spectrum than the SF, especially for an editor who does have a complementary fantasy collection).
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Daniel Kaysen, Douglas Lain, Howard Waldrop, James Patrick Kelly, James Van Pelt, Joe Haldeman, Leah Bobet, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Robert Reed, Stephen Leigh, Susan Palwick, Tom Purdom, Wil McCarthy.
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Carol Emshwiller, Charlie Rosenkrantz, Claude Lalumiere, Cory Doctorow, Daryl Gregory, Edd Vick, Eileen Gunn, Gardner R Dozois, Gregory Benford, Heather Lindsley, Ian Creasey, Ian R. Macleod, Joe Haldeman, Kameron Hurley, Liz Williams, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Flynn, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Paul J. McAuley, Robert Reed, Rudy Rucker, Stephen Baxter, Terry Bisson, Wil McCarthy.
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.
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Brian W. Aldiss, David Morrell, Edward M. Lerner, Gene Wolfe., Gregory Benford, James Morrow, James Patrick Kelly, Lisa Goldstein, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Richard Chwedyk, Simon Ings, Stephen Baxter, Terry Bisson, Terry Dowling, Thomas M. Disch, Ursula K. Le Guin.
As ever, chock full of high quality SF, with the annual summation providing SF with an ongoing reference and reading tome which we should not take for granted. Here’s to the next 25 years! Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Benjamin Rosenbaum and David Ackert, Brian Stableford, Bruce Sterling, Chris Roberson, David Moles, Elizabeth Bear, Greg Egan, Gregory Benford, Gwyneth Jones, Ian McDonald, James Van Pelt, John Barnes, Justin Stanchfield, Kage Baker, Keith Brooke, Ken MacLeod, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Neal Asher, Pat Cadigan, Robert Reed, Robert Silverberg, Stephen Baxter, Ted Chiang, Ted Kosmatka, Tom Purdom, Una McCormack, Vandana Singh
Stories by : A.M. Dellamonica, Alastair Reynolds, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Bruce McAllister, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Cory Doctorow, Daryl Gregory, David D. Levine, Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, Greg Egan, Greg van Eekhout, Gregory Benford, Ian McDonald, Jack Skillingstead, Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold, John Barnes, Justin Stanchfield, Kage Baker, Ken MacLeod, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Paolo Bacigalupi, Paul J. McAuley, Robert Charles Wilson, Robert Reed, Stephen Baxter, Walter Jon Williams
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Bruce Sterling, Chris Beckett, Chris Roberson, Daryl Gregory, David Gerrold, David Moles, Dominic Green, Elizabeth Bear, Gene Wolfe., Gwyneth Jones, Hannu Rajaniemi, Harry Turtledove, Ian McDonald, James Patrick Kelly, Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold, Joe Haldeman, Ken MacLeod, Liz Williams, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Neal Asher, Paolo Bacigalupi, Peter Watts and Derryl Murphy, Robert Reed, Stephen Baxter, Stephen Popkes, Vonda N McIntyre, William Sanders
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Alex Irvine, Bruce Sterling, Charles Coleman Finlay, Charles Stross, Chris Beckett, Eleanor Arnason, Geoff Ryman, Greg Egan, Gregory Benford, Ian McDonald, Ian R. Macleod, James Van Pelt, John Kessel, John Meaney, Kage Baker, Maureen F. McHugh, Michael Swanwick, Molly Gloss, Nancy Kress, Paul McAuley, Richard Wadholm, Robert Reed, Steven Popkes, Walter Jon Williams
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Allen M. Steele, Andy Duncan, Brenda W. Clough, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Charles Stross, Chris Beckett, Dan Simmons, Eleanor Arnason, Geoff Ryman, Howard Waldrop and Leigh Kennedy, Ian R. Macleod, James Kelly, Jim Grimsley, Ken MacLeod, Michael Blumlein, Michael Cassutt, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Paul Di Filippo, Paul McAuley, Robert Reed, Simon Ings, William Sanders.
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Albert E Cowdrey, Brian Stableford, Charles Stross, Eliot Fintushel., Greg Egan, Ian McDonald, John Kessel, Lucius Shepard, M. Shayne Bell, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Paul J. McAuley, Peter F. Hamilton, Rick Cook and Ernest Hogan, Robert Charles Wilson, Severna Park, Stephen Baxter, Steven Utley, Susan Palwick, Tananarive Due, Ursula K. Le Guin.
Stories by : Alastair Reynolds, Ben Bova, Charles Sheffield, Chris Lawson, David Marusek, Eleanor Arnason, Frederik Pohl, Geoff Ryman, Greg Egan, Hal Clement, James Patrick Kelly, Kage Baker, Karl Schroder, Kim Stanley Robinson, M. John Harrison, Michael Swanwick, Mike Resnick, Paul J. McAuley, Richard Wadholm, Robert Grossbach, Robert Reed, Robert Silverberg, Sage Walker, Sean Williams, Stephen Baxter, Tanith Lee, Walter Jon Williams.
Stories by : Bill Johnson, Brian Stableford, Carolyn Ives Gilman, David Marusek, G. David Nordley, Geoffrey A. Landis, Greg Egan, Gregory Benford and Elisabeth Malartre, Gwyneth Jones, Howard Waldrop, Ian McDonald, Ian R. Macleod, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Paul J. McAuley, Peter F. Hamilton, Robert Reed, Robert Silverberg, Sean Williams and Simon Brown, Simon Ings, Stephen Baxter, Walter Jon Williams, William Sanders.
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.
Alastair Reynolds has been garnering praise for his three hard SF novels ‘Revelation Space’, ‘Chasm
The Ant-Men of Tibet. Stephen Baxter Originally in Interzone #95, May 1995. Baxter pays a