Originally published at Thus Sayeth the Lord…. You can comment here or there.
First let me give a sum-total-review of the book:
Worth it. Completely. Go buy this book. Money well spent.
There’s no overt theme binding the stories together. The anthology purports to be a sampling of neo-pro writers within the speculative fiction field; that’s the aim, to introduce a new wave of speculative fiction writers in a comprehensive smorgasbord of tales. It’s not nearly as catchy a theme as, say, “Werewolves And Their Eternal, Hairy Angst,” but still– pick up the book anyway.
On to the specific reviews!
To the East, a Bright Star– James Maxey
This is a post-apocalyptic tale of sacrifice by the always enjoyable James Maxey. It follows the last hours of a circus tightrope walker as he prepares for the impact of a comet that will devastate life as we know it.
It’s a tightly wound story. I enjoyed the…bite of it when I read it first in Asimov’s, and again here. Maxey has a way with words and concepts– with clarity and with simplicity, his language transports you. You won’t find dictionary-busting adjectives here, but all the same, Maxey’s New Orleans reaches out, pulls you into the steam, makes you look up to see that deadly star descending. Beyond that, it’s a story about a guy doing what’s right for no other reason than to do right. It’s an attractive, powerful tale.
Ticktock Girl–Cat Rambo
Ticktock Girl is told as selections of recorded moments from a mechanical girl’s life. In one entry, she’s protecting her creator, a suffragette who is physically disabled; the next entry, she is in her creator’s father’s home, being stared at by maids after the death of her creator.
I can’t say I’m a fan of the style it’s written in; after the first page or so, I stopped looking at the moment number, and just trusted that the events were chronologically ordered. The story ran a lot more clearly when I ignored the moment number completely, and trusted the author and the story to make sense on their own.
Cat Rambo succeeds. Ticktock Girl, without giving much away, becomes a superhero for the suffragette movement. She moves beyond protecting her creator to enacting justice, as informed by her creator’s ideals. I didn’t care for the primary antagonist– a caricature of a hate-spouting religious leader– but all in all, a good yarn.
The Man With Great Despair Behind His Eyes– Ken Scholes
Keep your eye on Ken Scholes– in a couple years, mention you’ve met him, and you can be accused of blatant name dropping. I’m going to get in on the ground floor– I met Ken back in 2005, when he was astounding everyone else at Writers of the Future with his prodigiousness.
Oh, yes. Ken also writes a great short story. TMWGDBHE (sorry, it had to be done) is no exception. Merriweather Lewis is sent by Pres. Jefferson to investigate some odd paper money…money that appears to be from the future!!! He encounters a strange old man that speaks of Merriweather’s own secret, inner demons, as well as gives him glimpses of our (modern-day) history.
It’s one of my favorite selections. Scholes is an artist without pretension. Many speculative stories that use famo
us characters from the past are little more than soapboxes for the author to grind whatever present-day axe he has at hand; Scholes not only avoids that, but superbly removes the reader from their own present-day soapboxes, and fits them into Merriweather’s America.
That Ken Scholes– he’s goooooood.
Wizard’s Encore– Geoffrey Girard
Geoffrey Girard does the unthinkable– he has a magician reveal the secret to his tricks.
O noes!
In Wizard’s Encore, the Algerian tribal wizards have been bested by Jean Robert-Houdin, a stage magician hired by the French government to put the rogue tribes’ magic men in their proper places. Magic is fading away the world over, being replaced by science.
Alas, I found the premise a bit too cliche. It’s handled very aptly, but isn’t my taste.
The Disenchantment of Kivron Ox-Master– Elaine Isaak
This was the most delightful tale in the whole book. I mean, it has a talking, sentient camel! An optimistic, musically inclined musk-ox! An erudite dragon/tyrannosaur!
What more could a guy ask for?
Well, a guy COULD ask that the story be well written. And this guy was well pleased that ‘The Disenchantment of Kivron Ox-Master’ was exceptional. I was at Balticon when Elaine Isaak read selections from this story, and I was very impressed with it. Even more impressed when I finished the story later on. Like I said, my favorite selection. In ‘Kivron Ox-master,’ Elaine Isaak manages silliness, drama, action, characterization, pomp, irony like a shepherd guiding a flock. Wonderfully done.
Sister of the Hedge– Jim C. Hines
Sister of the Hedge is a fantasy that meets the brambles from Sleeping Beauty toe-to-toe, with some historical setting grittiness thrown in for…not fun exactly. For…well, grit. I’m told that the past was a gritty place. I believe it.
Jim C. Hines‘ heroine, Talia, is running from her past. She takes refuge at the Abbey that sits near the Princess Aurora’s briar patch, and delves into the life of service. Rather unwillingly, she assists the princes that have tried to rescue the beauty beyond the Hedge, but have been trapped on the spear-like thorns and kept alive through the Hedge’s magic.
It’s a wonderful premise, but I found the characters lacking somewhat; Talia is unsympathetic; and the other people that populate the story (specifically, the empty headed friend, and the repressive, overbearing head monk) are little more than cliches. It was difficult for me to get on Talia’s side– I don’t root for someone just because they’ve suffered terrible things.
Maybe I’m odd that way.
Rampion–Mary Robinette Kowal
This is another twist up of a fairy tale. Rampion is the prequel to Rapunzel, and concerns itself with how the “barren” mother really got pregnant.
Mary Robinette Kowal’s got a good thing here. It’s a short-short story; maybe three pages, but one of the most satisfying and biting stories in the entire anthology.
Salt of Judas–Eric James Stone
Eric James Stone is the writer whom I usually find myself envying. He does fantasy well, he does scie
nce fiction superbly…and here he does modern fantasy very well. Salt of Judas describes a painter, and his obsession to obtain the love of his life.
When I read Salt of Judas the first time, in Intergalactic Medicine Show, I liked it. I didn’t notice the precise (almost :gasp: literary) use of color. I don’t know how I missed it; maybe I didn’t have my reviewing glasses on that day. EJS brings art to this story about art, and does so in a way that is simple, unpretentious, and that can be appreciated by everyone.
Like a good painting.
Button by Button– E. Catherine Tobler
This was another strong, strong contender for my favorite story. E. Catherine Tobler’s protagonist, Alice, meets a stranger with strange qualities that shake up her staid, Victorian existence.
Tobler’s atmosphere and imagery are exquisite. There’s a tendency in fantasy and science fiction to over-describe; there’s none of that here. Good work; I’ll definitely be checking out her end of the bookstore…
Black Boxes– Matthew S. Rotundo
I tried very hard to like this sci-fi murder mystery. I almost succeeded. There’s no doubt that this starts out as a great story; that it continues through the middle as a riveting mystery; but it falls apart at the end. And the end of a mystery is where the strength of the whole story hangs. Not in the world building, not in the characterization; more than any other genre, the mystery depends on a clean, snappy resolution.
Alas, Matthew S Rotundo’s ending is murky. I just didn’t catch what happened in the end; nor was I certain that the resolution was something I should vote for, or be upset with. It just kind of…ended.
Tobias Buckell– Tides
Tobias Buckell gives us a story about two sisters; one younger, chafing at her family’s poverty and the smallness of her world; the other, world-wise, and possessor of a much needed talent. The story here is NOT about the magic, but about how the return of the elder sister changes the world of the younger one. As a relationship story, it ultimately succeeds, I think.
Urban Renewal– Tom Pendergrass
Another twist on a fairy tale– or in this case, a nursery rhyme. Tom Pendergrass recounts the actions of a corrupt city manager against one little old lady and her shoe bound family, through correspondence and news articles written about the opposing sides.
Urban Renewal is clever, engaging, and funny. It’s also short, making it one of my favorite pieces in the anthology.
As the Stars of the Sky– Mike Shultz
As the Stars of the Sky tracks a lone spaceman and his relationship with a sentient (or what passes for sentient) alien computer. It’s a tale in the grand tradition of space tales– slightly amoral protagonist, quirky alien devices, roast chicken; I enjoyed it. Congratulations to Mike Shultz– very nice work.
Rainmakers– Ruth Nestvold
Rainmakers traces the efforts of a diplomat in an unwanted post to help a native population accept technology and “civilized” culture. At the beginning of the story, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it– too much cliche
d condescension toward the native culture. But…then…Ruth Nestvold shows why she’s such a powerful writer, and why she’s published so often.
This isn’t an easy story to read. Some of the most powerful stories are like that. I wound up loving Rainmakers for the questions it asked and left to the reader to answer.
Radical Acceptance– David W. Goldman
The closing story is the one that I keep coming back to, wondering if I liked it or not. I don’t think I did, but David W. Goldman’s smart dialogue might convince me on a second read. Radical Acceptance follows the conversation between a Hollywood script writer and an alien otter–discussing what man needs to do in order to evolve and join galactic society.
I’ve got philosophical problems with the story, but I honestly don’t remember the story well enough to make a coherent argument right now.
Maybe later.
Wrap up
So. Go buy Prime Codex.