David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer’s The Space Opera Renaissance, a 941 page mammoth volume from 2006, is divided into six sections. I’ve already reviewed Section 1 (you can read my review here) and you can read my review of Section 2 here and Section 3 here.
Dan Simmons, once a resident of Western New York, scored Success in Science Fiction with his Hyperion Cantos (winning a Hugo Award), and Success in the Fantasy/Horror fields with novels like A Winter’s Haunting (2002). “Orphans of the Helix” deals with a distress call that leads to a First Contact situation. GRADE: B
Colin Greenland, a British SF writer best known for his Plenty series, delivers a canny story of the Future of artistic endeavors with “The Well Wishers.” GRADE: B-
Peter Hamilton started his Science Fiction career in the early 1990s with three SF detective novels: Mindstar Rising (1993), A Quantum Murder (1994), and The Nano Flower (1995). Hamilton’s story, “Escape Route,” has the same flavor with a crew of a spaceship for hire contracting to take an “investment” team into a remote area to search for an asteroid full of gold. But appearances are deceptive… GRADE: B
David Weber is best known for his Honor Harrington series: 15 primary novels with the main storyline beginning with On Basilisk Station (1993) and concluding its current arc with Toll of Honor (2024). Weber has written that he has based his Honor Harrington series on C. S. Forester’s Hornblower series.
Honor Harrington is a young woman who rises through the space navy while confronted with many problems and crises. “Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington” tells the story of Harrington’s first assignment–on the starship, War Maiden, a heavy cruiser. Harrington has to contend with a bullying senior officer and a space battle to prove she belongs. GRADE: B+
Catherine Asaro’s “Aurora in Four Voices” blends space opera and romance into a suspenseful adventure. GRADE: B
R. Garcia y Robert’s “Ring Rats” presents an entertaining space pirate story. GRADE: B
Allen Steele’s “The Death of Captain Future” won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novella. Steele would go on and write Avengers of the Moon (2014)–you can read my review here–as a homage to Edmond Hamilton’s wonderful character. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
IV. Volunteers: Revisionaries (early 90s)
“Orphans of the Helix” by Dan Simmons — 311
“The Well Wishers” by Colin Greenland — 344
“Escape Route” by Peter Hamilton — 379
“Ms Midshipwoman Harrington” by David Weber — 415
“Aurora in Four Voices” by Catherine Asaro — 493
“Ring Rats” by R. Garcia y Robertson — 524
“The Death of Captain Future” by Allen Steele — 557
I’m waiting for the book from the library.
Jeff, my only complaint about THE SPACE OPERA RENAISSANCE is that its 1000+ pages render it heavy and unwieldy. But the contents–great stories–makes it worth the effort.
The Cloud Library has an e-book copy, so that’s a positive.
Megabookery does tend to win, of late, in anthologies, with so many readers reading electronically making awkwardness overcome by value for money. Hartwell and Cramer go well with audiences in the fields they working, with good reason. (Typo in Cramer’s name in header.)
Or, even, they work in or they’re working, as typos go.
Todd, WORDPRESS is up to its old tricks with Cramer’s name! Grrrrrr!
George, I have this on my Kindle! And I had forgotten about it. I don’t know where to start. (I suppose I could start at the beginning.) I have re-read the earlier posts on the book, and will probably use them later to decide what to read when.