No introduction this post, we're heading straight into the reviews.
“How to Become a Mars Overlord” by Catherynne M. Valente
Read in Year’s Best
SF 16 (2011), edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
“How to Become a Mars Overlord” is written as a seminar
intended on providing guidance to people interested in conquering the prized
planet, Mars. Valente is more interesting in recreating a sense of wonder and
yearning for the red planet than she is in telling a story. All of her examples
of Mars overlords are pastiche or echoes of pulp stories featuring the titular
planet. If they’re not recognizable as a creation of another author, then
they’re created by Valente with that same spirit in mind. The whole thing is
very inventive and full of energy but it’s done in a style that doesn’t work
for me.
There is a lot of imagination at work here but it’s
devoid of any meaning. The best idea at play here is that every star system has
its version of Mars, a red planet, closest to the most inhabitable planet,
sitting just out of reach. The idea that Mars is a goal to be reached in all of
its’ many incarnations is a great on and I wish Valente would have used a
different approach to play with that idea.
Ranking: 2 stars
While a good idea, Valente’s execution of this story made
me feel cold and distant from the text. There are too many references and ideas
crammed into these 10 pages. Honestly, I found these faux-references exhausting
as they were never given proper context to be meaningful. If nothing else, it’s
a nice tribute to the red planet and its ability to inspire us to dream.
“Megaphone” by Rick Cook
Read in New Destinies
Volume VI/Winter 1988 (1988), edited by Jim Baen
Originally published in New Destinies Volume VI/Winter 1988 (1988), edited by Jim Baen
Senator Steven Cherney is at a friend’s farm to remove
himself from the busy atmosphere of the city. He’s contemplating the
difficulties he will face when dealing with a new bill that will be coming out
of committee. He was still deep in thought when the abduction occurred.
The idea of alien abduction has been around for ages and
might have been done to death. I admit to not having read many of them. Even
so, with this story Cook proves that even tired stories can be given new life
when approached from a fresh angle. The aliens captured Cherney because they’re
lonely and they want to know why humanity has turned away from space
exploration. The reasons, of course, is that we’re too busy squabbling about
earthly matters to direct our attention to the sky for more than a passing
moment. For this reason, the majority of our great space exploration moments
are behind us.
Yet, this little story has another element that I won’t
spoil for you. It’s fun, but effective and brings home the main theme of the
story which is that people are willing to do morally questionnable things in
order to do something good. The ends justify the means.
Ranking: 4 stars
Far from being a radical story, “Megaphone” nonetheless
satisfies. It plays with well-known ideas but gives it a fresh perspective.
That the story’s tone remains light and familiar actually helps give it a bit more
weight. The same can be said of its short length. It’s a solid science fiction
story, with a bit of humour mix in with a good dose of world-weariness.
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