Let's try to start the New Year with reviews of stories
originally published in 2010. The key to making this little blog a popular
place to hangout online is keeping it relevant to the times. What better way to
do that than to continue my review, one story at a time, of Year's Best SF
16?
“The Hebras and the Demons and the Damned” by Brenda Cooper
Read in Year’s Best SF 16 (2011), edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
Originally published in Analog (December 2010), edited by Stanley Schmidt
Read in Year’s Best SF 16 (2011), edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
Originally published in Analog (December 2010), edited by Stanley Schmidt
As is usually the case when reviewing stories in either of Hartwell and Cramer's long running Science Fiction and Fantasy anthologies, Brenda Cooper is an author I was not familiar with until picking up this book. Discovering new authors is one of the pleasures of reading these annual anthologies. Cooper's "The Hebras and the Demons and the Damned" has made it very clear to me that I need to seek out more of her work as it's topic is right up my alley: colonization of alien planets.
This story is set in the same fictional universe as one
of her novel series called Fremont's Children (sometimes known as The Silver
Ship series). A colony of human settlers is experiencing significant
difficulties in establishing themselves in a self-sustainable way on a planet
called Fremont. They're still receiving help from supply ships that arrive
periodically, but they know that this support will one day stop. An older
colonist, with eventual help from the remaining settlers, attempts to boost
their chances of survival by domesticating native fauna, giraffe like creatures
called Hebras. Other animals on the planet, called Demons, are a direct source
of danger and add complicates their efforts with the Hebras. While the initial
results are inconclusive to poor, the story ends of a hopeful note.
Rating: 4 stars
Establishing a self-sustaining colony in an unknown environment can lead to a story that is heavy in detail. That could be a problem for a short form narrative. Cooper does provide some details, but she mostly creates a sense of a complex environment for the reader by painting in broad strokes, only focusing on the details when they matter for the story she is telling. It's effective as you don't feel lost which could have been a danger considering it's a single story that takes place in a larger fictional universe. What worked particularly well for me is that she quickly and clearly establishes why the domestication of the Hebras is important. I want to spend more time on Fremont and learn the eventual fate of the settlers.
“Penumbra” by Gregory Benford
Read in Year’s Best SF 16 (2011), edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
Originally published in Nature (June 10, 2010), edited by "Editors of Nature"
Establishing a self-sustaining colony in an unknown environment can lead to a story that is heavy in detail. That could be a problem for a short form narrative. Cooper does provide some details, but she mostly creates a sense of a complex environment for the reader by painting in broad strokes, only focusing on the details when they matter for the story she is telling. It's effective as you don't feel lost which could have been a danger considering it's a single story that takes place in a larger fictional universe. What worked particularly well for me is that she quickly and clearly establishes why the domestication of the Hebras is important. I want to spend more time on Fremont and learn the eventual fate of the settlers.
“Penumbra” by Gregory Benford
Read in Year’s Best SF 16 (2011), edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
Originally published in Nature (June 10, 2010), edited by "Editors of Nature"
A scientist (I believe an astrophysicist, but the story doesn't outright say it) has completed his work at an observatory in Chile and is vacationing with his girlfriend when a gamma burster hits earth and huge sections of the planet cook. Not the entire earth, though, as the part of the world they're visiting seems significantly less affected than the others.
Using his expertise in the field and a local connection to scientific satellites allow the protagonist to quickly figure out why they've survived the cosmological event that has destroyed so much of the planet so quickly. The reveal is satisfying, if abrupt.
Rating: 3 stars
This is a very short story, clocking in at only four pages. It's more a vignette than a story, really. I thought about how you would flesh out a story like "Penumbra" and it led me to realize the beginning would be setup for characters and plot while the resulting consequences of the cosmological event that our characters witnessed and survived seems a little humdrum and commonplace for the genre. Not because it would be bad, but because there have been countless stories of humans surviving a global catastrophe. Naturally a good writer would make it interesting, but the ideas themselves would be familiar. What makes this story enjoyable is Benford's choice to take his neat idea, present it in a fictional setting, and then get out without having to belabour. By doing so the idea keeps its edge and delivers the intended impact to the reader.
This is a very short story, clocking in at only four pages. It's more a vignette than a story, really. I thought about how you would flesh out a story like "Penumbra" and it led me to realize the beginning would be setup for characters and plot while the resulting consequences of the cosmological event that our characters witnessed and survived seems a little humdrum and commonplace for the genre. Not because it would be bad, but because there have been countless stories of humans surviving a global catastrophe. Naturally a good writer would make it interesting, but the ideas themselves would be familiar. What makes this story enjoyable is Benford's choice to take his neat idea, present it in a fictional setting, and then get out without having to belabour. By doing so the idea keeps its edge and delivers the intended impact to the reader.
Year’s Best SF continues to be a source of good stories. Hopefully, I find the time and focus to write more on the blog this year. Do you have any reading or blogging goals for 2021? IF so, share in the comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment