At last

[threemonkeys]

What do you read when your energies are being sapped by work. Short stories seemed like the way to go. ASIM 30 didn't last very long - they never do - they are just too tasty. Looking for a larger meal that I could still take in manageable bites I turned to The New Space Opera edited by Jonathan Strahan and Gardner Dozois. This collection has received some very good reviews and I can see why as it contains a whole bunch of stories that more or less hit the "space opera" button. Since the definition of most sub-genres is fuzzy, just like the whole genre really, it means I can't really quibble with the inclusion of stories. In any case I view terms like "space opera" as being descriptive devices enabling a common vocabulary rather than any form of strict categorisation rule. Under the circumstances all I can say is that this is a bunch of essentially plot driven stories with some degree of technologically oriented setting. Beyond that it gives a good look at some of the ways that science fiction can be expressed. Add to that, that the authors chosen are all well known in the field and you can say that the collection represents a good snapshot of the current commercial state of the art in this area.

I don't want to single out individual stories. They mostly range from good to excellent. Really there were only two that I didn't like all that much. Strange that these two were the first ones in the collection. Conventional wisdom is that you put strong stories up front to grab the reader's attention. I suspect that this is a case of my tastes being different from the anthologists. That would also tally up with these stories being praised by reviewers. An interesting thing personal taste, especially given the overall matching of my tastes that the rest of the collection represents.

Comments

[capnoblivious.livejournal.com]

You, uh, liked #30, then? Yours is about the first comment I've read, so...

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I suppose I could just say that I never met an ASIM I didn't like, but that does not tell you much does it. I smiled a lot reading this one - something that isn't always the case. I do enjoy the level of humour that Robbie & you have brought to this issue. True also for that matter for others that you have been involved with. As far as I am concerned humour is "A GOOD THING".

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

re New Space Opera. No no no, you've got it all wrong! There are two stories in there that suck, but they aren't the first two. :-)

[capnoblivious.livejournal.com]

Cheers. Feedback good. Good feedback better. :)

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Of course I have it wrong. I'm celebrating my wrongness.

[catsparx.livejournal.com]

Gah! You're no fun! You're supposed to call me an idiot and then we trade elaborate insults for a few weeks!!!

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I know, but I blame this new job - it has taken all the fight out of me. I can barely remember my name let alone come up with suitable insults. *sigh*