Reviewed by Steven Klotz
Space… is big. This anthology is at it’s best when it’s showing just how big space is. It starts with a story that spans the life of the universe, Robert Charles Wilson’s “Utriusque Cosmi” and ends with a story chronicling the events leading up to the destruction of our home galaxy, “The Far End of History” by John C. Wright. In between those are numerous stories exploring how we travel those vast distances and what we might find.
“The Island” by Peter Watts (hugo nominee) is a first contact story told by an engineers that builds the gateways of a wormhole network. Jay Lake’s “To Raise A Mutiny Betwixt Yourselves” similarly involves laying the foundation for faster than light travel. “Inevitable” by Sean Williams contrasts the limits of traditional faster than light ships with the weird temporal implications of truly instantaneous travel. “From the Heart” by John Meany and “The Tenth Muse” by Tad Williams both involve an encounter with an alien civilization that by its nature expands our view of how vast the universe is. In “The Tale of the Wicked” by John Scalzi a twist on the traditional artificial intelligence uprising turns the tables in a war between galactic civilizations.
Immortality and other post-human problems mingled with espionage, crime, theater and adventure – the themes that bind most of the entries in this anthology. It’s not surprising that those elements played out on this vast of a canvas result in a wide range of stories. In addition to the stories already mentioned there are some gems that rely less on the vastness of space but are still quite memorable. “Join the Navy and See the Worlds” by Bruce Sterling is a near future character study involving space tourism and continued unmanned exploration of our solar system. “To Go Boldy” by Cory Doctorow is Star Trek pastiche that, while quite silly, directly confronts a rather important philosophical question. “Fearless Space Pirates of the Outer Rings” by Bill Willingham bounces playfully from genre to genre, settling into a super hero origin story. “Cracklegrackle” by Justina Robson is a kidnapping investigation, an exploration of science vs religion, and a meditation of the posthuman condition.
Quite an enjoyable read that I’d recommend to any sci-fi fan.
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