The dragons of Springplace

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Like Reed's 1997 novel Beneath the Gated Sky, these 11 short stories, all written since 1993 and originally published in Asimov's or the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, soar into boldly realized starscapes and plunge into profound human heartaches. With clean, convincing story lines, Reed moves easily from near-future encounters with alien visitors, as in his ingenious treatment of crop circles in "To Church with Mr. Multhiford" and the ominous avian roadrunner from an alternative Earth in "Stride," to humanity's far-future cosmic voyages, as in "Chrysalis," "Guest of Honor," "Aeon's Child" and "The Remoras." Sympathetic characterizations of underdog heroes and alien or android antagonists alike flesh out the common theme of this collection: a victimized outsider survives and prevails not by cunning or brute strength, but through compassion. Reed is particularly adroit at conveying the stupidity of war, another of his major concerns, and the sadistic collective urge to destroy weak, sick or merely "different" members of the human pack, as in the remarkably poignant "Waging Good," a startling glimpse of post-nuclear devastation. "Aeon's Child" falters slightly because of a conflict almost too vast to imagine, but most of these stories turn expertly upon a gasp of epiphany, the recognition that in undreamed-of futures, galactic deeps or a neighboring cornfield lies undeniable truth about what makes us human. (Apr.)

VOYA - Joyce Sparrow

This fine collection of eleven previously published short stories written by one of the genre's most respected authors is for diehard SF fans. The selection of colorful, descriptive stories includes several pieces nominated for Hugo and Nebula awards. Star travelers, alien visitors, distant galaxies, and speeding starships highlight these tales involving the more human side of interactions with robots, aliens, and other space creatures. Reed's themes favor the underdog who acts on compassionate emotion. The title story depicts a nuclear waste site crawling with huge predators. Chrysalis, Guest of Honor, Aeon's Child, and The Remoras feature cosmic voyages. In The Shape of Everything, a century-old astronomer uses his childhood experiences at a summer day camp to explain his theory on the existence of other galaxies. An older queen pays off the gambling debt of her young husband, innocently becoming involved in a revenge scheme that reveals her husband's true identity in The Remoras. Decency tells the story of a marine who kills an alien seriously wounded in its capture. When he is summoned to join the dead alien's space community, the aliens recognize the marine's genuine sympathy for the suffering captive and realize that while intelligence can be manufactured, sincere human sympathy is unique in all worlds. Expect a resurgence of science fiction readers after the summer blockbusters have been released. This is an excellent book to add spark to a dormant collection, and is recommended for public libraries. All the stories in this collection are for mature fans due to strong language and sexual content. VOYA Codes: 4Q 2P S A/YA Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult. 1999, Golden Gryphon, 364 West Country Lane, Collinsville, IL

If you are looking for rich and varied scenarios with interesting and well developed characters which require some investment on your part, this is the place to go.
— SF Site

Eleven substantial stories, spanning the years 1990–97, from the author of Beneath the Gated Sky (1997), etc. In the imaginative, striking, improbable title piece, a nuclear waste repository that's been turned into the Lost World of a steamy jungle swarming with huge, genetically engineered reptilian predators, proves an irresistible magnet for the unscrupulous. A woman unjustly exiled on devastated Earth, forced to help rebuild the planet after an interplanetary war, realizes she's gained far more than her rich friends who escaped retribution on the Moon's Farside. People didn't domesticate corn, Reed speculates—quite the reverse; and galaxies were built in the remote past by intelligent plasmas. A star traveler with a composite brain returns to a world of childlike, merciless immortals; a violent man is hunted by a birdlike predator from a parallel Earth; and aliens who visit Earth often fit in better than human outsiders. Elsewhere, in a far-future era of planet-sized starships, immortal passengers float through space on million-year–long pleasure cruises while repair crews on the hulls, exposed to the manifold hazards of space, evolve into virtually other species. Aboard another starship, Gaean planetary intelligences pursue an ancient, meaningless feud; and on still another, the robots that systematically control everything deceive their organic counterparts in their paranoid determination to prevent another war. Ingenious yet disciplined, as too often Reed's novels aren't, and resolutely inquisitive, providing no easy answers—or easy questions, either. .