Eclipse 1

Eclipse 1: New Science Fiction And Fantasy by Jonathan Strahan


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A speculative fiction anthology whose theme appears to be 'stories Jonathan Strahan liked.' I don't always like what Jonathan Strahan likes. A few notes, in no particular order:

Bruce Sterling, "The Lustration." Sentient planet computer made entirely of wood! Kind of Ted Chiang lite, which still leaves it pretty interesting (though with whispers of some weird gender issues).

Jeffrey Ford, "The Drowned Life," and Peter S. Beagle, "The Last and Only or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French." You know when a story is good in an objective sense – evocative, creative, all that – but you don't actually like it? Yeah.

Ysabeau S. Wilce, "Quartermaster Returns." Huh! Okay, apparently I really need to be reading her novels.

Kathleen Ann Goonan, "Electric Rains." Post-apocalypse Washington D.C. Interesting and rich, but just not quite there yet.

Margo Lanagan, "She Creatures." . . . Oookay, whatever.

Garth Nix, "Bad Luck, Trouble, Death, and Vampire Sex." Cute and funny and interesting, but ultimately majority fluff.

Terry Dowling, "Toother." Gah! Creepy in the very good way.

Eileen Gunn, "Up the Fire Road." Speculative fiction goes to the Springer Show. *eyeroll* Really? Must we?

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