Stories
May 1, 2001
The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century, edited by Harry Turtledove with Martin H. Greenberg, musters 13 tales by such top brass of this popular subgenre as Orson Scott Card, David Drake, George R.R. Martin, Arthur C. Clarke and editor Turtledove, who provides an introduction. SF military addicts won't need a direct order to seize a copy of this one.
May 15, 2001
From Poul Anderson's tale of intrigue and betrayal set in a far-future stellar empire ("Among Thieves") to Anne McCaffrey's chronicle of dragonriders protecting their world from a rogue planet's toxic Threads ("Dragonrider"), this 13-story collection demonstrates the great range and variety of battle-oriented sf.with excerpts from previously published material, this volume belongs in sf or short fiction collections.
Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 15, 2001
This is an excellent collection, but it ought to be called " Thirteen Classic Military SF "Short Stories. Given the title it has, subgenre aficionados will howl over the omission of favorite stories and authors; for instance, why nothing by Gordon R. Dickson? But coeditors Turtledove and Greenberg probably have read, edited, or written most of the significant military sf produced by the last three generations of writers. They definitely know whereof they select. So here are the stories by Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, and Joe Haldeman that led, respectively, to the Ender saga, the Pern saga, and Forever War. And Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety," Cordwainer Smith's incomparable "Game of Rat and Dragon," Arthur C. Clarke's amiably savage "Superiority," and the seven other pieces are unassailable choices. Add Turtledove's cogent introduction, and here is a volume commendable to practically every sf collection. Now if Turtledove, Greenberg, and Del Rey rejoin forces to produce a " Rest of the Best "or " More of the Best," may one suggest...?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)