Solaris Rising 3

Following the Philip K. Dick Award-nominated Solaris Rising 2, and before that Solaris Rising 1 and 1.5, we have an anthology of stories that take us to the outer reaches of the universe.

The anthology starts off with one of the most readable introductions I've seen in big anthologies - generally I skim over them, but this, Whates takes the time to explain how he first came across each other and how they caught his attention, which I found quite interesting.

"When We Harvested the Nacre-Rice" by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

Pahayal finds a body near her home, and is surprised to see it's not a corpse, rather, a woman, who is thankful to have been taken back to Pahayal's home and looked after. Etiesse is a soldier, and there is a war raging. In this tale, we see an emotional story of friendship and cultures. This is a slow and steady, well written in a poetical sense, start to the anthology.

"The Goblin Hunter" by Chris Beckett

Split between two sets of characters, we see a family of locals who hunt out the indigenous goblin-like creatures that project thoughts you don't want to hear directly into your head. We also see a work unit of police-like people who have been transferred to the planet to look after the indigenous, for they keep turning up killed.

The characters in this one fairly bounce off the page. I wish it were longer - I appreciate why it ends without everything fixed and justice served on the disgusting acts we're told of - the poor girl - but goodness did I want justice for her!

"Homo Floresiensis" by Ken Liu

Ken Liu is always excellent, isn't he? This shows two scientists a bit out of their field, but on the verge of discovery so great it demands they throw aside any other commitments they may have and take a chance. And it pays off. It leads to some difficult questions though, around morals and rights and whether this discovery belongs to science or if it needs protecting. We're left with an open ending, in a way - we're not quite sure what the answer or result is, but it leaves you hoping that it all turned out okay - if that's at all possible.

"A Taste for Murder" by Julie E. Czerneda

Denny Rashid Martin is a police officer, was a street cop last week, and is now at a homicide desk, having to attend funerals to work cases. In this we get to see what could happen when body modification gets a little out of control - something I just got a taste of in Nexus by Ramez Naam. The reveal in this one makes it memorable.

"Double Blind" by Tony Ballantyne

A drug trial that becomes more and more mysterious, and then deadly as it goes on. A seemingly simple tale that may have more to it that I failed to grasp (and I see other reviewers wonder the same thing), or this could simply be all there is to it. Quite effectively written, but I was waiting for another twist or end result.

"The Mashup" by Sean Williams

An invasion story - a guy leaves a party, but doubles back to ask the DJ what a particular song was. A small black hovering device is pointed out to him, and how there seems to be one for every human. As he tries to get home he notices more and more of them - and now soon there's a new little device for every little device itself, a different colour and size and everything, until there's a whole line of the colour spectrum from large (what I imagine to be fist sized) to small (speck of powder, only seen when it's moving.) The MC makes the only decision left to him by the end of the piece.

"The Frost on Jade Buds" by Aliette de Bodard

The need to grieve is a topic I'm reading a lot of, at the moment, what with Helen Macdonald's 'H is For Hawk' novel. War seems to play a common theme in this anthology also. The tech in this one was interesting - I always love reading what tech the future can hold. The search made it a little slow to read, but also gave it depth.

"Popular Images from the First Manned Mission to Enceladus" by Alex Dally MacFarlane

This one I didn't really 'get'. I didn't care for the characters, and it seemed it was trying to do something with the structure that didn't quite work out or went right over my head.

"Red Lights, and Rain" by Gareth L. Powell

A vampire story that took me a little by surprise - and then the time travel element took that to another level. I really enjoyed this one, though I'm always a bit disbelieving when an innocent bystander is relied upon to take out the apparently lethal baddie. Sure, they had the line in that he would certainly be hunted down by the baddie now that he tried to kill him, but if so, why then leave him alone for any number of seconds? That came more as a thought after reading it though - throughout, while you're reading it, it's a strong piece with a good ending that has good suspense throughout.

"They Swim Through Sunset Seas" by Laura Lam

The reason I requested this anthology was for this author, and I wasn't let down. What I love about Lam's writing, especially in her short stories, is how beautifully they're written - you can really imagine the scenes as she describes the colours and makes it all sound so wonderful. Or even the parts where she's describing something fairly gross - you see it all vividly.

As far as the story goes, we have one underwater researcher writing to another whom she used to work with before he made a fatal error in their work. She's alone now in the research facility, and will be for ten standard days until a shuttle arrives - if she lasts that long. Suspense builds in this short as the creature they're there to study becomes more and more angry at being enclosed rather than free, and more determined to break out.

A slightly morbid ending, but also a fitting one.

"Faith Without Teeth" by Ian Watson

Easily one of the best shorts in the anthology. Shows the absurdity of communism, written in a dry, confident manner with excellent use of language that would make any topic or plot or characters a joy to read.

"Thing and Sick" by Adam Roberts

This is an isolated character study - forcing together two people who aren't similar at all, and in this, discover more about themselves and each other than they would have otherwise. One pretentious, and the other the one the reader is supposed to identify with (reads Dune, etc). Set in 1986, it gives us an idea of their technology and communication (ie. lacking) as they spend their hours looking for alien life.

Quite well written, certainly makes you glad for peace and quiet. Excellent closing line, so this is one of the stronger pieces in the anthology also.

"The Sullen Engines" by George Zebrowski

Sadly after such a run of good pieces, this one fell rather flat for me. June wants to rid the world of cars and all they represent. She succeeds in a point towards this goal, but on from this, the story isn't engaging or thought-provoking.

"Dark Harvest" by Cat Sparks

An army on a foreign planet are having some difficulties. Though they contact base, no one comes - not to collect the body bags, so not for anything - they're losing hope. This is a startling story, as one can expect from Sparks, and it delivers with a punch.

"Fift and Shria" by Benjamin Rosenbaum

An excellent piece of work that deals elgantly and intelligently with gender and what really makes up a person - if you can inhabit different bodies, how vital is the gender of that body in to making you, you? The depth of the building that went into creating this short shows eloquently with what's explored and delivered. Another of the stronger pieces in this anthology.

"The Howl" by Ian R. MacLeod & Martin Sketchley

A change at Singapore and then Dubai and then on to London? That seems to be flying there from Australia! In this deeply personal story, a daughter speaks to a man estranged from their family after the death of her mother. This is what carries the story, rather than the SF elements, which is a little disappointing when you think of the point of the anthology, but it's still an engaging short by its own merits regardless.

"The Science of Chance" by Nina Allan

A child is found at a station with only a first name, and no mention or information on parents. She has a purse, but it only contains a newspaper clipping of a fire in a children's home 30 years beforehand. Left in the care of the police, it's just another mystery for them to solve.

The child hardly speaks, and that's what makes it spooky, really, as well as wondering when the speculative fiction elements will come into play. This is well written, and once of the more memorable pieces in the anthology.

"Endless" by Rachel Swirsky

This is the perfect finisher to the anthology, a story told of fire that's continuous, time and time again. Is there anything more alive than the feeling of pain? It contains interesting thought and musings as one can expect from Swirsky, and is a strong finisher for the anthology. Good SF, good characters, good ideas to leave the reader with.

~

Overall this is a strong anthology, with nearly all the pieces very readable, and all different from each other that have been balanced well. It's also good to see a mix of names, inviting newer names like Laura Lam to take part to help spread their excellent work. It's also good to see a balance of people from around the globe - it's always fun to see a few Aussie names included!

I highly recommend this anthology, and thank Rebellion for offering me a copy to review.

The Solaris Rising are usually varied and tasteful anthologies. I faced reading this collection with illusion and I must say that I liked it a lot. Below you can read my opinion on each of the stories that compose it.

When we harvested the Nacre-Rice Benjanun Sriduangkaew

No collection of stories that price itself does not have a history of Benjanun and this is another great example of the reason of the previous sentence.

Find the lifeless body of a person and llook for it can have terrible consequences for the benefactor.

The goblin hunter by Chris Beckett

Another good story where the aliens try to protect a world when its only defense is telepathic system. They take out the worst in each person and bring you your worst nightmares. The author recreates perhaps excessively in the truculence of the story, but it makes the effect more durable.

Homo floresiensis Ken Liu

The last things I've read by this author tended toward classic fantasy with Asian roots, so I appreciate this change where he still displays his vast repertoire.

An anthropological study may lead to a sensational discovery, but the price to be paid may be too high.

A taste for murder of Julie E. Czerneda

Another very good story with a police background research in a world where genetic modification is the order of the day, according to the trend set by the reference figures. Really recommended with a spectacular finish.

Double blind Tony Ballantyne

Disturbing story about medical tests to volunteers. The author manages to create an eerie atmosphere that becomes a claustrophobic overwhelming environment in closing stages of the story.

The mashup of Sean Williams

Uncontrolled monitoring story that just will not convince me, perhaps because I have not completely understood.

The frost of Jade Buds of Aliette of Bodard

The family relationships are extremely important in the fiction of Aliette Bodard and these relationships include the captains have with their spacecraft, are part of the family. In this story the author explores a new possibility: a ship that does not match this pattern. A very interesting read, if that does not increase my interest in the world of Xuya.

Popular images from the first manned missions to Enceladus Alex MacFarlane Daily

The way to tell this story is quite original, based on the various propaganda posters that the current government was created in reference to manned missions to Enceladus. The author makes some also develops trap because something besides the description of the signs and perhaps that part is where the story fails.

Red Light and rain Gareth L. Powell

Time travel and vampires, with drops in a spy novel but not very entertaining story.

They swin through sunset sears Laura Lam

A story of first contact superbly written with a closed environment and constant underwater threat.

Faith without teeth of Ian Watson

A critique of the communist system with a not very understandable premise may serve to highlight the injustice of absolutist regimes but me has left me indifferent.

Thing and sick of Adam Roberts

Another story set in a claustrophobic Antarctic scientific headquarters. The development ends up being confusing.

The sullen engines George Zebrowski

Absurd story criticizing the invasion of the automobile that we are victims.

Dark Cat Sparks harvest

What appears to be a typical spatial story starring mercenaries on a mining colony (although what are exploited plantations) having a very strange twist at the end.

Fift and Shria Benjamin Rosenbaum

Difficult to understand, this story fits the parameters in vogue at present to change the gender of the characters.

The howl of Ian R. MacLeod and Martin Sketchley

A story that does not leave much landed on space colonization.

The science of chance of Nina Allan

The story that I liked Solaris Rising was this little gem of Nina Allan, who is running hard for the Sidewise Award next year (we'll see if my suspicions are confirmed).

In an alternative Russia where even the detonation of the bomb is remembered and radioactive fallout appears an abandoned child, who is not what it seems. Or is it?

Beautifully written, Allan manages to keep the tension and uncertainty of the story to the end and beyond.

Endless Rachel Swirsky

The final story in this anthology is about postsingularity from an original point of view, what do we humans can still do when they have already exceeded the needs of the flesh and death?

In short anthology is remarkable, contains some really outstanding stories and some not so good, but neither is bad. If you like science fiction this is your chance to get a great collection.