Various (Editor: Gevers, Nick) - Extrasolar
Science / Fantasy set outside our solar system. Stories that implore us to believe in destinies beyond our capacities. One should reach high, I suppose.
“Holdfast” follows two combatants in an ongoing, endless war. It offers hope - possibly forlorn.
Kaslo is a private investigator, working undercover for a secretive client. A valuable assistant has disappeared, along with a pet project, the “Thunderstone”. Kaslo’s task is to find both. His partner / assistant, the integrator, proves an unheralded delight.
Humanity likes to assume we are special. Perhaps we are. Conditions have to be near ideal for life to take a foothold, then flourish. And conditions may be fleeting, as they are on planet “Canoe”.
Few openly acknowledge that climate change leads inexorably to the dying earth. People continue to squander and pollute, instinctively knowing they are murdering their own children, their grandchildren. Why change? Lewis is a specialist, hunting for “Life Signs” beyond our sphere. And he is so very smug.
“The Tale Of The Alcubierre Horse” is the longest tale, mixing Polynesian folklore with futuristic
modifications. No one can breathe eugenics, yet selection and engineering propel the ambitions of impatient youth. A lot to appreciate in this one, and much to roll one’s eyes at, One truism abides: no matter how civilized we become, how sophisticated, we remain murderous.
Hit n miss collection for me. I no longer enjoy SciFi as I did in my teens (this book was part of a Grab Bag sale). I see the genre as pipedreams written by idealists for those who pray we are somehow better than our actions indicate.