It Came from Schenectady
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/24/2017
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 5/24/2017 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
2 journalers for this copy...
I got this fair-condition paperback at a local Savers thrift shop, amused by the title. And it turned out to be one of my favorite reads of the month, a really entertaining collection! Author Longyear starts with a description of his least-favorite interview question, "where do you get your ideas" - and then explains that if the question is "where did you get the idea FOR THIS PARTICULAR STORY", he's much happier to answer. And in this book he includes that information on each of the stories, to interesting and sometimes hilarious effect.
The stories themselves are good, too, ranging from goofy to chilling. I don't think there's a clunker in the lot, but my favorites include:
"Collector's Item," about some darkly-prescient dreams that may have lead to an alternate - and better - history.
"The Portrait of Baron Negay" is about a talented forger trying to get one past the cruel and tyrannical baron - and who gets assigned to "help" another painter produce the baron's portrait. Good mix of artistic sensibility vs. self-preservation vs. extremely satisfying revenge.
"A Time for Terror" is about genetically-created plagues, political isolation, and massive injustice, with some hard decisions to be made by the journalist who's shown what's going on.
"Catch the Sun" introduces a world on which the intelligent lifeforms tend huge vines as their sole source of food - and which require them to move around the planet continuously, following the sun that they worship. When terraformers from the galactic federation-equivalent turn up to transform the planet into a garden spot, the agents try to convince the inhabitants that this is a good thing - by taking them into space to show them that their "god" is a ball of burning gas... That's just the beginning; the story takes some really interesting turns as both groups try to understand each other, with discussions of trust and the nature of truth. I really liked this one.
Very good collection!
The stories themselves are good, too, ranging from goofy to chilling. I don't think there's a clunker in the lot, but my favorites include:
"Collector's Item," about some darkly-prescient dreams that may have lead to an alternate - and better - history.
"The Portrait of Baron Negay" is about a talented forger trying to get one past the cruel and tyrannical baron - and who gets assigned to "help" another painter produce the baron's portrait. Good mix of artistic sensibility vs. self-preservation vs. extremely satisfying revenge.
"A Time for Terror" is about genetically-created plagues, political isolation, and massive injustice, with some hard decisions to be made by the journalist who's shown what's going on.
"Catch the Sun" introduces a world on which the intelligent lifeforms tend huge vines as their sole source of food - and which require them to move around the planet continuously, following the sun that they worship. When terraformers from the galactic federation-equivalent turn up to transform the planet into a garden spot, the agents try to convince the inhabitants that this is a good thing - by taking them into space to show them that their "god" is a ball of burning gas... That's just the beginning; the story takes some really interesting turns as both groups try to understand each other, with discussions of trust and the nature of truth. I really liked this one.
Very good collection!
I'm adding this to the SF bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Enjoy!
I received this back from the scifi book box. I am planning on a wild release on a future traveling visit.
Journal Entry 4 by lane1088 at Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina USA on Sunday, September 10, 2017
I left this in terminal C near gate C14. I hope you enjoy reading this book, it sounds like an interesting idea.
