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The Quiet War
Stories from the Quiet War
A collection of five stories, including a previously unpublished novella, set in the universe of the author's novels The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun. Only available as an e-publication.
After the end of the Quiet War, the victorious forces from Earth have taken control of the cities and settlements of the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. In 'Making History' and 'Karyl's War', the victors and the defeated discover that defining the end of the war isn't easy. In 'Incomers', a young visitor from Earth learns of an unexpected reconciliation. In 'Second Skin', a spy attempting to kidnap a valuable gene wizard discovers that he isn't quite what he thought he was. And in 'Reef', the discovery of a fast-evolving ecosystem of vacuum organisms in a planetoid in the Kuiper Belt has far-reaching implications for the spread of life throughout the Solar System.
After the end of the Quiet War, the victorious forces from Earth have taken control of the cities and settlements of the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. In 'Making History' and 'Karyl's War', the victors and the defeated discover that defining the end of the war isn't easy. In 'Incomers', a young visitor from Earth learns of an unexpected reconciliation. In 'Second Skin', a spy attempting to kidnap a valuable gene wizard discovers that he isn't quite what he thought he was. And in 'Reef', the discovery of a fast-evolving ecosystem of vacuum organisms in a planetoid in the Kuiper Belt has far-reaching implications for the spread of life throughout the Solar System.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2011
8 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Paul McAuley
229 books421 followersSince about 2000, book jackets have given his name as just Paul McAuley.
A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.
McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings.
Since 2001, he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.
Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.
A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.
McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings.
Since 2001, he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.
Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 1, 2013
Short stories flourish in SF, probably because the genre is at its most potent and concentrated in the short form. Also, a lot of SF novels, particularly multi-volume series, invariably began with the seeds or shoots of short stories. One example is the Quiet War sequence by Paul McAuley, which began, quietly enough, as a short story called ‘Second Skin’, written in 1996. The fourth full-length novel in the sequence, Evening’s Empires, has just been released.
In this Kindle-only collection, McAuley provides an illuminating account of the genesis of the Quiet War sequence, as well as his long-abiding fascination with the moons of the outer planets, and such seemingly desolate areas as the Kuiper Belt - a realm as exotic as the furthest reaches of space, except it is right in our own backyard.
A purveyor of what he himself terms ‘radical hard SF’, McAuley’s stories are a joy to read if you like your science with all the nuts and bolts in place. Yet he is also a profound thinker and humanist, with the entire Quiet War sequence likely to emerge as a classic space opera.
The war is triggered when vested interests on Earth, in the wake of environmental collapse and dwindling resources, decide to seize control of the outer system colonies, which are perceived as a threat to human progress and evolution.
It is a simple framework that allows McAuley to deal provocatively and compassionately with immensely complex and emotive issues like colonialism and expansionism, history and progress, and the very nature of what it means to be human. All the stories in this collection focus on ordinary individuals caught up in the flux of the Quiet War, which swirls around their little lives with increasing turmoil.
The stories here represent everything I love about SF, and McAuley in particular: the science is rigorous, and the sense of wonder is palpable, all set against an exotic backdrop, but grounded in very topical and recognizable themes.
This is a superb introduction to McAuley if you have never read him before, and a treasure trove for fans.
In this Kindle-only collection, McAuley provides an illuminating account of the genesis of the Quiet War sequence, as well as his long-abiding fascination with the moons of the outer planets, and such seemingly desolate areas as the Kuiper Belt - a realm as exotic as the furthest reaches of space, except it is right in our own backyard.
A purveyor of what he himself terms ‘radical hard SF’, McAuley’s stories are a joy to read if you like your science with all the nuts and bolts in place. Yet he is also a profound thinker and humanist, with the entire Quiet War sequence likely to emerge as a classic space opera.
The war is triggered when vested interests on Earth, in the wake of environmental collapse and dwindling resources, decide to seize control of the outer system colonies, which are perceived as a threat to human progress and evolution.
It is a simple framework that allows McAuley to deal provocatively and compassionately with immensely complex and emotive issues like colonialism and expansionism, history and progress, and the very nature of what it means to be human. All the stories in this collection focus on ordinary individuals caught up in the flux of the Quiet War, which swirls around their little lives with increasing turmoil.
The stories here represent everything I love about SF, and McAuley in particular: the science is rigorous, and the sense of wonder is palpable, all set against an exotic backdrop, but grounded in very topical and recognizable themes.
This is a superb introduction to McAuley if you have never read him before, and a treasure trove for fans.
July 15, 2015
Some completely magical stories here, filling in details and expanding the Quiet War universe of the moons of Jupiter, Saturn and beyond.
Making History - In this story, McAuley notes that "Sartre wrote that because of technology we can no longer make history; instead, history is something that happens to us." - A wonderful observation. Set during the occupation of the city of Paris on the moon, Dione, this story is both illuminating and ultimately tragic.
Incomers - teenagers being kids, getting into mischief, and deeper. Very human and humane, with again a tragic and wonderful ending. Marvellous.
Second Skin - powerful and clever, we again see the gene wizard Avernus, in a tale of an escape with a twist. Fun!
Reef - a truly magical world, set in the Kuiper belt. McAuley's command of future biological wonders and evolution is quite amazing. A truly spectacular tour de force of hard sci-fi. Wonderful.
Karyl's War - another personal view of the invasion and occupation of Dione during the Quiet War, with a quite surprising ending for those of you who have read The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun.
Great stuff. A must-read for fans of the Quiet War period.
Making History - In this story, McAuley notes that "Sartre wrote that because of technology we can no longer make history; instead, history is something that happens to us." - A wonderful observation. Set during the occupation of the city of Paris on the moon, Dione, this story is both illuminating and ultimately tragic.
Incomers - teenagers being kids, getting into mischief, and deeper. Very human and humane, with again a tragic and wonderful ending. Marvellous.
Second Skin - powerful and clever, we again see the gene wizard Avernus, in a tale of an escape with a twist. Fun!
Reef - a truly magical world, set in the Kuiper belt. McAuley's command of future biological wonders and evolution is quite amazing. A truly spectacular tour de force of hard sci-fi. Wonderful.
Karyl's War - another personal view of the invasion and occupation of Dione during the Quiet War, with a quite surprising ending for those of you who have read The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun.
Great stuff. A must-read for fans of the Quiet War period.
October 22, 2019
More Quiet War stories. Four good ones, plus a pointless reworking of an earlier story (first version was better, IMO). TOC: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?4...
$1.50 Kindle, so another good chance to catch up, if you are new to the series. 3.5 stars, rounded down for the clunky rework of one story.
The real review here to read is William's, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
$1.50 Kindle, so another good chance to catch up, if you are new to the series. 3.5 stars, rounded down for the clunky rework of one story.
The real review here to read is William's, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 21, 2012
"Making History," the first story in this book, is alone worth the .99 price for this collection of short stories. The story is a pretty big spoiler for events in The Quiet War/Gardens of the Sun, but is a great stand-alone tale of an old history professor's efforts to chronicle the life of a leader of the resistance forces on Paris, Dione. The professor is smitten with a young, beautiful environmental engineer, who has also attracted the affection of Paris's deadly security chief, and takes risks for the women that eventually lead to tragedy, and discovery. This was a great story with multiple fully-developed characters and a great setting (the partially rebuilt city of Dione, with Saturn ever-present hanging in the sky beyond the diamond-paned main dome of the city). This story easily merits four stars.
"Incomers" is another great story. The tale of a teenager who has recently arrived on Rhea to live in its largest city with his parents, who are engineers, and his interaction with two other teenage "incomers" who desperately seek ways to avoid boredom while longing to return to Earth. After they decide to follow an old-time immigrant, believing he is a spy, our teenage protagonist learns an important lesson about the big impact that a few seconds and a chance encounter can have on your life. This was another great story with well-developed characters and a really cool setting.
"Second Skin" was a little too brutal for my taste, but entertaining enough. It is the story of a spy sent to a tiny moon of Neptune to bring Avernus (one of the main characters in the Quiet War/Gardens of the Sun) back to Earth. Of course, the spy is not all that he seems or even all that he believes he is. The first two stories are probably 4-star worthy, but this one is only deserving of three stars. I'm not a fan of brutal violence, even when it isn't glorified or depicted solely for entertainment value.
"Reef" was a Hard SF exploration of a very large Kuiper Belt, comet-like object that had been overtaken by vacuum organisms. One group of scientists want to explore all of the vacuum organisms, which appear to be evolving, all the way to the core of the fractured comment while another group wants to simply cash in on what they've already discovered to make sure that their venture makes money and they retain their reputation. It's scientist v. scientist in a battle for scientific exploration . . . a little cheesy, I thought.
"Karyl's War" was a great, moody story about the main character's struggle to stay out of the Quiet War, despite getting swept up in its aftermath. I enjoyed the scenes set in a space ship junk yard in space as our protagonist strips a disabled shuttle of its valuable parts (all while a prisoner of war) and discovers a secret within ship.
"Incomers" is another great story. The tale of a teenager who has recently arrived on Rhea to live in its largest city with his parents, who are engineers, and his interaction with two other teenage "incomers" who desperately seek ways to avoid boredom while longing to return to Earth. After they decide to follow an old-time immigrant, believing he is a spy, our teenage protagonist learns an important lesson about the big impact that a few seconds and a chance encounter can have on your life. This was another great story with well-developed characters and a really cool setting.
"Second Skin" was a little too brutal for my taste, but entertaining enough. It is the story of a spy sent to a tiny moon of Neptune to bring Avernus (one of the main characters in the Quiet War/Gardens of the Sun) back to Earth. Of course, the spy is not all that he seems or even all that he believes he is. The first two stories are probably 4-star worthy, but this one is only deserving of three stars. I'm not a fan of brutal violence, even when it isn't glorified or depicted solely for entertainment value.
"Reef" was a Hard SF exploration of a very large Kuiper Belt, comet-like object that had been overtaken by vacuum organisms. One group of scientists want to explore all of the vacuum organisms, which appear to be evolving, all the way to the core of the fractured comment while another group wants to simply cash in on what they've already discovered to make sure that their venture makes money and they retain their reputation. It's scientist v. scientist in a battle for scientific exploration . . . a little cheesy, I thought.
"Karyl's War" was a great, moody story about the main character's struggle to stay out of the Quiet War, despite getting swept up in its aftermath. I enjoyed the scenes set in a space ship junk yard in space as our protagonist strips a disabled shuttle of its valuable parts (all while a prisoner of war) and discovers a secret within ship.
July 23, 2014
I read this collection after the wonderful In the Mouth of the Whale as I did not want to leave the superb universe of the author; for some of the stories here, it was the 4th time i read them, some third, some second time and only Karyl's War which is newly published (hint contains an Arab Spring reference) was for the first time; notable Quiet war stories missing are Dead men walking and The Gardens of Saturn which are also awesome and there are 2 or 3 others excellent ones missing (The Passenger, Assassination of Faustino Malarte...)
But still for a very low price, these 5 stories give a very good reading experience and I highly recommend them
Making History is the first QW story i read in the awesome PS anthology of 2000 and the one that hooked me on the milieu; this was the 4th or 5th read and the first narration of an aging history professor that is commisioned by the winning powers to write a biography of the most hated (or most heroic) leader of the Outers, the immediate post war desolation where the winners make the rules and the vanquished endure and a beautiful girl and a love stricken police commander and chief torturer were as fresh as on the first read
Incomers is a more recent story and is set after the war in a habitat less touched by it, though its reverberations and suspicions still go on; good stuff too but less memorable than most of the rest
Second Skin - one of several stories about the spies and saboteurs, the earth Poers sent in the first wave of the war (before the conquest) and while Dead Men walking is the best such, this one is excellent too
Reef - Outers science and tech on display and sense of wonder and speculations about the future; this story fits best with In the Mouth of the Whale and is another excellent one
Karyl's War - the odyssey of an Outer outsider who wants only to be left in peace to live his nomadic life, but as those memorable words say: "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you"
More great world building and action as well as a good cautionary tale for all seasons so to speak
Overall - if you have not read the author's wonderful series so far that starts with The Quiet War, try these stories and see if they hook you as Making History did 11 or so years ago for me...
But still for a very low price, these 5 stories give a very good reading experience and I highly recommend them
Making History is the first QW story i read in the awesome PS anthology of 2000 and the one that hooked me on the milieu; this was the 4th or 5th read and the first narration of an aging history professor that is commisioned by the winning powers to write a biography of the most hated (or most heroic) leader of the Outers, the immediate post war desolation where the winners make the rules and the vanquished endure and a beautiful girl and a love stricken police commander and chief torturer were as fresh as on the first read
Incomers is a more recent story and is set after the war in a habitat less touched by it, though its reverberations and suspicions still go on; good stuff too but less memorable than most of the rest
Second Skin - one of several stories about the spies and saboteurs, the earth Poers sent in the first wave of the war (before the conquest) and while Dead Men walking is the best such, this one is excellent too
Reef - Outers science and tech on display and sense of wonder and speculations about the future; this story fits best with In the Mouth of the Whale and is another excellent one
Karyl's War - the odyssey of an Outer outsider who wants only to be left in peace to live his nomadic life, but as those memorable words say: "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you"
More great world building and action as well as a good cautionary tale for all seasons so to speak
Overall - if you have not read the author's wonderful series so far that starts with The Quiet War, try these stories and see if they hook you as Making History did 11 or so years ago for me...
August 18, 2017
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories set in McAuley's Quiet War future history, during and just after an asymmetrically bloody conflict in which the powers of Earth crush and occupy colonies around Jupiter, Saturn, and the other outer planets. The world building is terrific - the author makes the solar system feel really large, and yet the stories all fit within a coherent future. The main characters are (mostly) appealing as well.
Aspects of the stories reminded me of Arthur C. Clark, especially the hard science and the aesthetic choice to have main characters caught up in larger historical events that they experience rather than shape. A recurring theme is the stories is the nature of oppression, especially colonial power - how it diminishes the humanity of those who govern, and how those who are oppressed respond, with violence, nonviolent resistance, or by following some other personal ethic. There's plenty of brutality in these stories, not for its own sake, but as a critique of power. One could, in fact, read the stories as an exploration of the United States' own projection of military power in other nations (such as Iraq and Afghanistan), although the author offers no such comparison.
Aspects of the stories reminded me of Arthur C. Clark, especially the hard science and the aesthetic choice to have main characters caught up in larger historical events that they experience rather than shape. A recurring theme is the stories is the nature of oppression, especially colonial power - how it diminishes the humanity of those who govern, and how those who are oppressed respond, with violence, nonviolent resistance, or by following some other personal ethic. There's plenty of brutality in these stories, not for its own sake, but as a critique of power. One could, in fact, read the stories as an exploration of the United States' own projection of military power in other nations (such as Iraq and Afghanistan), although the author offers no such comparison.
February 3, 2013
Well paced short stories, with a certain poignancy. If you like mainstream SF then well worth the effort.
August 27, 2016
A great collection of stories that add depth and detail to the worlds and events chronicled in McAuley's The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun. A definite must if you're a fan of those novels.
October 7, 2017
This is a very short collection of stories set in the author's 'Quiet War' universe, with the action in all of the stories actually occurring AFTER the said war and the first novel. By the time I managed to go through all the stories in here, I managed to finish the novel itself, and was not impressed by it. These shorter works actually work a lot better, not leaving enough room to the author to dabble on in info-dumps or characters uselessly plotting and scheming against one another.
Story breakdown:
- Making History (novella): 3*
Journalist is sent to colony on asteroid in the outer reaches of the solar system to document the legend of the leader of the resistance against Earth. The setting is stunning - the colony has been devastated and its remaining settlers are rebuilding. The execution is not so fantastic, though.
- Incomers (novelette): 4*
A bunch of kids believe new immigrant to be a former war criminal and set out to spy on him. Hey, this 'young adult'-themed story is easily the best here.
- Second Skin (short story): 2*
Assassin is sent to remote colony to dispatch a rebel, only to discover that he himself is actually a... This appears to have been the very first story in the Quiet War universe, and, although far from the author's first published story, was unbelievably clunky and hard to follow.
- Reef (novelette): 3*
Heavy on biological terms (as is 'The Quiet War' novel itself), this actually works better than the novel, as it manages to stay away from the useless plot machinations. I only wish I could understand all the '-isms'.
- Karyl's War (novella): 2*
After going through about a third of this story, and determining it is not a real standout, I decided to part ways with this universe. It could've been simply good, but my patience is exhausted.
Story breakdown:
- Making History (novella): 3*
Journalist is sent to colony on asteroid in the outer reaches of the solar system to document the legend of the leader of the resistance against Earth. The setting is stunning - the colony has been devastated and its remaining settlers are rebuilding. The execution is not so fantastic, though.
- Incomers (novelette): 4*
A bunch of kids believe new immigrant to be a former war criminal and set out to spy on him. Hey, this 'young adult'-themed story is easily the best here.
- Second Skin (short story): 2*
Assassin is sent to remote colony to dispatch a rebel, only to discover that he himself is actually a... This appears to have been the very first story in the Quiet War universe, and, although far from the author's first published story, was unbelievably clunky and hard to follow.
- Reef (novelette): 3*
Heavy on biological terms (as is 'The Quiet War' novel itself), this actually works better than the novel, as it manages to stay away from the useless plot machinations. I only wish I could understand all the '-isms'.
- Karyl's War (novella): 2*
After going through about a third of this story, and determining it is not a real standout, I decided to part ways with this universe. It could've been simply good, but my patience is exhausted.
August 15, 2020
I appreciate having these in one convenient package. These are bits and pieces of a larger story related in a pair of novels about the Quiet War.
I am a 'uge fan of stories set in an inhabited solar system, so my opinion is very much not disinterested, but these stories are awfully good examples of the subgenre. I especially loved Second Skin on my first reading.
Highly recommendedbto fans of McAuley, the Quiet War, or "hard" futurism, three groups who do not need my recommendation, so there.
I am a 'uge fan of stories set in an inhabited solar system, so my opinion is very much not disinterested, but these stories are awfully good examples of the subgenre. I especially loved Second Skin on my first reading.
Highly recommendedbto fans of McAuley, the Quiet War, or "hard" futurism, three groups who do not need my recommendation, so there.
December 27, 2019
Set in the distant harsh worlds of outer planets, these explain in detail how the life would be under domes and icy moons where major gas planets would dominate the sky. It's a harsh, hard but lovable life, with intriguing characters. Some of the stories in this book will stay in my top#10 for decades.
March 3, 2020
I think I like these short stories more than the novels. They're so well paced and carefully written, and the novels are amazing too, but they can be a bit dry in places. The Quiet War comes second to the Jackaroo books though...
April 26, 2022
Read for LIT. GENRE III Fantasy & Sci-Fi.
April 5, 2023
a bit variable - not essential reading, more for completists, but then again I preferred 400 Billion Stars and Fairyland to the Quiet War series
September 22, 2015
I'm surprised I don't remember more of the stories from their publication elsewhere. "The Reef" is the only one that triggered a memory. As you might expect from the setting, the stories are somber and thus getting through the collection was a little difficult. McAuley's writing is more than enough to carry the collection.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews