Once Upon a Galaxy

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), John Helfers (Editor), Wil McCarthy (Editor)

...in these original new stories by today's masters of science fiction and fantasy. Two time-tested genres test the limits of "happily ever after" when beloved tales like "Goldilocks" and "Sleeping Beauty" are given an outer-space spin.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Anthologies, Fiction

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 3, 2002

About the author

Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.

For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.

Reviews

[David Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 14 short stories that are science fiction retellings of fairy tales.

Like most short story collections by multiple authors, some of the stories are better than others. To me, some of the stories did better sticking to the theme of turning fairy tales into science fiction tales. It would have been nice if the stories had told what story they were supposed to be adapting. I am not sure if I just wasn't aware of the fairy tale ( I don't know a lot of them or at least don't recognize them in their more original versions.) or if the adaptations just weren't that great. But if you ignore their origins, most of the stories were decent.

[Kolya Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few great stories, and several that are forgettable or worse. "Ailoura" by Paul Di Filippo was a standout. I also liked every story written by a woman who lives in rural Ontario with her partner, four cats, and one tiny dog (according to the introductory blurbs), of which there were two: "The Control Device" by Fiona Patton, and "Nanite, Star Bright" by Tanya Huff.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a unique theme for an anthology of short science fiction stories, the retelling of classic fairy tales in a science fiction format. Some were readily identifiable, while others didn't seem to fit any fairy tale with which I was familiar. My favorite was "Nanite, Star Bright" by Tanya Huff, a good rendition of "The Elves and the Shoemaker". I wanted to read more. I also enjoyed "Of Wood and Stone" by Ronne Seagren. While I wasn't familiar with the underlying fairy tale, the story told of a delicious bit of revenge from two who would protect the few remaining forests. And, "The Emperor's Revenge", by Stanley Schmidt, was a humorous speculation on what happened after the emperor was humiliated by wearing his new clothes in front of the townspeople. As with many anthologies, there were some stories that were not as well-written and didn't capture my attention, but the book is worth reading for the gems hidden within.

[Michael Hanscom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must admit, I only made it about 60% of the way through this one. While the melding of sci-fi and fantasy by way of sf retellings of traditional fairy tales sounded like a good idea, it just wasn't working for me in practice. I'd pick this up, read for a while, make it through a story or two, then put it down again, and it was just getting harder and harder to pick it up. A good idea that just didn't come together.

[Kylie Briggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is composed of 14 short stories: fairy tales retold as science fiction. One, the Nightingale, was outstanding, two were mediocre the rest were not enjoyable to me at all. I haven't read much science fiction and, as it turns out, I don't really enjoy it.

[Nina Teal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous! Classic fairytales are often retold. Once Upon a Galaxy is a brilliant anthology of sci-fi and fantasy takes on these classics. A few of them are a bit eehhhhhhh, but the for the most part, these are amazing. Every fairytale lover should own a copy. :)

[Frank Taranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical anthology, some good some bad.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Science Fiction versions of classic fairy tales. My favorites: "Nanite, Stat Bright" by Tanya Huff and "Dancing in the Ashes" by Richard E. Freshen.