Prime Codex

by Eric James Stone (Editor), James Maxey, Cat Rambo

Prime Codex highlights the new directions in fiction that the Codex Writers Group has collectively begun to forge. A vibrant community of "neo-pro" writers of speculative writers on the hungry edge of their careers, Codex Writers include Writers of the Future winners, veterans of prestigious writing workshops, and authors of critically acclaimed publications at all levels of the literary marketplace, from novels to flash fiction. Gathering stories from a cross-section of the group's production, the anthology reveals just how diverse and influential the next generation of speculative fiction will be.

Genres: Anthologies, Science Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2007

Reviews

[CM · Rating 3 out of 5]

fascinating to see what kinds of stories were getting published a decade ago versus now. about half of the stories in this were ones i enjoyed to differing degrees. the other half probably would not be published today. also, a weird collection in the sense that it's uniting element was membership in codex, rather than any kind of theme, and it didn't feel like the editors had any kind of throughline in mind gathering these particular stories together.

[rivka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original review from several years ago: Not done yet, but so far quite good. A bit dark for my taste overall, but not all the stories suffer from an overdose of angst. Even among those that do, excellent writing. Easy to see why these are considered the up-and-comers of speculative fiction.

2018 review: All fairly good, but none particularly spectacular.

[Pat MacEwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wide-ranging collection of science fiction and fantasy stories which had been languishing in my TBR stack for far too long. The individual stories do not strongly trend toward hard sf but include selections with a fairy tale focus (Rampion, by Mary Robinette Kowal), a consideration of true justice as it applies to Prince Charming (Sister of the Hedge, by Jim Hines), and a different take on the French magician, Robert-Eugene Houdin (yes, that's Harry Houdini's namesake) and his famous contest with Algerian conjurors during a nascent rebellion against the French. The Disenchantment of Kivron Ox-Master, by Elaine Isaak, was charming in some unexpected ways, especially when an ox and a camel wind up outshining the humans involved. My favorites among the sf stories included Tick Tock Girl, by Cat Rambo, wherein an automaton constructed by a suffragette continues her maker's quest. There was also a first rate tale of time travel, despair, and the Lewis & Clark Expedition, by Ken Scholes, titled The Man with Great Despair Behind His Eyes. The best of the lot? Hard to choose, but I'd have to say it's Ruth Nestvold's story, The Rainmakers, all about the difficulties of diplomacy on an alien world and what it means to "take the weather with you."

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent anthology of emergent (and post-emergent) science fiction and fantasy stars, including a gorgeous story by Tobias Buckell which was my personal favorite.

What shocked me as a member of the Codex online forum was that these were my predecessors to that group, and it was exciting to read how the group came about in the forward. I'm very glad I picked this slender volume up.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology contains a strong selection of stories by names that are positively to remain staples in the field for years to come. Prime Codex has a bit of everything as well: from crisp offerings of science fiction to haunting tales of pure, magical fantasy, everything within is worthwhile. An excellent debut from Paper Golem, with smart choices from Lawrence M. Schoen and Michael Livingston.

[Mike Shultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my stories is in this one.

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Includes my short story, "Button by Button."