Astronomical Odds

Third Flatiron Anthologies #Vol. 3, Spring 2014

by Juliana Rew (Editor), Ken Altabef, Michelle Ann King

Third Flatiron Anthologies presents "Astronomical Odds,"
a fresh selection of short SF/Fantasy/Horror/Humor stories with a
mathematical twist. What are the chances of getting away with murder?
Or of getting back that letter the Post Office lost? Stranded in
space and time? Odds of survival may be tiny, but you may luck out and
find a friendly planet--or maybe not. Stuck in a dead end life?
Having a "perfect" baby or spouse is usually a crapshoot, but maybe an
adjustment can be made. Wondering what the future holds? The Northern Line just opened a new tube route to Betelgeuse, but tickets to New
Eden are one-way only. Get your tickets now! Brother Dill's Traveling
Circus is in town, and the boy genius has all the answers.

Genres: Science Fiction

135 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2014

About the author

Juliana Rew was an NCAR science and technical writer in Boulder, Colorado, and is editor at Third Flatiron Publishing, publishing SF and fantasy anthologies.

Reviews

[Soham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a free review copy from the publisher. Astronomical Odds is a collection of fourteen sci fi stories by seasoned authors and first timers, on the theme the title suggests.

The first story, In The Blood, by Ken Altabef, is the story of a boy incredibly good at math. But is his miraculous mathematical mastery merely a mental feat, or is it an extension of a greater talent. Slow paced and steady,the story left some food for thought as it ended. A good story, but not my favorite one among this lot.

The stories by Michelle Ann King and John McColley are gripping with vivid imagery, with endings that leave one wanting more. What can be scarier than a monstrous spider or a gun blazing space tribe? You’ll see.

But my personal favorite among the lot is The League of Lame Superheroes, by James Aquilone. Having attempted writing humorous pieces, I know how hard it is to create one, and Aquilone has done it with gusto. Fast paced, witty and sharp, the story left me smiling as it ended.

It’s a good book that can be finished in one session, and will give you a lot to ponder about.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third Flatiron’s latest science fiction anthology, Astronomical Odds, is another great collection of short stories. As always, there are some that I loved more than others, and there’s a good mix of sad, uplifting, exciting, scary, silly and funny stories. The stories that appealed to me the most were ‘Garden of fog and monsters’ by Michelle Ann King, ‘Mother of all’ by John McColley, ‘The shamrock award’ by Jennifer R Povey, ‘The league of lame superheroes’ by James Aquiline and ‘Casualties’ by Martin Clark.

‘Garden of fog and monsters’ was a story about a new world and alien life; I liked that it was hard to describe so it seemed like magic, that seemed apt – why would other life forms and worlds be anything like ours? It was also sad but uplifting at the same time as it is a story of sacrifice and love, and it reminded me a little of ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins. ‘Mother of all’ is written from an unusual perspective and I really liked that – the worries and hopes of a queen bee in dire circumstances. ‘The hammock award’ appealed to me as it imagined a future where we'd have to look for new planets to colonise, and the story followed two surveyors of new planets (in my day job I do surveys sometimes for new developments, on Earth obviously, but it got me wondering!) I loved the way tension was built through the fear of what was out there in the dark; it was like the opposite to Earth, where animals come out mostly at night when we're not about – but here nothing came out at night (this seemed to make the darkness even more threatening). ‘The league of lame superheroes’ I enjoyed because it was silly and fun and had a cat-and-mouse game between good and evil characters. ‘Casualties’ was my overall favourite, I love the mix of organic and machine, with human brainwaves controlling technology – this theme is in a few Hollywood films and TV series at the moment, and I think it’s fascinating. The main character came through strongly. And I also felt that ‘Casualties’ had a true resolution and the ending felt complete to me, satisfying, which is often hard to do in short stories.

I think it doesn't matter how wildly imaginative something is – as long as it is well written it can still be entirely believable. It's why I love science fiction. There was potential perhaps for stories about astronomical odds to have surprises that felt far-fetched or convenient, but I didn't think this was the case in this collection of short stories and I really enjoyed them. Would definitely recommend.

[Jaimie Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Editor Juli Rew has created a fantastic anthology of science-fiction, anthropology, and fantasy. This is the third anthology I have read of hers and I was not let down. Third flat iron anthologies are filled with unique stories written by talented authors on topics that you don't normally see. They are smart, educated, and creative. Stories include a post office of fairies, clones cloning clones, prenatal gene weaving on a 30 year fixed, and a creepy carnival scene. But all the stories share one thing: astronomical odds.

[Jaime K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a goodreads giveaway.


In the Blood (Ken Altabef):
This was an odd story about memorization, including with numbers. I wanted to know more about the characters' backstories by the end.

Garden of Fog and Monsters (Michelle Ann King):
I didn't see much math in this one. I also thought it was too abstract.

From Here to the Northern Line (Edoardo Albert):
Aliens who are just like humans, down to Asperger's, discover a new tube and tube stops that shouldn't have been discovered. I enjoyed that. It would be a good short to expand upon and develop into a novel.

Mother of All (John A. McColley):
There are bug-like aliens that are destroyed by a second sun. I kept thinking of the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card. I'm not a bugger fan but it was still interesting.

The Shamrock Award (Jennifer R. Povey):
This was of a very cool future where there are colonists sent out to find worlds to inhabit. Mistakes from the past area always taken into consideration, and at night, if there is utter silence, something is wrong.

The League of Lame Superheroes (James Aquilone):
The League of Superheroes has to rival the All Stars for fame. On the League are lucky, the noticer, and the boss. When the All Stars are pronounced dead, the LEague has to step up their game.

Casualties (Martin Clark)
Earth is gone and colonies in space are developed. This is "Terminator" like in that the AI becomes sentient - but without the crazy control-humans attitude.

Good Odds for Murder (Iain Ishbel):
Humans can hold 2-3 dimensions of data in their mind at once. Some can hold even more. An interface with all the world's data helps those who are skilled solve crimes and mysteries.

A Clone Called Slick (Garry McNulty):
I didn't care for this one. A wife clones her husband who finds a new wife and her (his) clone finds a job and the cycle continues

Time's Elastic String (Nick Slosser):
This was an odd time-warp where people are much more interested in virtual reality and "I-tech" than they are in reality. But in real time, slingshotting through space can have terrible side effects.
The end was confusing.

Lost in the Mail (Benjamin T. Smith)
*yawn* the odds of a letter getting stuck in a mail Machine (let alone two at once) are…astronomical.

Birth Lottery (Susan Nance Carhart):
A scary possible future where parents don't want Naturalborn children and end up creating their own based on the child that was conceived.

The Olinauts (Adele Gardner):
Space traveling elephants! Who call humans apes! We evolved too fast, and they had to leave to save themselves. It's such a fun premise

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won Astronomical Odds, edited by Julianna Few, from Goodreads.
Astronomical Odds is a collection of thirteen short stories with the central theme of chance and odds. Several of the tales have surprise endings, some conclusions simply cause the reader to pause and think. Each story is an easy read, no matter its genre. I was able to read the entire volume in one day.
Astronomical Odds is for readers who enjoy science fiction, futuristic, and fantastical stories. Several of the stories will especially appeal to readers who like to explore the question "What if?"

[Todd Garrity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. I will definitely be looking up some of these authors in the future. I wanted to write about my favorite story in the book but I just can't decide. I will say that the "League of Lame Superheroes" was ridiculously entertaining.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book in the Goodreads "first readers" giveaway, and for a free book, well, it was worth what I paid for it.

The back cover blurb says it is collection of "SF/fantasy/horror/humor stories with a mathematical twist." Apart from the fact that there some mentions of mathematics here and there, that seems pretty misleading. I got the impression that the publisher -- "Third Flatiron," which I assume is someone's home business as the book is clearly a print-on-demand job from Lightning Source, Lulu, or a similar self-publishing frim -- I got the impression the publisher asked her friends for a story for an anthology and this was the best unifying theme they could come up with. I have to go with my impressions here because there is no introduction or preface or anything at all to tell us what the editor was thinking, or even what she likes about the selections, if anything.

In fact the first thing you see after the title page is a "license note" which claims the book cannot be re-sold or given away. "If you would like to share this book ... please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.... Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors." As a librarian and book lover, I'm afraid them's fighting words. If it were not so explicit about buying a copy for each reader of the book, I'd maybe think -- well, this is boilerplate from the ebook edition or something. But it is shockingly arrogant for this publisher to pretend they can deny the purchaser of the book the right to give away, lend, or sell the physical book. That's not how buying a book works. It would be one thing to flat-out beg for sales ("please buy another copy for anyone you think will like this") but to try to pretend copyright or "licenses" work this way, well screw you too.

Anyway the stories themselves range from the chuckle-worthy ("A clone called Slick") to the cringe-inducing ("The League of Lame Superheroes" had a few clever ideas but seemed to have been written by a high-school student -- lots of telling rather than showing, lots of 'said adverbly' sentences, rookie stuff). I think the presentation of the book tends to hurt the writers too -- it is very obviously self-published from a simple word processor document and looks like a term paper. It looks unprofessional. Kudos to everyone involved for writinig decent stories and putting together a book, but everything from the cover art (by the editor's kid sister or something) to the page layout to the lack of a real introduction to the "About the author" blurbs scream amateur hour.

It seems terribly ungracious to have so little positive to say about this book, but I have to be honest. I've read anthologies assembled with care by editors who know writing and writers, even within the slums of genre fiction, and having seen it done competently I am stunned that the publisher holds writing in such low regard as to put together something this poorly done.