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Tales from Beyond the Stars
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About the author
Adam Roberts
238 books566 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 18, 2024
Overall review: 2.5 Stars
I understand these stories are old school sci fi but in general I sadly found them lacking in any real substance, characterisation or intrigue.
I was expecting the writing to modernise the stories like in the linked book Tales of The Damned which focuses on classical horror stories. Unfortunately I found the writing to be a bit stilted and not very enjoyable overall.
However the illustrations were well done and captured the stories well.
I really hope they make a Fantasy or dystopian version of these collection of classic stories.
Mini reviews of each story are below:
The Star by H G Wells: 2 Stars
Sadly I found this story rather boring and the writing to be old fashioned. The illustrations were nice but this story just didn't do anything for me.
Micromégas by Voltaire: 2.5 Stars
I enjoyed this story until the end which was just a bit flat and useless. I didn't get why it ended in such a way unfortunately.
The Last Man by Mary Shelley: 3 Stars
This was the most interesting story yet. A workd ending plague that was written originally by Mary Shelley. I adore Frankenstein and so expected a little more from this.
From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne: 2.5 Stars
This was a fun story but there wasn't really much to it. I liked the rather ridiculous characters but it was all a bit too silly and over the top for my liking.
The War of the Worlds by H G Wells: 3.5 Stars
Finally, a decent scifi story! I loved the depiction of the martians invading earth and the story of the main character and how he got through the invasion. It was actually quite gripping and I really enjoyed the retelling.
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: 3 Stars
An interesting read. I loved the feminist aspects and the strong women especially. It was a good read but not exactly exciting.
Buck Rogers: Armageddon 2419 AD by Philip Francis Nowlan: 1.5 Stars
I'm afraid this story did nothing for me. I just didn't feel a connection to the characters and sadly I think that was due to the writing.
Please note that I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
I understand these stories are old school sci fi but in general I sadly found them lacking in any real substance, characterisation or intrigue.
I was expecting the writing to modernise the stories like in the linked book Tales of The Damned which focuses on classical horror stories. Unfortunately I found the writing to be a bit stilted and not very enjoyable overall.
However the illustrations were well done and captured the stories well.
I really hope they make a Fantasy or dystopian version of these collection of classic stories.
Mini reviews of each story are below:
The Star by H G Wells: 2 Stars
Sadly I found this story rather boring and the writing to be old fashioned. The illustrations were nice but this story just didn't do anything for me.
Micromégas by Voltaire: 2.5 Stars
I enjoyed this story until the end which was just a bit flat and useless. I didn't get why it ended in such a way unfortunately.
The Last Man by Mary Shelley: 3 Stars
This was the most interesting story yet. A workd ending plague that was written originally by Mary Shelley. I adore Frankenstein and so expected a little more from this.
From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne: 2.5 Stars
This was a fun story but there wasn't really much to it. I liked the rather ridiculous characters but it was all a bit too silly and over the top for my liking.
The War of the Worlds by H G Wells: 3.5 Stars
Finally, a decent scifi story! I loved the depiction of the martians invading earth and the story of the main character and how he got through the invasion. It was actually quite gripping and I really enjoyed the retelling.
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: 3 Stars
An interesting read. I loved the feminist aspects and the strong women especially. It was a good read but not exactly exciting.
Buck Rogers: Armageddon 2419 AD by Philip Francis Nowlan: 1.5 Stars
I'm afraid this story did nothing for me. I just didn't feel a connection to the characters and sadly I think that was due to the writing.
Please note that I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 17, 2024
Having really enjoyed Tales of the Damned from Big Picture Press, I was delighted to explore another of their beautifully produced editions of retellings, this time celebrating a genre that absolutely fascinates me - science fiction. Tales from Beyond the Stars by Adam Roberts, contains seven retellings of a variety of classic science fictions tales, with gorgeous, full-colour illustrations by Evangeline Gallagher that really are a feast for the eyes (fabulous endpapers too).
The book follows the same engaging format as Tales of the Damned. Roberts kicks off the literary adventure with an intriguing introduction to what lies within this lovely volume, and then proceeds to retell seven tales - accompanied by after-words which offer insight into both the authors and their place in shaping what we now know as the science fiction genre.
The widely acknowledged 'father of science fiction' H.G. Wells (even though he was not the earliest author to write in a speculative vein by any means), gets two appearances here with The Star, which I was not familiar with, and The War of the Worlds, which is arguably one of the most famous science fiction stories of all. There are also stories from sci-fi maestros Mary Shelley and Jules Verne, in the form of The Last Man and From the Earth to the Moon, respectively; a little pulp fiction with a Buck Rogers tale from Philip Francis Mowlam; as well as an unexpected story from Voltaire, Micromegus. The most surprising inclusion for me, however, is Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who I had no idea wrote a story worthy of being among the greats, as I previously only knew her work through her outstanding feminist piece, The Yellow Wallpaper. Mindblowing!
Each tale is chosen with care by Roberts to take you through many different facets of the genre, and really show off its breadth: tales about discovery and journeys into the unknown, apocalyptic plague scenarios, space exploration, what the future might hold, utopia, dystopia, and knotty philosophical aspects of the human condition, all are examined in the most thought-provoking way - just in case you were in any doubt about how far reaching science fiction stories can be.
This is a great introduction to science fiction for teens to adults of all ages, and I guarantee it will whet your appetite to explore not only the original classics included here, but also delve 'beyond the stars' as the title suggests. It will look stunning as part of your book collection too.
The book follows the same engaging format as Tales of the Damned. Roberts kicks off the literary adventure with an intriguing introduction to what lies within this lovely volume, and then proceeds to retell seven tales - accompanied by after-words which offer insight into both the authors and their place in shaping what we now know as the science fiction genre.
The widely acknowledged 'father of science fiction' H.G. Wells (even though he was not the earliest author to write in a speculative vein by any means), gets two appearances here with The Star, which I was not familiar with, and The War of the Worlds, which is arguably one of the most famous science fiction stories of all. There are also stories from sci-fi maestros Mary Shelley and Jules Verne, in the form of The Last Man and From the Earth to the Moon, respectively; a little pulp fiction with a Buck Rogers tale from Philip Francis Mowlam; as well as an unexpected story from Voltaire, Micromegus. The most surprising inclusion for me, however, is Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who I had no idea wrote a story worthy of being among the greats, as I previously only knew her work through her outstanding feminist piece, The Yellow Wallpaper. Mindblowing!
Each tale is chosen with care by Roberts to take you through many different facets of the genre, and really show off its breadth: tales about discovery and journeys into the unknown, apocalyptic plague scenarios, space exploration, what the future might hold, utopia, dystopia, and knotty philosophical aspects of the human condition, all are examined in the most thought-provoking way - just in case you were in any doubt about how far reaching science fiction stories can be.
This is a great introduction to science fiction for teens to adults of all ages, and I guarantee it will whet your appetite to explore not only the original classics included here, but also delve 'beyond the stars' as the title suggests. It will look stunning as part of your book collection too.
November 29, 2024
I liked the Illustrations a lot.
The Stories are old school and cannot compare to new SF but still enjoyable enough
An extra star because of the Pictures
The Stories are old school and cannot compare to new SF but still enjoyable enough
An extra star because of the Pictures
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews