The Best of Jim Baen's Universe #2

Jim Baen's Universe

by Eric Flint (Editor), Dave Freer (Contributor), Mike Resnick (Contributor)

Once again, Eric Flint has picked the cream of the crop from stories that have appeared in 'Jim Baen's Universe', the online magazine.

Contents:

PREFACE
Eric Flint & Mike Resnick

SCIENCE FICTION STORIES
Crawlspace
Dave Freer and Eric Flint

The Big Guy
Mike Resnick

Murphy's War
James P. Hogan

Laws of Survival
Nancy Kress

War Stories
Elizabeth Bear

A Stranger in Paradise
Edward M. Lerner

NEWTS
Kevin J. Anderson

An Ocean is a Snowflake, Four Billion Miles Away
John Barnes

Dark Corners
Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The Ten Thousand Things
Mark L. Van Name

A Better Sense of Direction
Mike Wood

Tweak
Jack McDevitt

Squish
S.E. Ward

FANTASY STORIES

Touching the Dead
J. Kathleen Cheney

The Spiral Road
Louise Marley

Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again
Garth Nix

Creation: The Launch!
Laura Resnick

Midnight at the Quantum Cafe
K.D. Wentworth

Swing Time
Carrie Vaughn

The Lord-Protector's Daughter
L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Palm Sunday
Ian Watson

The Necromancer in Love
Wil McCarthy

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies

Hardcover

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Eric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a shockingly mixed bag for an anthology that must have gone through not one but two editorial processes--first to be included in the magazine and then to be selected for the anthology. It's divided into two sections, science fiction and fantasy, but some of the stories appear to be misfiled.There are some great stories in each, but also some really disappointing ones.

"Crawlspace", by Erik Flint and Dave Freer, could only have been included because one of the authors was one of the editors. This murder mystery featuring bioengineered rats who only talk in Shakespearean prose is overly precious, needlessly confusing, unsatisfying concluded, and leaves loose threads dangling which should never be possible in short fiction. It was sufficiently bad that if I wasn't on a business trip at the time with no other nonelectronic books to read during takeoff and landing, I wouldn't have bothered reading the rest of the book.

Also problematic are "Murphy's Law", about automated ballistic missile launch systems, and "Creation: The Launch!", about a project consultant to God. The first is gimmicky and has so much telling-instead-of-showing that I accidentally skimmed the only line that makes the punchline makes sense. The second is just plain gimmicky. And "A Better Sense of Direction" fails Sexism 201 by trying earnestly to explain that (spoilers!) the reason women get lost so much on Earth is because their sense of direction works better in space. Given that my sense of direction is significantly better than my husband's, I was not amused.

On the other hand, there are some gems. I loved "Touching the Dead", about a blind girl with a secret as well as a psychic touch. "A Stranger in Paradise", about a colony gone awry, and "Laws of Survival", about a post-apocalyptic alien abduction, are both genuinely touching. And the disturbingly poignant "The Necromancer in Love" is one of the better uses of second-person I've read.

So it's an uneven batch.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection as a whole is maybe a 3, but the Elizabeth Bear piece, "War Stories," is a 5 for me.
It's an early Jenny Casey story, where you learn how she and my favorite character from that trilogy met.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire list of Jim Beam collection are available for free in the Jim Been universe Room on the internet. He has a compiled list of SyFy writers via Barn Books. You may also read many novels for free after joining the room.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The online magazine, Jim Baen’s Universe, now in its second successful year, and fans of science fiction and fantasy agree that it’s the place on the internet to find great reading by both top-selling established writers and talented new arrivals. Once again, site editor Eric Flint, creator of the New York Times best-selling “Ring of Fire” series, picks the cream of the crop from stories that have appeared in the magazine.   Flint himself, with his frequent collaborator Dave Freer, return to their popular series that began with Rats, Bats & Vats in a story set on a hollow asteroid which is under siege by the alien enemy. Someone is killing women of the oldest profession. Captain Rebecca Wuollet has been given the job of catching the killer and, to do it, she’ll need the help of a pair of rats who have been artificially given human-level intelligence. Mike Resnick, Hugo-winner and New York Times best-selling author, tells what happens when a pro basketball team gets the best player that money can buy—or that science can manufacture. Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award winner Kristine Kathryn Rusch takes us to World War II Paris, where a child of faerie finds a way to survive the Nazi occupation. Hugo and Nebula winner Nancy Kress looks at the aftermath of World War III, and the aliens who have arrived, but not to help the human survivors—they’re only interested in Man’s Best Friend.   Also on board: Award-winning writer Elizabeth Bear; another award-winner and New York Times best-selling writer, Garth Nix; a third award-winner, Laura Resnick; and much more in a generous serving of the best SF and fantasy being written today.