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Feral Astrogators #2
To Shape the Dark
Science-based wonder is the core of science fiction. Yet the genre mostly cast science as either triumph or hubris. In To Shape the Dark, editor Athena Andreadis offers readers women heroes who are doing science not-as-usual. Scientists are astrogators who never sleep; and To Shape the Dark is part of that vigil.
396 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 30, 2019
Update: Finally finished reading the last four stories. Can't say they really changed my overall feelings about the book - no new favorites, but none that were totally terrible either.
I actually didn't read 4 of the stories at the end, because the book had to go back to the library, so this is for the part that I did read. Some really excellent stories, quite a few that were enjoyable, and only a few I really didn't care for. Many of my favorites were by authors I was already familiar with (Vandana Singh, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa Scott, Kiini Ibura Salaam), but "Carnivores of Can't-Go-Home", "Fieldwork", and "Building for Shah Jehan" stood out as great entries by new-to-me authors.
I actually didn't read 4 of the stories at the end, because the book had to go back to the library, so this is for the part that I did read. Some really excellent stories, quite a few that were enjoyable, and only a few I really didn't care for. Many of my favorites were by authors I was already familiar with (Vandana Singh, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa Scott, Kiini Ibura Salaam), but "Carnivores of Can't-Go-Home", "Fieldwork", and "Building for Shah Jehan" stood out as great entries by new-to-me authors.
May 29, 2016
An excellent anthology which uses the theme very well. A few stories I didn't love, but some excellent and challenging reads overall that I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended! See my full review here: https://thebooknut.wordpress.com/2016...
August 14, 2020
I preferred this book to the previous compilation (The Other Half of the Sky). The stories in this are self contained and.i found a lot more tales that I really enjoyed. I've also added Melissa Scott and Jack McDevitt to my list of authors so I can explore their other works.
Definitely worth reading
Definitely worth reading
January 13, 2021
So, an anthology of spec fic stories about women scientists is a concept guaranteed to get my attention, but it all always comes down to execution - and To Shape The Dark absolutely delivered.
The stories range from heady and conceptual to character-focused and personal, covering sciences ranging from anthropoly to botany to quantum physics (it wouldn't be a sci-fi anthology without at least two entries about quantum physics) but not a single one of them was a dud.
If I had to pick one story as the real highlight, though, it would be Of Wind and Fire by Vandana Singh. It has a combination of imaginative worldbuilding, appealing protagonist, and beautiful prose that made me reread it twice and then go and add Singh's entire bibilography to my TBR list as soon as I put the book down.
I very rarely come back to anthologies after I've finished them, but this one I very well might.
The stories range from heady and conceptual to character-focused and personal, covering sciences ranging from anthropoly to botany to quantum physics (it wouldn't be a sci-fi anthology without at least two entries about quantum physics) but not a single one of them was a dud.
If I had to pick one story as the real highlight, though, it would be Of Wind and Fire by Vandana Singh. It has a combination of imaginative worldbuilding, appealing protagonist, and beautiful prose that made me reread it twice and then go and add Singh's entire bibilography to my TBR list as soon as I put the book down.
I very rarely come back to anthologies after I've finished them, but this one I very well might.
April 11, 2018
The only frustrating thing about this anthology was that I wanted each short story to be longer. Great tales of women and science and other worlds. So many strokes of alternate realities and possible futures. A perfect blending of science and fiction.
September 2, 2022
Received for free through Goodreads giveaways
Intellectual and well written sci-fi short stories featuring female scientists. Of course, I liked some stories more than others but as an anthology I was quite please with the variety of plots/problems and ability to catch and hold my attention.
Intellectual and well written sci-fi short stories featuring female scientists. Of course, I liked some stories more than others but as an anthology I was quite please with the variety of plots/problems and ability to catch and hold my attention.
January 27, 2019
Really good anthology. Very strong work. Loved making my way through so much sci fi filled with strong complex women and fascinating science.
July 28, 2019
Read for "Crossing the Midday Gate" by Aliette de Bodard.
May 21, 2021
I like to read a short story in between novels, but it makes it hard to remember the stories later. I do remember liking most of them...
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August 12, 2022on paperbackswap wishlist
September 24, 2016
This has got to be one of the best topical anthologies out there.
In particular, the worst stories aren't atrocious as is too often the case. They're all more or less on topic, yet are a diverse bunch in many respects. And there's a few really nice ones in the mix.
It's kinda disappointing that I could guess ahead of time which stories would be my favorites. While I wish I would have been surprised in that respect, in fairness that's because de Bodard and Singh surpassed my expectations (if you're a fan too, don't miss this book!). There are also a couple of stories by writers I've rarely read which might otherwise have been contenders: Lewitt took the trouble to contribute an uncompromisingly topical piece (Europa!) which nevertheless successfully integrates drama and character stuff while Koyanagi wrote a more experimental tale featuring evocative descriptions of things which have no basis in our experience.
Many of the other stories have issues though. While some of them are of little consequence, a few of the contributing authors did piss me off.
In my view the topic should have come with some constraints. It's fine to imagine scientists in fantastic secondary worlds but if a story is set in our world, the careless addition of fantastic elements (such as naive FTL) risks making the setting and sometimes even the plot incoherent. In a world in which everything is logically connected, fundamental things can't be altered without incovenient consequences. McDevitt's nonsensical story is a particularly grating example. If an editor allows an author to proudly fly their cranky colors, it's going to reflect poorly on the whole project.
And the less said about quantum quackery, the better. Granted, a mere touch of that might not completely ruin a creative story.
More generally, I have little patience for obscurantism in stories purporting to be about scientists. It's a fact of life that there is an obscurantist streak in academia (see the Sokal affair) and portraying that is fine. But when the setting itself seems to be influenced by such notions, as with Jones' story (which definitely has merit in spite of its issues), that's something else entierly.
In particular, the worst stories aren't atrocious as is too often the case. They're all more or less on topic, yet are a diverse bunch in many respects. And there's a few really nice ones in the mix.
It's kinda disappointing that I could guess ahead of time which stories would be my favorites. While I wish I would have been surprised in that respect, in fairness that's because de Bodard and Singh surpassed my expectations (if you're a fan too, don't miss this book!). There are also a couple of stories by writers I've rarely read which might otherwise have been contenders: Lewitt took the trouble to contribute an uncompromisingly topical piece (Europa!) which nevertheless successfully integrates drama and character stuff while Koyanagi wrote a more experimental tale featuring evocative descriptions of things which have no basis in our experience.
Many of the other stories have issues though. While some of them are of little consequence, a few of the contributing authors did piss me off.
In my view the topic should have come with some constraints. It's fine to imagine scientists in fantastic secondary worlds but if a story is set in our world, the careless addition of fantastic elements (such as naive FTL) risks making the setting and sometimes even the plot incoherent. In a world in which everything is logically connected, fundamental things can't be altered without incovenient consequences. McDevitt's nonsensical story is a particularly grating example. If an editor allows an author to proudly fly their cranky colors, it's going to reflect poorly on the whole project.
And the less said about quantum quackery, the better. Granted, a mere touch of that might not completely ruin a creative story.
More generally, I have little patience for obscurantism in stories purporting to be about scientists. It's a fact of life that there is an obscurantist streak in academia (see the Sokal affair) and portraying that is fine. But when the setting itself seems to be influenced by such notions, as with Jones' story (which definitely has merit in spite of its issues), that's something else entierly.
June 10, 2016
Things I loved about this anthology: older women as scientists! Queer women as scientists! Women of color as scientists! And while we're at it, I really liked the cover, too. Favorite stories included Constant Cooper's "Carnivore's of Can't-Go-Home,"a botanical murder mystery, M. Fenn's "Chlorophyll is Thicker Than Water," featuring an older lesbian couple, both scientists dealing with a corporate saboteur, Jacqueline Koyanagi's "Sensorium," featuring a bisexual protagonist in a poly relationship looking for a new way to communicate with an alien race, Shariann Lewitt's "Fieldwork," featuring a mathematician/astronaut trying to come to terms with her family's troubled past and complete her mission and Vandana Singh's "Of Wind and Fire," featuring a self-taught engineer and single mother wrestling with the perils of a fantastical world. There really isn't a bad story in the bunch, though some didn't speak to me as much as others. "To Shape the Dark" is definitely an anthology you should be reading. I expect to see some of these stories on award lists and year's best for this this year.
June 21, 2016
Wonderfully eclectic, imaginative and thought-provoking.
Presenting fresh takes on the themes within, this collection deftly explores a diverse assortment of worlds, each one as strikingly constructed as the next, where an equally varied range of absorbing narratives through the eyes of female scientists unfold. While each protagonist’s vocation is naturally a prominent element to her character, aspects of her personal life are also smoothly incorporated as important parts of her journey. The individual distinctiveness of the characters is just as unforgettable, from the resourcefulness and wry humor of the two protagonists of “Chlorophyll Is Thicker Than Water” by M. Fenn (one of the stories I enjoyed most) to the curiosity and determination of the narrator in Vandana Singh’s “Of Wind and Fire.” All told, an incisive and thoroughly enjoyable collection that’s as much food for the mind as it is entertaining. It’s refreshing and provocative, science fiction at its best.
Highly recommended!
Presenting fresh takes on the themes within, this collection deftly explores a diverse assortment of worlds, each one as strikingly constructed as the next, where an equally varied range of absorbing narratives through the eyes of female scientists unfold. While each protagonist’s vocation is naturally a prominent element to her character, aspects of her personal life are also smoothly incorporated as important parts of her journey. The individual distinctiveness of the characters is just as unforgettable, from the resourcefulness and wry humor of the two protagonists of “Chlorophyll Is Thicker Than Water” by M. Fenn (one of the stories I enjoyed most) to the curiosity and determination of the narrator in Vandana Singh’s “Of Wind and Fire.” All told, an incisive and thoroughly enjoyable collection that’s as much food for the mind as it is entertaining. It’s refreshing and provocative, science fiction at its best.
Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews