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Starlight 3
Since its debut in 1996, Starlight has been recognized as the preeminent original anthology of science fiction and fantasy. Its stories have won the Nebula Award, the Sturgeon Award, and the Tiptree Award. Starlight 1 itself won the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology. The series represents the best new short fiction in fantasy and SF.
Now, with Starlight 3 , award-winning editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden offers a new serving of powerful, original stories. Some are playful, some rigorous, or exuberant, or melancholy; some are set in the world of today, and some amidst the farthest stars or in worlds that never were.
Stephen Baxter
Terry Bisson
Ted Chiang
Susanna Clarke
Brenda W. Clough
D. G. Compton
Cory Doctorow
Andy Duncan
Colin Greenland
Alex Irvine
Geoffrey A. Landis
Maureen F. McHugh
Susan Palwick
Madeleine E. Robins
Greg van Eekhout
Jane Yolen
Now, with Starlight 3 , award-winning editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden offers a new serving of powerful, original stories. Some are playful, some rigorous, or exuberant, or melancholy; some are set in the world of today, and some amidst the farthest stars or in worlds that never were.
Stephen Baxter
Terry Bisson
Ted Chiang
Susanna Clarke
Brenda W. Clough
D. G. Compton
Cory Doctorow
Andy Duncan
Colin Greenland
Alex Irvine
Geoffrey A. Landis
Maureen F. McHugh
Susan Palwick
Madeleine E. Robins
Greg van Eekhout
Jane Yolen
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
19 books12 followersPatrick James Nielsen Hayden, often abbreviated as PNH, is an American science fiction editor, fan, fanzine publisher, essayist, reviewer, anthologist, teacher and blogger. He is a World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award winner (with nine nominations for the latter award), and is a Senior Editor and the Manager of Science Fiction at Tor Books. He changed his last name to "Nielsen Hayden" on his marriage to Teresa Nielsen (now Teresa Nielsen Hayden) in 1979.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 12, 2026
I read the first two, so I might as well go for number three. Although this book was originally scheduled to be released in 2000, it finally came out in "the more science fictional year of 2001." (Our Editor's words, not mine.)
This was better overall than the first Starlight, but didn't improve on the second. There are some stories here that are incredibly powerful, some that were just a fun read, but there are some snoozers and a couple that don't make much sense. So -- better than the usual speculative fiction anthology, but not by much. Your milage may vary.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Our Editor. Compares the real 2001 to sci-fi expectations, and claims that the core of science fiction isn't science, but arguments.
* "Hell is the Absence of God" by Ted Chiang. Wow. This urban fantasy about religion is an impressive exercise by a fully mature writer.
* "Sun-Cloud" by Stephen Baxter. Very ambitious story about a microscopic society, but fails to be comprehensible.
* "Interview: On Any Given Day" by Maureen F. McHue. This is set from 2018 - 2021, so look back on the predictions and laugh.
* "Wings" by Colin Greenland. Another angel story, set in an alternate universe where angels came to Earth in the 1980s.
* "Gestella" by Susan Palwick. Horrific story with a lot of dead animals. It's meant to shock on many levels, I know, (it's a horror story) but it's still a kick in the throat, especially since this week a wolf-dog in Canada was euthanized after "owner surrender", despite the wolf-dog's background of nonviolent behavior.
* "The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views" by Jane Yolen. Thirteen really short character sketches, all loosely linked with a queen, a barbarian, and tea. A better title would've been, "Thirteen Pages from Jane Yolen's Trashcan."
* "Wolves Till the World Goes Down" by Greg Van Eekhout. The story begins with Odin's two ravens eating a dead Rottweiler, and doesn't get any better. Some myths shouldn't be rewritten.
* "The Secret Egg of the Clouds" by Geoffrey A. Landis. Crap. Don't even bother.
* "Home is the Sailor" by Brenda W. Clough. The death of Odysseus. You need to know The Odyessy before reading this.
* "Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby" by Susanna Clarke. Dull tale of an alternative world where fairies live alongside people.
* "La Vie Ende Ronde" by Madeline E. Robins. At least some imagination was used here in this fusion of horror and urban fantasy. A middle aged woman starts bending into a circle. The round world's pull on Our Protagonist is a metaphor for aging.
* "In Which Avu Giddy Tries to Stop Dancing" by D. G. Compton. Urban fantasy where everyone dances all the time ... and someone wants to stop. I think this might be a metaphor for being gay or for euthanasia, but then again, it could be for anything you want it to be.
* "Power Punctuation!" By Cory Doctorow. This story told in a series of letters to Mom is so good that I wonder how it wound up here.
* "The Sea Wind Offers Little Relief" by Alex Irvine. In a furture when reading is banned, an old prisoner is ordered to read a poem. This story is like a poem, in that it's vague.
* "Senator Bilbo" by Andy Duncan. Bilbo Baggins' descendant is a powerful racist Senator, doing things that are happening today in America. A bit of overkill, though.
* "The Old Rugged Cross" by Terry Bisson. A modern crucifixion story, sure to offend everybody, so I guess that's good.
This was better overall than the first Starlight, but didn't improve on the second. There are some stories here that are incredibly powerful, some that were just a fun read, but there are some snoozers and a couple that don't make much sense. So -- better than the usual speculative fiction anthology, but not by much. Your milage may vary.
Selections:
* "Introduction" by Our Editor. Compares the real 2001 to sci-fi expectations, and claims that the core of science fiction isn't science, but arguments.
* "Hell is the Absence of God" by Ted Chiang. Wow. This urban fantasy about religion is an impressive exercise by a fully mature writer.
* "Sun-Cloud" by Stephen Baxter. Very ambitious story about a microscopic society, but fails to be comprehensible.
* "Interview: On Any Given Day" by Maureen F. McHue. This is set from 2018 - 2021, so look back on the predictions and laugh.
* "Wings" by Colin Greenland. Another angel story, set in an alternate universe where angels came to Earth in the 1980s.
* "Gestella" by Susan Palwick. Horrific story with a lot of dead animals. It's meant to shock on many levels, I know, (it's a horror story) but it's still a kick in the throat, especially since this week a wolf-dog in Canada was euthanized after "owner surrender", despite the wolf-dog's background of nonviolent behavior.
* "The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views" by Jane Yolen. Thirteen really short character sketches, all loosely linked with a queen, a barbarian, and tea. A better title would've been, "Thirteen Pages from Jane Yolen's Trashcan."
* "Wolves Till the World Goes Down" by Greg Van Eekhout. The story begins with Odin's two ravens eating a dead Rottweiler, and doesn't get any better. Some myths shouldn't be rewritten.
* "The Secret Egg of the Clouds" by Geoffrey A. Landis. Crap. Don't even bother.
* "Home is the Sailor" by Brenda W. Clough. The death of Odysseus. You need to know The Odyessy before reading this.
* "Tom Brightwind, or How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby" by Susanna Clarke. Dull tale of an alternative world where fairies live alongside people.
* "La Vie Ende Ronde" by Madeline E. Robins. At least some imagination was used here in this fusion of horror and urban fantasy. A middle aged woman starts bending into a circle. The round world's pull on Our Protagonist is a metaphor for aging.
* "In Which Avu Giddy Tries to Stop Dancing" by D. G. Compton. Urban fantasy where everyone dances all the time ... and someone wants to stop. I think this might be a metaphor for being gay or for euthanasia, but then again, it could be for anything you want it to be.
* "Power Punctuation!" By Cory Doctorow. This story told in a series of letters to Mom is so good that I wonder how it wound up here.
* "The Sea Wind Offers Little Relief" by Alex Irvine. In a furture when reading is banned, an old prisoner is ordered to read a poem. This story is like a poem, in that it's vague.
* "Senator Bilbo" by Andy Duncan. Bilbo Baggins' descendant is a powerful racist Senator, doing things that are happening today in America. A bit of overkill, though.
* "The Old Rugged Cross" by Terry Bisson. A modern crucifixion story, sure to offend everybody, so I guess that's good.
April 11, 2007
Best stories:
"Gestella" by Susan Palwick, about the romantic difficulties of a werewolf, even though it's based on that 7 human years=1 dog year equation, which isn't correct.
"The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views" by Jane Yolen. "
Tom Brightwind, or, How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby," lovely historical-novel voice.
"Power Punctuation" by Cory Doctorow, which resembles Theodore Sturgeon's "Mister Costello, Hero," except that there's less of a gap between appearance and reality.
"Gestella" by Susan Palwick, about the romantic difficulties of a werewolf, even though it's based on that 7 human years=1 dog year equation, which isn't correct.
"The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views" by Jane Yolen. "
Tom Brightwind, or, How the Fairy Bridge was Built at Thoresby," lovely historical-novel voice.
"Power Punctuation" by Cory Doctorow, which resembles Theodore Sturgeon's "Mister Costello, Hero," except that there's less of a gap between appearance and reality.
June 7, 2009
Another uneven collection. I got this so I could read Greg van Eekhout's story. It was okay -- decently written, but didn't grab me as much as other stories of his have. Some of the stories were uninteresting/dull enough that I stopped reading them halfway through. The two standouts for me were Jane Yolen's "The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views" and Susan Palwick's "Gestella".
January 7, 2009
This anthology is a bit of a mixed bag, but averages out fairly well.
July 3, 2011
Great collection of SF.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews