What do you think?
Rate this book
Fractured Stars #0.6
Bridge Across the Stars
The universe is dangerous, wondrous—a vast canvas upon which humanity sketches its hopes for the future.
In this anthology, you’ll find seventeen tales of conflict and heroism, exploration and discovery, endurance and triumph. Flee the apocalypse of modern-day Earth, fly a fighter in the cold emptiness of deep space, and find new life on the distant shores of an alien world. You might even discover something about yourself as each author opens a window on the soul of mankind. Who are we, really? Should we survive? How do we become something greater without losing what makes us human?
Open this collection and take your first steps into tomorrow. Travel the cosmos to find amazing adventure. Walk beside unforgettable characters on the bridge across the stars…
Featuring a Foreword by Kevin J. Anderson
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward”
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons”
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime”
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job”
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh”
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth”
In this anthology, you’ll find seventeen tales of conflict and heroism, exploration and discovery, endurance and triumph. Flee the apocalypse of modern-day Earth, fly a fighter in the cold emptiness of deep space, and find new life on the distant shores of an alien world. You might even discover something about yourself as each author opens a window on the soul of mankind. Who are we, really? Should we survive? How do we become something greater without losing what makes us human?
Open this collection and take your first steps into tomorrow. Travel the cosmos to find amazing adventure. Walk beside unforgettable characters on the bridge across the stars…
Featuring a Foreword by Kevin J. Anderson
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward”
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons”
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime”
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job”
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh”
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth”
Audible Audio
First published January 14, 2018
265 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Rhett C. Bruno
70 books648 followersRhett is happy to hear from his fans and can be reached at rcbruno44@outlook.com. Please subscribe to his newsletter for exclusive access to updates about his work and the opportunity to receive limited content and ARCs.
http://rhettbruno.com/newsletter/. Or join his facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rhett...
Rhett Bruno grew up in Hauppauge, New York, and studied at the Syracuse University School of Architecture where he graduated cum laude.
He has been writing since he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic short stories when he was young to show to his parents. When he reached high school he decided to take that a step further and write the “Isinda Trilogy”. After the encouragement of his favorite English teacher he decided to self-publish the “Isinda Trilogy” so that the people closest to him could enjoy his early work.
While studying architecture Rhett continued to write as much as he could, but finding the time during the brutal curriculum proved difficult. It wasn’t until he was a senior that he decided to finally pursue his passion for Science Fiction. After rededicating himself to reading works of the Science Fiction author’s he always loved, (Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, Heinlein, etc.) he began writing “The Circuit: Executor Rising”, The first part of what he hopes will be a successful Adult Science Fiction Series.
Since then Rhett has been hired by an Architecture firm in Mount Kisco, NY. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to work on “The Circuit” and all of the other stories bouncing around in his head. He is also currently studying at the New School to earn a Certificate in Screenwriting in the hopes of one day writing for TV or Video Games.
http://rhettbruno.com/newsletter/. Or join his facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rhett...
Rhett Bruno grew up in Hauppauge, New York, and studied at the Syracuse University School of Architecture where he graduated cum laude.
He has been writing since he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic short stories when he was young to show to his parents. When he reached high school he decided to take that a step further and write the “Isinda Trilogy”. After the encouragement of his favorite English teacher he decided to self-publish the “Isinda Trilogy” so that the people closest to him could enjoy his early work.
While studying architecture Rhett continued to write as much as he could, but finding the time during the brutal curriculum proved difficult. It wasn’t until he was a senior that he decided to finally pursue his passion for Science Fiction. After rededicating himself to reading works of the Science Fiction author’s he always loved, (Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, Heinlein, etc.) he began writing “The Circuit: Executor Rising”, The first part of what he hopes will be a successful Adult Science Fiction Series.
Since then Rhett has been hired by an Architecture firm in Mount Kisco, NY. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to work on “The Circuit” and all of the other stories bouncing around in his head. He is also currently studying at the New School to earn a Certificate in Screenwriting in the hopes of one day writing for TV or Video Games.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
February 25, 2018
Great short stories, all compact. A wonderful way to be introduced to some of new authors whom I’ll follow. Adventures, moral concepts of survival, endurance, humans’ capacity tried to the limits, explorations, some dark, others with a touch of humour... I enjoyed reading this book immensely!
January 31, 2018
I received a free ARC of this anthology. All the stories are science fiction; most are half-hour reads. I (and many others) seem to have a hard time reading anthologies. I think the best way is to read a story, then read a full-length book, and then come back instead of reading the anthology all the way through.
There are plenty of editing errors. Some have more than others, and I don’t know if this will be fixed for future editions. Here are brief reviews for each story:
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward” ☆☆☆1/2
This was a near, concise spaceship adventure. It was easy to understand and get into the plot.
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force” ☆☆☆
This was an interesting story about the fate of humanity, a sort of commentary on human nature.
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth” ☆☆☆
This was more like a novellette featuring space dragons. It felt like the beginning of a novel. I wouldn’t mind seeing more.
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons” ☆☆☆
This was a long short story written in present tense (ugh). The ending felt disconnected from the rest of the story.
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid” ☆☆1/2
This was a simple, kind of sad story. There was no resolution to the mystery introduced.
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime” ☆☆☆
This was a light-hearted tale that showed two sides of a stupid trench war.
– Josi Russell – “Broken One” ☆☆1/2
This had so many errors, it was hard to understand the story. The story wasn’t that interesting, anyway.
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job” ☆☆☆
This had a very noir feel to it. The sci fi setting could have easily been replaced by a mafia-run big city. The main character was mostly a villain, so it was hard to root for him.
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh” ☆☆
This was okay; it’s a simple fighter battle.
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World” ☆☆☆☆
This was done really well. The story quickly draws you in, and the characters were clearly defined despite the short time we had with them. I think this was a prequel to a series.
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift” ☆☆☆
This was an interesting story about a taxi driver who gets caught up in explosions and stuff. It also could have taken place in a non-sci fi setting.
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man” ☆☆☆
This was pretty well done, if a tad slow. It follows the perspective of an AI gradually gaining sentience.
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates” ☆☆☆☆
This was light and fun. The writing was very enjoyable. It had a sort of space Renaissance feel to it, if that makes sense.
– Will McIntosh – “Drive” ☆☆☆
This is a post-apocalyptic story. It established an innteresting world but then had no real ending.
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies” ☆☆☆
This was about scientists stuying a new breed of dolphins that may actually be telepathic aliens.
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories” ☆☆☆
Here a space environmentalist runs into a group of evil poachers. There were some interesting animals.
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth” ☆☆☆☆
This was a great plot that worked perfectly for the length of the story. An auditor comes to a planet and finds thing just a bit off.
TOTAL AVERAGE: 3.09
There are plenty of editing errors. Some have more than others, and I don’t know if this will be fixed for future editions. Here are brief reviews for each story:
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward” ☆☆☆1/2
This was a near, concise spaceship adventure. It was easy to understand and get into the plot.
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force” ☆☆☆
This was an interesting story about the fate of humanity, a sort of commentary on human nature.
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth” ☆☆☆
This was more like a novellette featuring space dragons. It felt like the beginning of a novel. I wouldn’t mind seeing more.
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons” ☆☆☆
This was a long short story written in present tense (ugh). The ending felt disconnected from the rest of the story.
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid” ☆☆1/2
This was a simple, kind of sad story. There was no resolution to the mystery introduced.
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime” ☆☆☆
This was a light-hearted tale that showed two sides of a stupid trench war.
– Josi Russell – “Broken One” ☆☆1/2
This had so many errors, it was hard to understand the story. The story wasn’t that interesting, anyway.
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job” ☆☆☆
This had a very noir feel to it. The sci fi setting could have easily been replaced by a mafia-run big city. The main character was mostly a villain, so it was hard to root for him.
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh” ☆☆
This was okay; it’s a simple fighter battle.
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World” ☆☆☆☆
This was done really well. The story quickly draws you in, and the characters were clearly defined despite the short time we had with them. I think this was a prequel to a series.
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift” ☆☆☆
This was an interesting story about a taxi driver who gets caught up in explosions and stuff. It also could have taken place in a non-sci fi setting.
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man” ☆☆☆
This was pretty well done, if a tad slow. It follows the perspective of an AI gradually gaining sentience.
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates” ☆☆☆☆
This was light and fun. The writing was very enjoyable. It had a sort of space Renaissance feel to it, if that makes sense.
– Will McIntosh – “Drive” ☆☆☆
This is a post-apocalyptic story. It established an innteresting world but then had no real ending.
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies” ☆☆☆
This was about scientists stuying a new breed of dolphins that may actually be telepathic aliens.
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories” ☆☆☆
Here a space environmentalist runs into a group of evil poachers. There were some interesting animals.
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth” ☆☆☆☆
This was a great plot that worked perfectly for the length of the story. An auditor comes to a planet and finds thing just a bit off.
TOTAL AVERAGE: 3.09
August 8, 2018
As the Sparks Fly Upward - Enjoyed
Peace Force - Nope
Scrapyard Ship - Enjoyed
Here Be Dragons - Naw; ending no fun at all
The Gordian Asteroid - Nope
The Trenches of Centauri Prime - Enjoyed
Broken One - Enjoyed
The Erkennen Job - 5 stars!
The Firebug and the Pharaoh - 5 stars!
Interview for the End of the World - Sad, but I enjoyed it.
Night Shift - Good
A Friend to Man - Interesting
Queen’s Iris, etc. - Cute
Just Drive - Interesting
Water Babies - 5 stars!
Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints - 5 stars
This Deceitful Truth - Good. Rather abrupt ending.
Peace Force - Nope
Scrapyard Ship - Enjoyed
Here Be Dragons - Naw; ending no fun at all
The Gordian Asteroid - Nope
The Trenches of Centauri Prime - Enjoyed
Broken One - Enjoyed
The Erkennen Job - 5 stars!
The Firebug and the Pharaoh - 5 stars!
Interview for the End of the World - Sad, but I enjoyed it.
Night Shift - Good
A Friend to Man - Interesting
Queen’s Iris, etc. - Cute
Just Drive - Interesting
Water Babies - 5 stars!
Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints - 5 stars
This Deceitful Truth - Good. Rather abrupt ending.
June 22, 2020
Sci-Fi Bridge is an author collective which brings together traditionally published and independent authors, bestsellers and emerging writers (do they hatch from an egg?), to bring the reader good Science Fiction. They have a newsletter and a website.
The collection opens with a fine military space opera in David VanDyke’s ‘As the Sparks Fly Upward’. First Lieutenant Joseph ‘Bull’ Ben Tauros, Earthfleet Marines is woken up by a shrieking alarm on the assault carrier Melita. They’re under attack by the Meme or rather by someone under the control of the Meme, sneaky aliens who enslave other races. Ben is a likeable lead character and the unfolding story examines what it means to be human.
An old woman wakes from a cryo-sleep of two hundred and fifty years at the start of ‘Peace Force’ by Ann Christy. Director Swanson is the last high ranking official left to supervise the abandonment of Earth by humanity as they download themselves into cyberspace for eternal bliss. Interesting personalities are involved and the tale winds along to an unexpected but fair conclusion.
‘Guardians Of Earth’ by Felix R. Savage does not envisage a bright future for humanity. A Void Dragon eats the sun in 2160 but luckily we have the technology – gravity is involved – to move Earth to Jupiter and turn that gas giant into a sun. Then the Offense attacked Earth in a warship called Blood-DrinkingYobbo (that’s how the name translates from their Offensive language) and the war is on-going. Our hero is Jay Scattergood, who found a dragon egg when he was eight and has been keeping it ever since, yea even unto his enlistment into the military. Dragons notwithstanding, this is definitely SF and another good yarn about future fighting forces. The chatty first-person narration makes it an easy and pleasant read.
Lindsay Buroker’s contribution is ‘Here Be Dragons’. McCall Richter is taking her sister McKenzie to ‘a penal moon so inhospitable that it had the nickname Dragons’. The Terraformers had thought it entertaining to seed the world with big lizards. McCall is a design engineer who works on big projects where she has to fit into teams. She doesn’t fit in well. McCall doesn’t fit in with other people either but with her vocation as a freelance searcher for missing persons, it doesn’t matter. They don’t get along all that well with each other but try in remembrance of dear old Mom. McCall is searching for a colony of scientists meant to be on the world. There are some adventures but the theme of being an oddball was the main weight of the story and one that will resonate with us nerds and geeks. Who the hell wants to be ‘normal’ whatever that is? This was excellent.
‘The Gordian Asteroid’ is a hunk of rock which has an entire fleet of indestructible ships thousands of years old embedded in it, like chocolate flakes in an ice cream. Any attempt to loosen one of the ships causes it to explode. Aged scientist Doctor Vongst is determined to find a way. Author Chris Dietzel has an interesting protagonist and a classy android but, ultimately, I found this disappointing.
Many of these yarns could have sprung from the pages of any 1950s American SF magazine and there’s nothing wrong with that but Josi Russell’s ‘Broken One’ is the most obviously of that ilk. Ryz the Ritellian is fighting a last-ditch battle against the invading Maro. There are some good plot twists but, overall, it seemed like the sort of filler Robert Silverberg used to bash out for the cheap magazines when such things existed. It was okay but didn’t really grab me.
In ‘The Trenches Of Centauri Prime’, Craig Martelle does an SF version of ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’. Earth is at war with the Bazarians but it’s fought on a neutral planet so that the two homeworlds won’t come to harm. It’s also fought with low-tech weapons. Riskin is in the Interstellar Marines and lacks respect for his officers, as does Ak ‘Tiul, a Bazarian in the opposite trench. Good fun and it gets the message across without preaching.
‘The Erkennen Job’ by Chris Pourteau features Stacks Fischer, first-person narrator and personal assassin for Tony-Two-Point-Oh, head of the top faction in Syn Corp. The Syndicate Corporation owns everything in the Solar system and, rather like the New York Mafia back in the day, has five factions. A rival faction is causing trouble and Stacks must go to the Moon colony Darkside and teach them a lesson. The classic noir features of an honest cop and a whore with a heart of gold were nicely mixed in and touches of humour and clever writing made this better than the summary sounds.
Daniel Arenson has seen the new ‘Battlestar: Galactica’. ‘The Firebug And The Pharaoh’ features a feisty female starfighter pilot who is a member of the Heirs of Earth, a group dedicated to finding humanity’s almost mythical homeworld. Wisecracking and aggressive, she must fight dinosaurs on the jungle world of Saropia to save a small band of humans. The biography says that author Daniel Arenson has sold a million books. It was okay but hardly original.
Director Darien Trass is in charge of the Titan Project and must conduct an ‘Interview For The End Of The World’ in the story of that name by Rhett C. Bruno. More than one actually, as all the candidates for the Titan-bound rocket to escape the asteroid about to hit Earth are screened by him. Realistic scenes of mob terror and a dash of nobility made this moving and effective. Titan is a moon of Saturn, in case you need reminding.
We’re in gangland territory again with ‘Night Shift’ by Steve Beaulieu. Interplanetary cabbie and ex-soldier Maturo takes a seedy character to Blissformen, the pleasure planet. The fare, unexpectedly, doesn’t want to be let down in the gambling den or the cathouse but in the business district, where the bosses live. Female-shaped pleasure androids are not unusual in SF, especially comedies, but this story features an original twist on that. Nothing graphic but uncomfortable reading nevertheless. A brave story to publish and well put across by the author.
My impression that this anthology was front-loaded with the best stuff was scuppered by Lucas Bale’s ‘A Friend To Man’ which may be the finest story in the book. It tackles the issue of computer self-awareness through an AI and a doctor whose teaching it literature on a space station orbiting Europa. Their discussion on the fruitless ritual of daily existence and the vanity of individuality didn’t sit very well alongside all the ray guns and rocketships in the rest of the book but I wouldn’t have missed it. Terrific.
By contrast ‘Queen’s Iris, Or: The Initial Adventures Of Roderick Langstrom, Or: The Tale Of General Smith, Featuring Roderick Langston, Or: Space Pirates’ by Jason Anspach is an out and out comedy, a romp in which a tyrant Queen clearly based on Elizabeth I sends privateers against a rival empire. Jolly good fun and inevitably made me think of ‘Blackadder II’, mostly because of the mad Queen. They should have placed it next to ‘The Trenches Of Centauri Prime’ with its ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’ impression.
Will McIntosh gives us ‘Just Drive’ in which narrator Carrie Sardonopoli and her family are zooming around in an SUV desperately trying to survive. Buzztops have invaded Earth. They come in all shapes and sizes, from big as a house to small as a rat. They are log-shaped with a hundred legs and a mouth that will eat anything in their path. The Buzztops come through some sort of gateway. This reminded me of early Stephen King somehow and the plot took some nice twists along the road to the unexpected ending.
Maya K. Bohnhoff leapt into contention for favourite story with ‘Water Babies’. Omar Navarro is only a junior member of the International Cetacean Institute so he doesn’t have a lot of say in the matter when they capture a pod of unusual dolphins; dolphins with necks. Omar’s empathy causes problems and there’s a bit of romance to warm your heart as well. The characters are nicely drawn and realistic and the writing is flawless. I liked it enough to look up the author’s website and sign up for her newsletter.
David Bruns is next up. ‘Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints’ is the motto of the World Interstellar Park Rangers who patrol the planets trying to preserve biodiversity without disturbing local cultures. Zive is a ranger who recently lost her familiar, a Venusian sand otter named Felix, and is still grieving. She has an urgent mission on Ravos to save elephant-style creatures hunted for their tusks from the pre-industrial natives. This mixes those favourite Prime Directive issues with plenty of action in a satisfying blend. Combined with the previous yarn it might be enough to make you go vegetarian.
Last but not least is ‘This Deceitful State Of Truth’ by Patty Jansen. Ellinor Darga is an auditor, not the usual profession for adventure stories. She is revisiting the cloud city of Mellivar to check their accounts. The council members she knew of old are gone and there’s a new clique in place who are distinctly unfriendly. The stranger in a small town being menaced theme is always effective, think ‘Bad Day At Black Rock’ and there is astronomy and myth-busting to liven things up. The low-tech cloud city was wonderfully described but I wouldn’t want to live there.
This is an excellent anthology which I thoroughly enjoyed and a staggering amount of good reading for the money. Hours of fun for less than the price of a coffee. The stories range from military SF adventure to tales of exploration, invasion and future gangsters. All the authors write well and some very well. For many contributors, the idea is to make you fall in love with the worlds shown and pick up their novel series and why not? In a highly competitive market where it’s difficult to get noticed, it’s a good idea for mid-list writers to form a collective. After all, it worked for the Borg.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
The collection opens with a fine military space opera in David VanDyke’s ‘As the Sparks Fly Upward’. First Lieutenant Joseph ‘Bull’ Ben Tauros, Earthfleet Marines is woken up by a shrieking alarm on the assault carrier Melita. They’re under attack by the Meme or rather by someone under the control of the Meme, sneaky aliens who enslave other races. Ben is a likeable lead character and the unfolding story examines what it means to be human.
An old woman wakes from a cryo-sleep of two hundred and fifty years at the start of ‘Peace Force’ by Ann Christy. Director Swanson is the last high ranking official left to supervise the abandonment of Earth by humanity as they download themselves into cyberspace for eternal bliss. Interesting personalities are involved and the tale winds along to an unexpected but fair conclusion.
‘Guardians Of Earth’ by Felix R. Savage does not envisage a bright future for humanity. A Void Dragon eats the sun in 2160 but luckily we have the technology – gravity is involved – to move Earth to Jupiter and turn that gas giant into a sun. Then the Offense attacked Earth in a warship called Blood-DrinkingYobbo (that’s how the name translates from their Offensive language) and the war is on-going. Our hero is Jay Scattergood, who found a dragon egg when he was eight and has been keeping it ever since, yea even unto his enlistment into the military. Dragons notwithstanding, this is definitely SF and another good yarn about future fighting forces. The chatty first-person narration makes it an easy and pleasant read.
Lindsay Buroker’s contribution is ‘Here Be Dragons’. McCall Richter is taking her sister McKenzie to ‘a penal moon so inhospitable that it had the nickname Dragons’. The Terraformers had thought it entertaining to seed the world with big lizards. McCall is a design engineer who works on big projects where she has to fit into teams. She doesn’t fit in well. McCall doesn’t fit in with other people either but with her vocation as a freelance searcher for missing persons, it doesn’t matter. They don’t get along all that well with each other but try in remembrance of dear old Mom. McCall is searching for a colony of scientists meant to be on the world. There are some adventures but the theme of being an oddball was the main weight of the story and one that will resonate with us nerds and geeks. Who the hell wants to be ‘normal’ whatever that is? This was excellent.
‘The Gordian Asteroid’ is a hunk of rock which has an entire fleet of indestructible ships thousands of years old embedded in it, like chocolate flakes in an ice cream. Any attempt to loosen one of the ships causes it to explode. Aged scientist Doctor Vongst is determined to find a way. Author Chris Dietzel has an interesting protagonist and a classy android but, ultimately, I found this disappointing.
Many of these yarns could have sprung from the pages of any 1950s American SF magazine and there’s nothing wrong with that but Josi Russell’s ‘Broken One’ is the most obviously of that ilk. Ryz the Ritellian is fighting a last-ditch battle against the invading Maro. There are some good plot twists but, overall, it seemed like the sort of filler Robert Silverberg used to bash out for the cheap magazines when such things existed. It was okay but didn’t really grab me.
In ‘The Trenches Of Centauri Prime’, Craig Martelle does an SF version of ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’. Earth is at war with the Bazarians but it’s fought on a neutral planet so that the two homeworlds won’t come to harm. It’s also fought with low-tech weapons. Riskin is in the Interstellar Marines and lacks respect for his officers, as does Ak ‘Tiul, a Bazarian in the opposite trench. Good fun and it gets the message across without preaching.
‘The Erkennen Job’ by Chris Pourteau features Stacks Fischer, first-person narrator and personal assassin for Tony-Two-Point-Oh, head of the top faction in Syn Corp. The Syndicate Corporation owns everything in the Solar system and, rather like the New York Mafia back in the day, has five factions. A rival faction is causing trouble and Stacks must go to the Moon colony Darkside and teach them a lesson. The classic noir features of an honest cop and a whore with a heart of gold were nicely mixed in and touches of humour and clever writing made this better than the summary sounds.
Daniel Arenson has seen the new ‘Battlestar: Galactica’. ‘The Firebug And The Pharaoh’ features a feisty female starfighter pilot who is a member of the Heirs of Earth, a group dedicated to finding humanity’s almost mythical homeworld. Wisecracking and aggressive, she must fight dinosaurs on the jungle world of Saropia to save a small band of humans. The biography says that author Daniel Arenson has sold a million books. It was okay but hardly original.
Director Darien Trass is in charge of the Titan Project and must conduct an ‘Interview For The End Of The World’ in the story of that name by Rhett C. Bruno. More than one actually, as all the candidates for the Titan-bound rocket to escape the asteroid about to hit Earth are screened by him. Realistic scenes of mob terror and a dash of nobility made this moving and effective. Titan is a moon of Saturn, in case you need reminding.
We’re in gangland territory again with ‘Night Shift’ by Steve Beaulieu. Interplanetary cabbie and ex-soldier Maturo takes a seedy character to Blissformen, the pleasure planet. The fare, unexpectedly, doesn’t want to be let down in the gambling den or the cathouse but in the business district, where the bosses live. Female-shaped pleasure androids are not unusual in SF, especially comedies, but this story features an original twist on that. Nothing graphic but uncomfortable reading nevertheless. A brave story to publish and well put across by the author.
My impression that this anthology was front-loaded with the best stuff was scuppered by Lucas Bale’s ‘A Friend To Man’ which may be the finest story in the book. It tackles the issue of computer self-awareness through an AI and a doctor whose teaching it literature on a space station orbiting Europa. Their discussion on the fruitless ritual of daily existence and the vanity of individuality didn’t sit very well alongside all the ray guns and rocketships in the rest of the book but I wouldn’t have missed it. Terrific.
By contrast ‘Queen’s Iris, Or: The Initial Adventures Of Roderick Langstrom, Or: The Tale Of General Smith, Featuring Roderick Langston, Or: Space Pirates’ by Jason Anspach is an out and out comedy, a romp in which a tyrant Queen clearly based on Elizabeth I sends privateers against a rival empire. Jolly good fun and inevitably made me think of ‘Blackadder II’, mostly because of the mad Queen. They should have placed it next to ‘The Trenches Of Centauri Prime’ with its ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’ impression.
Will McIntosh gives us ‘Just Drive’ in which narrator Carrie Sardonopoli and her family are zooming around in an SUV desperately trying to survive. Buzztops have invaded Earth. They come in all shapes and sizes, from big as a house to small as a rat. They are log-shaped with a hundred legs and a mouth that will eat anything in their path. The Buzztops come through some sort of gateway. This reminded me of early Stephen King somehow and the plot took some nice twists along the road to the unexpected ending.
Maya K. Bohnhoff leapt into contention for favourite story with ‘Water Babies’. Omar Navarro is only a junior member of the International Cetacean Institute so he doesn’t have a lot of say in the matter when they capture a pod of unusual dolphins; dolphins with necks. Omar’s empathy causes problems and there’s a bit of romance to warm your heart as well. The characters are nicely drawn and realistic and the writing is flawless. I liked it enough to look up the author’s website and sign up for her newsletter.
David Bruns is next up. ‘Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints’ is the motto of the World Interstellar Park Rangers who patrol the planets trying to preserve biodiversity without disturbing local cultures. Zive is a ranger who recently lost her familiar, a Venusian sand otter named Felix, and is still grieving. She has an urgent mission on Ravos to save elephant-style creatures hunted for their tusks from the pre-industrial natives. This mixes those favourite Prime Directive issues with plenty of action in a satisfying blend. Combined with the previous yarn it might be enough to make you go vegetarian.
Last but not least is ‘This Deceitful State Of Truth’ by Patty Jansen. Ellinor Darga is an auditor, not the usual profession for adventure stories. She is revisiting the cloud city of Mellivar to check their accounts. The council members she knew of old are gone and there’s a new clique in place who are distinctly unfriendly. The stranger in a small town being menaced theme is always effective, think ‘Bad Day At Black Rock’ and there is astronomy and myth-busting to liven things up. The low-tech cloud city was wonderfully described but I wouldn’t want to live there.
This is an excellent anthology which I thoroughly enjoyed and a staggering amount of good reading for the money. Hours of fun for less than the price of a coffee. The stories range from military SF adventure to tales of exploration, invasion and future gangsters. All the authors write well and some very well. For many contributors, the idea is to make you fall in love with the worlds shown and pick up their novel series and why not? In a highly competitive market where it’s difficult to get noticed, it’s a good idea for mid-list writers to form a collective. After all, it worked for the Borg.
Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/
March 2, 2018
I bought this book because it includes stories by a few of my favorite authors. I loved those, as I expected, and then read the rest of the stories. It was a nice surprise to find that I liked nearly all of them. There's plenty of variety in both the plots and the characters. There was only one story that I didn't care for, and another that wasn't edited well. That's a pretty good score for any collection, about 4 1/2 stars worth.
Read
February 2, 2018I only read Lindsay Buroker's story. All the other authors are unfamiliar to me except two besides Lindsay Buroker and nothing in the titles made me want to read any of the other stories. However, I own the anthology so I guess, eventually I'll read the other stories.
3.5 stars for Lindsay Buroker's story.
3.5 stars for Lindsay Buroker's story.
September 9, 2021
A great anthology! I listened to the audio & the narrators were excellent! I wish audiobooks came with more visual content like a table of contents especially for anthologies. That way it’s easier to take note of authors I want to read more of.
January 18, 2018
As with all of these types of Anthologies, you get to sit down and get an intro to a collection of Authors, some you might know, others you might not know, but either way, you get to read some outstanding short stories. For those that you don’t know, it is an opportunity to be introduced to some new works and you can go off and go find their other books to read (and trust me, with this lot, you will definitely want to, between Savage, Buroker, Arenson, Bruno, Anspach, Jansen, Christy and more, there is just a wealth of exceptional books you will not be able to put down. The great thing is, given that they are mostly Indie Authors, their books are decently priced to, so you can get whole collections and series without breaking the bank. And if you like audio books, most have a great audio collection on top of the brilliant book sets. For now though, just enjoy this collection of shorts which is one of the best Anthologies I have ever read. Following is a short review of each of the short stories:
As the Sparks Fly Upward – David VanDyke – 4.5/5 – This is a fantastic start to this Anthology. The story follows a Marine ‘Bull’ who awoken by a shipboard emergency. Following procedures, he gets into his basic gear, and tries to get to an armoury, but along the way, encounters multiple obstacles. VanDyke creates an impressive amount of backstory in a very short amount of time. Bull encounters another crew member, a female who he works out is actually an imposter for the enemy.
Whilst this is a short story, the character work is exceptional, providing an in-depth look at not just the Marine, but at the girl he captures, giving us unique perspectives of the war effort, and its impact on both sides. There is also some impressive action scenes. This is a story of war, a story of heroes and a story of sacrifice.
As I said, you instantly get caught chasing down Authors that you don’t know given the quality of the stories, and this is definitely one I will be following up on. Great short story and great start to an exceptional Anthology.
Peace Force – Ann Christy – 4/5 – This short follows a Director, an elderly lady who has been re-woken and then frozen in cryosleep numerous times over her life span, her task to help guide the ultimate resting place of humanity, and to assist with the sending forth of seed ships. This is a captivating short (which you later find out is actually 1 of 4 shorts leading towards hopefully a full story about this beautifully conceived world), looking at both the many remarkable qualities of humanity, and our many flaws and short comings, even with hundreds of years of alleged attempts to rid ourselves of these issues. The Director leads us through this story, looking at both the achievements, and at what she discovers are the failures in the programs. Whilst the story does not move at a fast pace, it does not need to, this is a tale of intellect, thought, and I think also, that even in the future, when we think we are doing things so well, there is still major room for improvement in how we interact with Nature. This was a really intriguing and enjoyable read, and I look forward to the completed full story.
Guardians of Earth – Felix R Savage – 5/5 – I am a huge fan of Felix Savage, but I have to say, he has out done himself with this short story, and this is probably one of his best bits of writing to date. What is even more exciting is that this is apparently a lead in to a full length new series which is going to be awesome! The story follows Jay, who works as a coder on Earth, however, Earth has moved, it is now situated out near Jupiter, which has been turned into a Dwarf Red Sun, as our sun was consumed by a Void Dragon. But that is just the start. Humanity is at war with an alien species called the ‘Offense’, they have come to take out planet as theirs has basically been lost after their sun was also consumed by a Void Dragon. This is just the brief outline, to fully understand it all, you really have to read it, and if you only read 1 story in this collection (sorry everyone else!), you have to read this!
As with all his books, his Character work is exceptional, giving this story an even greater edge. This is compulsive reading for all Sci-fi fans as it is extraordinary.
Here Be Dragons – Lindsay Buroker – 4.5/5 – Buroker is known for her clever writing, with detailed, intricate stories, involving wonderfully in-depth characters that bring the story to life in a unique way. Here Be Dragons is no different, from the very start, taken from the warning that used to be found at the edges of maps, this story follows two Sisters who are on a mission, trying not only to find a bounty, but also trying to find themselves. In this world, to be different is seen as something unusual, if you stand out too much, you can get treatment to be ‘normalised’. The Story is an intriguing look at different cultures, but at the same time, it isn't that different from our own, one in which we are only just learning to accept that a lot of things we took as different are actually normal, and don’t require ‘treatments’, or separation, black, white, Asian, Anglo, Bi-Sexual, Male, Female, whatever, we are all Human. This story is wonderful on so many levels, as are all of Lindsay’s books. If you haven’t read her Fallen Empire, Dragon Blood or Emperors Edge series, do yourself a favour and go read them!
The Gordian Asteroid – Chris Dietzel – 5/5 – This story was a lot of fun, something just really out there and totally different, not quite what you expect to be honest, but written incredibly well, with only two characters, and both of them bringing so much to the story. The Android is just utterly Brilliant, whilst the Dr, in his quiet, reflective state, going about his work is graceful, magnanimous and in a way, beautiful, summing up a life in which one is so content with their place in the universe, that they can try and solve the ultimate riddle. That riddle is the Gordian Asteroid. You see, as the Dr puts it, there are only 2 types of asteroids, the Gordian and all the rest. When you read about the Gordian (and you really have to read this truly wonderful tale), you will understand). One of the highlights of this book.
The Trenches of Centauri Prime – Craig Martelle – 4/5 – This short is about a young private in a trench not far from the enemy, who is also in a trench. The other part of this story is about a young alien soldier who is in a trench and is not far from these stupid human things that are not far from him. Both have been at war for a long time, and both have a completely stupid commanding officer (I believe these are the reasons that they used to have incidents of friendly fire during WWI). The story is both humorous, but at the same time, it also shows the utter insanity and tragedy of war, but it does it from both points of view, from human and alien. This is a very well written story, the main human and alien characters are very well done, and the ending is exceptionally well written. Well worth the read!
Broken One – Josi Russell – 4/5 – The story is written from the point of view of a young alien, who is seen as somewhat of an oddity amongst his species, he has these weird hands, and an extra digit, and looks a bit different, so he does not quite fit into society. Worse is that his Father was married to the once Queen, who gave up her throne to marry his Father, who is also deformed (or ‘Broken’) as he is. Now he is seen as the broken one, but things have changed, and his race are fighting a vicious battle that is going poorly, and they might soon lose entirely, to the very end of their race. The way this story unfolds is rather intriguing, and I don’t want to give too much away, but for a short story, it is incredibly involved in what is managed to be squeezed in. Josi Russell writes some wonderful characters, her main character exceptional, giving so much extra depth to the story, making it even more outstanding. Having read this, I will easily be going to find more of Josi Russell’s books to read.
The Erkennen Job – Chris Pourteau – 4.5/5 – This is a very clever tale, like an old western, crossed with a bit of Sci-Fi, and then just a touch of 1950s gangster movie, you almost expect Humphrey Bogart to spin out from around a corner, kill half the bad guys and drop a one liner before stepping up to the Heroine. The story has a real gritty edge to it, and the characters are beautifully done in this very clever style, making you feel like you are part of a 1950s Sci-Fi Western Thriller, as ‘Stacks Fischer’ tries to help a female Marshal, who has been abandoned by the other Marshals, hunt down a criminal in the seedy underworld. Stacks even has an old .38 revolver as he doesn’t trust the ‘Stunner’ tech, preferring his trusty old revolver. This story has it all, and is just brilliant, it would make a fantastic black and white short film, but it is a fantastic read – don’t miss it!
The Firebug and the Pharaoh – Daniel Arenson – 4.5/5 – This story follows Mairead ‘Firebug’ McQueen, a fighter pilot, who is on a mission to help some refugees hiding on the planet of Saropia. She is part of a unit, the Heirs of Earth. They travel the galaxy looking for the birthplace of humanity, a homeworld for Humans, but as yet, they haven't found one. In the meantime, whenever they find humans in trouble, they go to their aid. This story is one of those tales, however, in this story, the planet of Saropia, they encounter creatures that appear to be Dinosaurs.
Daniel Arenson loves to write amazing stories (with the Alien Hunter Series, Earthrise Series that is now leading into the Heirs to Earth Series, his Dragons series as well as the Kingdoms of Sand series), his stories are many and varied, but always amazing (Yes, I am a fan, and have all of them), and this is no different, sort of like Pharaoh, easy to read, a lot of fun, and pretty quick. This story is not all what it seems up front, it has elements of Battlestar Galactica to it, with lost humanity seeking home, a strong female lead fighter pilot, but there are also some other fascinating elements that I won't go into so I don’t give away spoilers. This was a really interesting read, Arenson is a really clever and gifted author who always comes out with something new and creative, and you don’t want to miss it – or any of his other books.
Interview for the End of the World – Rhett Bruno – 5/5 – For those that have read any of Bruno’s Titan Born Universe this story will be easily recognisable as a part of this universe. This is a great standalone story, but it is also an exceptional bit of backstory to the Titan Born series.
The story is about the final days of Earth, as a massive meteorite is plummeting towards Earth, the impact will destroy the planet entirely, a total extinction level event. Several countries have planned for various outcomes, but Darien Trass, one man who has envisioned the future, has built a massive ship that will take several thousand people to Titan in the hopes of establishing a new colony there and saving the remnants of the human race. Whilst many seats on the flight have been determined, Trass is interviewing final candidates for the last seats, crucial positions for the final crew, and also, a life saving ticket off of a doomed planet.
For fans of the Titan Born series, this is a brilliant insight into a legendary character ‘Darien Trass’, but for those new to the story, it is a fantastic lead in to the rest of the series. If you haven’t read the Titan Born series, it is well worth it, Bruno’s characters are outstanding, creating a truly epic tale. ‘Interview’ is a must read.
Night Shift – Steve Beaulieu – 4/5 – To be honest, it took a little bit to get into this story, you have to work out what is going on, and it was a little slow going, but then suddenly, it is all action, and you have to hang on for dear life. This is a really clever and intelligent piece of writing, similar in nature to the old stuff of Asimov or PKD, where you are slowly edged into the story and then left thinking about it for a while afterward. The story follows an ex-military guy who is now a cabbie to pay the bills, but an interstellar cabbie who picks up a fare to a planet that is somewhat nefarious in nature. His client is not exactly talkative, but after delivering his fare, the story changes pace somewhat, and this is where you have to really stop and start reading things just a little more carefully so you don’t miss anything important as the action is moving so fast. This is definitely a thinking story, but one that is exceptionally well written and well worth the read.
A Friend to Man – Lucas Bale – 4/5 – I found this story a little slow to get into to start with, but given that it was Lucas Bale, I was more than willing to stick with it. It follows an AI, who doesn’t quite realise it is an AI yet, talking to a Dr (Hanson), who is developing the AI. She is breaching rules by doing so, but doesn’t seem to care. The machines are being created for a particular task, one that will see them destroyed, so they are being given a level of ‘intelligence’ to complete their task, and it is up to this Dr to provide them with their level of intelligence to see to their tasks. This is a fascinating story as you watch the relationship between the machine and the human unfold, and the birth of this AI, as it discovers what it ‘sort of’ is, but doesn’t really understand. It is an exceptionally clever story, and incredibly well written. I think that some people might find it a little slow, but I thought it was very well done.
Queen’s Iris, or: The Initial Adventures of Roderick Langstrom, or: The Tale of General Smith, featuring Roderick Langston, or: Space Pirates – Jason Anspach – 5/5 – This story was hilarious. It had a real Tim Burton feel to it, and at times, I kept waiting for the Oversized Head of Helena Bonham Carter to screech ‘Off with his head’. The story is about a nation ruled by a very dominating, overbearing Queen (although no one would be foolish enough to write this down), and their battle against the Dultuth Empire (the filthy Disloyal Dogs – you must either say or write this every time you utter their names, it's law). The Queen is not doing well in the war, not because it is her fault, because she is perfect, it is the dimwits around her you see, until a Leftenant (this is how it's spelt now due to a Prince who could only spell phonetically), Smith comes to save the day, with a Pirate, Roderick Langstrom.
This is by far, the funniest and as well as wittiest books I have ever read, and gives (God rest his dearly departed Soul) Terry Pratchett a run for his money. You will be laughing yourself silly as you read it. It is amusing to consider this came from half the team that brought us the Galaxy’s Edge series – Anspach has some serious talent.
Just Drive – Will McIntosh – 4.5/5 – The world has gone in this story, with only a few survivors left struggling to survive so that they are not eaten by this strange creatures that appear out of interdimensional gateways. The story follows Carrie, a 16yr old girl who is stuck in the rear of her families car, driving endlessly, trying to find a safe haven from the ‘buzztops’, aliens who eat just about anything, except concrete and dirt. When Carrie connects with another 16yr boy via walkie talkie, her world is thrown into upheaval, is this the last chance she has to meet someone her own age? Events happen as the two of them try to encourage their passengers to meet, all whilst trying to avoid aliens that can shred you in a heartbeat. The title sums it up, just drive, for your life, away from the alien threat, to salvation, and possibly to someone who is your last chance at real humanity. This is a book that combines gripping Sci-Fi with some real emotion, and I hope that it gets turned into a full length novel. Absolutely Brilliant!!
Water Babies – Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – 4/5 – A team of scientists are researching the ocean when they discover an unusual set of dolphins. They appear to be related to dolphins, but they are different, their appearance is not quite right. They capture them and take them back to a special facility for closer observation, and discover that what they have found is something amazing. Very soon those on the team are affected in ways that they can’t explain, and the story becomes this fascinating exploration of our humanity, how we interact with other creatures on our planet, and the ultimate impact this can have. This was a wonderfully intimate story, with exceptional characters and a fascinating ending that again, hopefully will become a full length story.
Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints – David Bruns – 4/5 – This was a brilliant story of how we can build a bond with another living creature, not necessarily another human, but any creature, and how they can become our friends and partners. In this look into the future, Ziva is a Ranger, tasked with looking after the wildlife and ecosystems of all sorts of different planets, making sure that no one destroys these planets and their environments, the way that humans have messed up Earth. However, she recently lost her animal partner. Partners are chosen by Rangers when they feel a connection to each other, and they get special adaptions, allowing them to communicate with their partners etc. In this story, Ziva must stop poachers from killing a rare animal that is paramount to the ecosystem of a planet, however, she lets her recent loss get in the way of her work, and lands in some real trouble. Her only hope is some new friends, but are they capable of understanding what is needed? This is not just a clear statement of how we need to look after our planet, but it is a beautiful story of the interactions of different creatures looking out for each other in nature. It is a really nice story, and very well written. It would make a great series, especially for a YA audience.
This Deceitful State of Truth – Patty Jensen – 4.5/5 – The world building that occurs from the very beginning of this story is utterly fascinating, and creates this mesmerising backdrop that you get utterly lost in. The descriptive beauty of what is occurring around Ellinor Darga, the auditor, is just exquisite, and you find yourself following along in her footsteps, looking around with her the place is so beautifully written. The story is about Ellinor, an auditor, who has come to this floating city to settle the books, but with some suspicious circumstances. As the story unfolds, Ellinor finds herself in trouble, and she is soon in desperate peril, as she tries to work out dodgy finances, a murder that doesn’t seem right, and a starship that may have crashed a long time ago, but may still be here, but no one is sure, or wants to be. This is very dystopian, part steampunk, part thriller, part mystery, but exceptionally brilliant. Jensen’s world building is truly some of the best I have come across in recent times, especially for a short story. This is an outstanding finish to what is an exceptional series.
As the Sparks Fly Upward – David VanDyke – 4.5/5 – This is a fantastic start to this Anthology. The story follows a Marine ‘Bull’ who awoken by a shipboard emergency. Following procedures, he gets into his basic gear, and tries to get to an armoury, but along the way, encounters multiple obstacles. VanDyke creates an impressive amount of backstory in a very short amount of time. Bull encounters another crew member, a female who he works out is actually an imposter for the enemy.
Whilst this is a short story, the character work is exceptional, providing an in-depth look at not just the Marine, but at the girl he captures, giving us unique perspectives of the war effort, and its impact on both sides. There is also some impressive action scenes. This is a story of war, a story of heroes and a story of sacrifice.
As I said, you instantly get caught chasing down Authors that you don’t know given the quality of the stories, and this is definitely one I will be following up on. Great short story and great start to an exceptional Anthology.
Peace Force – Ann Christy – 4/5 – This short follows a Director, an elderly lady who has been re-woken and then frozen in cryosleep numerous times over her life span, her task to help guide the ultimate resting place of humanity, and to assist with the sending forth of seed ships. This is a captivating short (which you later find out is actually 1 of 4 shorts leading towards hopefully a full story about this beautifully conceived world), looking at both the many remarkable qualities of humanity, and our many flaws and short comings, even with hundreds of years of alleged attempts to rid ourselves of these issues. The Director leads us through this story, looking at both the achievements, and at what she discovers are the failures in the programs. Whilst the story does not move at a fast pace, it does not need to, this is a tale of intellect, thought, and I think also, that even in the future, when we think we are doing things so well, there is still major room for improvement in how we interact with Nature. This was a really intriguing and enjoyable read, and I look forward to the completed full story.
Guardians of Earth – Felix R Savage – 5/5 – I am a huge fan of Felix Savage, but I have to say, he has out done himself with this short story, and this is probably one of his best bits of writing to date. What is even more exciting is that this is apparently a lead in to a full length new series which is going to be awesome! The story follows Jay, who works as a coder on Earth, however, Earth has moved, it is now situated out near Jupiter, which has been turned into a Dwarf Red Sun, as our sun was consumed by a Void Dragon. But that is just the start. Humanity is at war with an alien species called the ‘Offense’, they have come to take out planet as theirs has basically been lost after their sun was also consumed by a Void Dragon. This is just the brief outline, to fully understand it all, you really have to read it, and if you only read 1 story in this collection (sorry everyone else!), you have to read this!
As with all his books, his Character work is exceptional, giving this story an even greater edge. This is compulsive reading for all Sci-fi fans as it is extraordinary.
Here Be Dragons – Lindsay Buroker – 4.5/5 – Buroker is known for her clever writing, with detailed, intricate stories, involving wonderfully in-depth characters that bring the story to life in a unique way. Here Be Dragons is no different, from the very start, taken from the warning that used to be found at the edges of maps, this story follows two Sisters who are on a mission, trying not only to find a bounty, but also trying to find themselves. In this world, to be different is seen as something unusual, if you stand out too much, you can get treatment to be ‘normalised’. The Story is an intriguing look at different cultures, but at the same time, it isn't that different from our own, one in which we are only just learning to accept that a lot of things we took as different are actually normal, and don’t require ‘treatments’, or separation, black, white, Asian, Anglo, Bi-Sexual, Male, Female, whatever, we are all Human. This story is wonderful on so many levels, as are all of Lindsay’s books. If you haven’t read her Fallen Empire, Dragon Blood or Emperors Edge series, do yourself a favour and go read them!
The Gordian Asteroid – Chris Dietzel – 5/5 – This story was a lot of fun, something just really out there and totally different, not quite what you expect to be honest, but written incredibly well, with only two characters, and both of them bringing so much to the story. The Android is just utterly Brilliant, whilst the Dr, in his quiet, reflective state, going about his work is graceful, magnanimous and in a way, beautiful, summing up a life in which one is so content with their place in the universe, that they can try and solve the ultimate riddle. That riddle is the Gordian Asteroid. You see, as the Dr puts it, there are only 2 types of asteroids, the Gordian and all the rest. When you read about the Gordian (and you really have to read this truly wonderful tale), you will understand). One of the highlights of this book.
The Trenches of Centauri Prime – Craig Martelle – 4/5 – This short is about a young private in a trench not far from the enemy, who is also in a trench. The other part of this story is about a young alien soldier who is in a trench and is not far from these stupid human things that are not far from him. Both have been at war for a long time, and both have a completely stupid commanding officer (I believe these are the reasons that they used to have incidents of friendly fire during WWI). The story is both humorous, but at the same time, it also shows the utter insanity and tragedy of war, but it does it from both points of view, from human and alien. This is a very well written story, the main human and alien characters are very well done, and the ending is exceptionally well written. Well worth the read!
Broken One – Josi Russell – 4/5 – The story is written from the point of view of a young alien, who is seen as somewhat of an oddity amongst his species, he has these weird hands, and an extra digit, and looks a bit different, so he does not quite fit into society. Worse is that his Father was married to the once Queen, who gave up her throne to marry his Father, who is also deformed (or ‘Broken’) as he is. Now he is seen as the broken one, but things have changed, and his race are fighting a vicious battle that is going poorly, and they might soon lose entirely, to the very end of their race. The way this story unfolds is rather intriguing, and I don’t want to give too much away, but for a short story, it is incredibly involved in what is managed to be squeezed in. Josi Russell writes some wonderful characters, her main character exceptional, giving so much extra depth to the story, making it even more outstanding. Having read this, I will easily be going to find more of Josi Russell’s books to read.
The Erkennen Job – Chris Pourteau – 4.5/5 – This is a very clever tale, like an old western, crossed with a bit of Sci-Fi, and then just a touch of 1950s gangster movie, you almost expect Humphrey Bogart to spin out from around a corner, kill half the bad guys and drop a one liner before stepping up to the Heroine. The story has a real gritty edge to it, and the characters are beautifully done in this very clever style, making you feel like you are part of a 1950s Sci-Fi Western Thriller, as ‘Stacks Fischer’ tries to help a female Marshal, who has been abandoned by the other Marshals, hunt down a criminal in the seedy underworld. Stacks even has an old .38 revolver as he doesn’t trust the ‘Stunner’ tech, preferring his trusty old revolver. This story has it all, and is just brilliant, it would make a fantastic black and white short film, but it is a fantastic read – don’t miss it!
The Firebug and the Pharaoh – Daniel Arenson – 4.5/5 – This story follows Mairead ‘Firebug’ McQueen, a fighter pilot, who is on a mission to help some refugees hiding on the planet of Saropia. She is part of a unit, the Heirs of Earth. They travel the galaxy looking for the birthplace of humanity, a homeworld for Humans, but as yet, they haven't found one. In the meantime, whenever they find humans in trouble, they go to their aid. This story is one of those tales, however, in this story, the planet of Saropia, they encounter creatures that appear to be Dinosaurs.
Daniel Arenson loves to write amazing stories (with the Alien Hunter Series, Earthrise Series that is now leading into the Heirs to Earth Series, his Dragons series as well as the Kingdoms of Sand series), his stories are many and varied, but always amazing (Yes, I am a fan, and have all of them), and this is no different, sort of like Pharaoh, easy to read, a lot of fun, and pretty quick. This story is not all what it seems up front, it has elements of Battlestar Galactica to it, with lost humanity seeking home, a strong female lead fighter pilot, but there are also some other fascinating elements that I won't go into so I don’t give away spoilers. This was a really interesting read, Arenson is a really clever and gifted author who always comes out with something new and creative, and you don’t want to miss it – or any of his other books.
Interview for the End of the World – Rhett Bruno – 5/5 – For those that have read any of Bruno’s Titan Born Universe this story will be easily recognisable as a part of this universe. This is a great standalone story, but it is also an exceptional bit of backstory to the Titan Born series.
The story is about the final days of Earth, as a massive meteorite is plummeting towards Earth, the impact will destroy the planet entirely, a total extinction level event. Several countries have planned for various outcomes, but Darien Trass, one man who has envisioned the future, has built a massive ship that will take several thousand people to Titan in the hopes of establishing a new colony there and saving the remnants of the human race. Whilst many seats on the flight have been determined, Trass is interviewing final candidates for the last seats, crucial positions for the final crew, and also, a life saving ticket off of a doomed planet.
For fans of the Titan Born series, this is a brilliant insight into a legendary character ‘Darien Trass’, but for those new to the story, it is a fantastic lead in to the rest of the series. If you haven’t read the Titan Born series, it is well worth it, Bruno’s characters are outstanding, creating a truly epic tale. ‘Interview’ is a must read.
Night Shift – Steve Beaulieu – 4/5 – To be honest, it took a little bit to get into this story, you have to work out what is going on, and it was a little slow going, but then suddenly, it is all action, and you have to hang on for dear life. This is a really clever and intelligent piece of writing, similar in nature to the old stuff of Asimov or PKD, where you are slowly edged into the story and then left thinking about it for a while afterward. The story follows an ex-military guy who is now a cabbie to pay the bills, but an interstellar cabbie who picks up a fare to a planet that is somewhat nefarious in nature. His client is not exactly talkative, but after delivering his fare, the story changes pace somewhat, and this is where you have to really stop and start reading things just a little more carefully so you don’t miss anything important as the action is moving so fast. This is definitely a thinking story, but one that is exceptionally well written and well worth the read.
A Friend to Man – Lucas Bale – 4/5 – I found this story a little slow to get into to start with, but given that it was Lucas Bale, I was more than willing to stick with it. It follows an AI, who doesn’t quite realise it is an AI yet, talking to a Dr (Hanson), who is developing the AI. She is breaching rules by doing so, but doesn’t seem to care. The machines are being created for a particular task, one that will see them destroyed, so they are being given a level of ‘intelligence’ to complete their task, and it is up to this Dr to provide them with their level of intelligence to see to their tasks. This is a fascinating story as you watch the relationship between the machine and the human unfold, and the birth of this AI, as it discovers what it ‘sort of’ is, but doesn’t really understand. It is an exceptionally clever story, and incredibly well written. I think that some people might find it a little slow, but I thought it was very well done.
Queen’s Iris, or: The Initial Adventures of Roderick Langstrom, or: The Tale of General Smith, featuring Roderick Langston, or: Space Pirates – Jason Anspach – 5/5 – This story was hilarious. It had a real Tim Burton feel to it, and at times, I kept waiting for the Oversized Head of Helena Bonham Carter to screech ‘Off with his head’. The story is about a nation ruled by a very dominating, overbearing Queen (although no one would be foolish enough to write this down), and their battle against the Dultuth Empire (the filthy Disloyal Dogs – you must either say or write this every time you utter their names, it's law). The Queen is not doing well in the war, not because it is her fault, because she is perfect, it is the dimwits around her you see, until a Leftenant (this is how it's spelt now due to a Prince who could only spell phonetically), Smith comes to save the day, with a Pirate, Roderick Langstrom.
This is by far, the funniest and as well as wittiest books I have ever read, and gives (God rest his dearly departed Soul) Terry Pratchett a run for his money. You will be laughing yourself silly as you read it. It is amusing to consider this came from half the team that brought us the Galaxy’s Edge series – Anspach has some serious talent.
Just Drive – Will McIntosh – 4.5/5 – The world has gone in this story, with only a few survivors left struggling to survive so that they are not eaten by this strange creatures that appear out of interdimensional gateways. The story follows Carrie, a 16yr old girl who is stuck in the rear of her families car, driving endlessly, trying to find a safe haven from the ‘buzztops’, aliens who eat just about anything, except concrete and dirt. When Carrie connects with another 16yr boy via walkie talkie, her world is thrown into upheaval, is this the last chance she has to meet someone her own age? Events happen as the two of them try to encourage their passengers to meet, all whilst trying to avoid aliens that can shred you in a heartbeat. The title sums it up, just drive, for your life, away from the alien threat, to salvation, and possibly to someone who is your last chance at real humanity. This is a book that combines gripping Sci-Fi with some real emotion, and I hope that it gets turned into a full length novel. Absolutely Brilliant!!
Water Babies – Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – 4/5 – A team of scientists are researching the ocean when they discover an unusual set of dolphins. They appear to be related to dolphins, but they are different, their appearance is not quite right. They capture them and take them back to a special facility for closer observation, and discover that what they have found is something amazing. Very soon those on the team are affected in ways that they can’t explain, and the story becomes this fascinating exploration of our humanity, how we interact with other creatures on our planet, and the ultimate impact this can have. This was a wonderfully intimate story, with exceptional characters and a fascinating ending that again, hopefully will become a full length story.
Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints – David Bruns – 4/5 – This was a brilliant story of how we can build a bond with another living creature, not necessarily another human, but any creature, and how they can become our friends and partners. In this look into the future, Ziva is a Ranger, tasked with looking after the wildlife and ecosystems of all sorts of different planets, making sure that no one destroys these planets and their environments, the way that humans have messed up Earth. However, she recently lost her animal partner. Partners are chosen by Rangers when they feel a connection to each other, and they get special adaptions, allowing them to communicate with their partners etc. In this story, Ziva must stop poachers from killing a rare animal that is paramount to the ecosystem of a planet, however, she lets her recent loss get in the way of her work, and lands in some real trouble. Her only hope is some new friends, but are they capable of understanding what is needed? This is not just a clear statement of how we need to look after our planet, but it is a beautiful story of the interactions of different creatures looking out for each other in nature. It is a really nice story, and very well written. It would make a great series, especially for a YA audience.
This Deceitful State of Truth – Patty Jensen – 4.5/5 – The world building that occurs from the very beginning of this story is utterly fascinating, and creates this mesmerising backdrop that you get utterly lost in. The descriptive beauty of what is occurring around Ellinor Darga, the auditor, is just exquisite, and you find yourself following along in her footsteps, looking around with her the place is so beautifully written. The story is about Ellinor, an auditor, who has come to this floating city to settle the books, but with some suspicious circumstances. As the story unfolds, Ellinor finds herself in trouble, and she is soon in desperate peril, as she tries to work out dodgy finances, a murder that doesn’t seem right, and a starship that may have crashed a long time ago, but may still be here, but no one is sure, or wants to be. This is very dystopian, part steampunk, part thriller, part mystery, but exceptionally brilliant. Jensen’s world building is truly some of the best I have come across in recent times, especially for a short story. This is an outstanding finish to what is an exceptional series.
May 2, 2025
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward”
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons” Pick this up to read for this one a was saddened by end 2
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime” ha, really like how this played out. 4
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job” Lawlessness, factions selling guns and cops control by crooks 3
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh” Battlestar Galactica take for hope 2
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons” Pick this up to read for this one a was saddened by end 2
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime” ha, really like how this played out. 4
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job” Lawlessness, factions selling guns and cops control by crooks 3
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh” Battlestar Galactica take for hope 2
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth
October 9, 2025
Great anthology of sci-fi short stories. There were only a couple that I didn’t enjoy, and all of the others could be introductions to much larger stories that I would be happy to start reading.
January 16, 2018
Anthologies for me are like tapas. I get little bites of lots of different tasty treats, and none of them are huge or overwhelming. That’s important when I’m tired, or short on time but I want an escape, or an adventure, or a good bedtime story. Bridge Across the Stars is the latest anthology released by Sci-Fi Bridge, and it is their best one yet. I bought a copy as soon as I got a taste of it, and so should you.
Rhett C. Bruno was both the editor and a contributing author for this volume. There are 17 authors and 17 stories in this book. Some of these authors I know and love, and some are new to me. All of the stories were new to me except one, and that one was so good I didn’t mind re-reading it at all. I really also enjoyed the Foreward by Kevin J. Anderson. I could so relate to everything he said, and in fact I could have been the one writing that foreward as it so closely resembled my own youth.
Other reviewers have commented in detail about the stories. I am not big on spoilers and I am not going to rehash what has been referenced. I did have some favorites in this collection, as I usually do. Most collections have some good stories, some great stories, and some that are just okay or not so great. ALL of the stories in this collection were excellent, they were all north of good and some were really great.
Some of my favorites from this collection were Rhett C. Bruno’s Interview for the End of the World. This was a sort of prequel to his Titanborn series and included some great backstory of the origins of the two main protagonists from the series. It was just gut wrenchingly awesome, particularly having read the series. Another favorite was David VanDyke’s As the Sparks Fly Upward. His characters, dialogue and narrative are just superb. Lindsay Buroker wrote There be Dragons Here. Lindsay is SO consistent in her writing style that I could have told she had written it if I didn’t know the author. And it was her usual exceptional quality. One stand out favorite from a new author (to me) was The Gordian Asteroid by Chris Dietzel. And Chris Porteau’s The Erkennen Job was dark, gritty and excellent, so much so that I actually wrote to him to thank him and tell him how much I liked reading it. Patty Jansen I would read anything she writes and I know I’ll love it.
I have written elsewhere that I am a hard man to impress. So when I say a book was really excellent, or outstanding, I mean it. I am an IT Security analyst and trainer, and a watchmaker, and I have written and published a lot myself. So when I not only rave about a book but am so inspired as to write to an author – that happens only extremely rarely.
I am not leaving any authors or stories out here. I liked all 17 stories a lot, and they were all extremely well done. Felix Savage’s Guardians of Earth was fabulous. The Firebug and the Pharaoh by Daniel Arenson. Some of these authors I am now following anew, others I have footnoted to read more of. They were all exceptional.
The way I see it, when I write a review, I want to share with other potential readers my experience of a book. This is not a sales pitch. As we are all different and unique as people, all of our experiences and perspectives will be different. When I read a review, and it is obvious how the reader feels about the book, what kind of experience they had, whether they enjoyed it, liked it, loved it, would recommend it, and the writer has credibility for me by what they have said, that’s what I’m looking for. That helps me decide do I want to get this book and read it or not. That to me is the whole purpose of a review. To help me make a choice.
I can’t overstate enough how good I think this book is. Rhett Bruno did a superb job putting together this anthology. It is well-proofed, well-edited, and nearly flawless. It is gripping, full of adventure and emotion, and what I dearly love about speculative fiction. So I heartily recommend it for anyone who loves a good read.
These days I am a bit choosy about where I invest my reading dollars. Not because I have to be, but because I choose to be. This book was a no brainer button-push. I will be re-reading these stories again, and I feel as though I have found a bounty of many rich reading experiences in the authors I have discovered.
I sincerely hope that this helps you choose whether or not to read this book.
Rhett C. Bruno was both the editor and a contributing author for this volume. There are 17 authors and 17 stories in this book. Some of these authors I know and love, and some are new to me. All of the stories were new to me except one, and that one was so good I didn’t mind re-reading it at all. I really also enjoyed the Foreward by Kevin J. Anderson. I could so relate to everything he said, and in fact I could have been the one writing that foreward as it so closely resembled my own youth.
Other reviewers have commented in detail about the stories. I am not big on spoilers and I am not going to rehash what has been referenced. I did have some favorites in this collection, as I usually do. Most collections have some good stories, some great stories, and some that are just okay or not so great. ALL of the stories in this collection were excellent, they were all north of good and some were really great.
Some of my favorites from this collection were Rhett C. Bruno’s Interview for the End of the World. This was a sort of prequel to his Titanborn series and included some great backstory of the origins of the two main protagonists from the series. It was just gut wrenchingly awesome, particularly having read the series. Another favorite was David VanDyke’s As the Sparks Fly Upward. His characters, dialogue and narrative are just superb. Lindsay Buroker wrote There be Dragons Here. Lindsay is SO consistent in her writing style that I could have told she had written it if I didn’t know the author. And it was her usual exceptional quality. One stand out favorite from a new author (to me) was The Gordian Asteroid by Chris Dietzel. And Chris Porteau’s The Erkennen Job was dark, gritty and excellent, so much so that I actually wrote to him to thank him and tell him how much I liked reading it. Patty Jansen I would read anything she writes and I know I’ll love it.
I have written elsewhere that I am a hard man to impress. So when I say a book was really excellent, or outstanding, I mean it. I am an IT Security analyst and trainer, and a watchmaker, and I have written and published a lot myself. So when I not only rave about a book but am so inspired as to write to an author – that happens only extremely rarely.
I am not leaving any authors or stories out here. I liked all 17 stories a lot, and they were all extremely well done. Felix Savage’s Guardians of Earth was fabulous. The Firebug and the Pharaoh by Daniel Arenson. Some of these authors I am now following anew, others I have footnoted to read more of. They were all exceptional.
The way I see it, when I write a review, I want to share with other potential readers my experience of a book. This is not a sales pitch. As we are all different and unique as people, all of our experiences and perspectives will be different. When I read a review, and it is obvious how the reader feels about the book, what kind of experience they had, whether they enjoyed it, liked it, loved it, would recommend it, and the writer has credibility for me by what they have said, that’s what I’m looking for. That helps me decide do I want to get this book and read it or not. That to me is the whole purpose of a review. To help me make a choice.
I can’t overstate enough how good I think this book is. Rhett Bruno did a superb job putting together this anthology. It is well-proofed, well-edited, and nearly flawless. It is gripping, full of adventure and emotion, and what I dearly love about speculative fiction. So I heartily recommend it for anyone who loves a good read.
These days I am a bit choosy about where I invest my reading dollars. Not because I have to be, but because I choose to be. This book was a no brainer button-push. I will be re-reading these stories again, and I feel as though I have found a bounty of many rich reading experiences in the authors I have discovered.
I sincerely hope that this helps you choose whether or not to read this book.
July 30, 2018
This collection of stories shows of how varied and interesting science fiction can be. The stories range of straight up action stories set in a spaceship, to philosophical stories about what is or is not sentient life, and everything in between. Some are light and fun, some a deep and thought provoking. most, if not all, are straight stories, without the twist in the tale you often get in short stories. All are interesting and worth the time it takes to go through them. Unlike many collections of short stories I didn't feel there was a clunker between them.
My favourite would be “Interview for the End of the World”, which tells of a genius billionaire as he interviews people to be part of the small list of people getting onto the only spaceship leaving Earth before a life ending meteor hits. While not particularly surprising how it ends, it is engaging and uplifting in the telling.
Narration is split between Nicole Poole and Greg Tremblay, depending on if the main character of the story is female or male (respectively). Both do great work here. Well paced, easy to follow, they both engage the text well. Neither do large character voices, but they vary enough between characters that you never lose track of who is speaking.
My only issue with the collection is that one or two of the stories have internal chapters that then become separate chapters in the audio. This makes tracking which book is which chapter (example saying book 5 is chapter 6 of the audio, while book 6 is chapter 7 through 21). It would have been neater if each story was a single chapter/break in the audio and thus easily traceable.
The stories included are:
– Forward by Kevin J. Anderson
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward”
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons”
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime”
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job”
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh”
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya K. Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth”
My favourite would be “Interview for the End of the World”, which tells of a genius billionaire as he interviews people to be part of the small list of people getting onto the only spaceship leaving Earth before a life ending meteor hits. While not particularly surprising how it ends, it is engaging and uplifting in the telling.
Narration is split between Nicole Poole and Greg Tremblay, depending on if the main character of the story is female or male (respectively). Both do great work here. Well paced, easy to follow, they both engage the text well. Neither do large character voices, but they vary enough between characters that you never lose track of who is speaking.
My only issue with the collection is that one or two of the stories have internal chapters that then become separate chapters in the audio. This makes tracking which book is which chapter (example saying book 5 is chapter 6 of the audio, while book 6 is chapter 7 through 21). It would have been neater if each story was a single chapter/break in the audio and thus easily traceable.
The stories included are:
– Forward by Kevin J. Anderson
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward”
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons”
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime”
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job”
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh”
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya K. Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth”
January 12, 2018
"For those who, today, dream of tomorrow"
This is an astonishingly good anthology of fifteen science fiction stories, some quite short, several of near novella proportions, and all superboy written. The breadth of the story content is also verging on galactic proportions too, so that there will be some to appeal whatever the reader's preferences and I'm betting that, like me, that reader will find almost every one exhilarating, thought provoking and memorable.c
With fifteen stories too many to mention in a brief review, so I will confine myself to just a couple that I found truly exceptional. Firstly, As The Sparks Fly Upwards, by David vanDyke, a touching story exploring what it is to be human on board one ship which is under a serious attack. This is the first in the book, after Kevin J Anderson's masterly introduction, and sets a high standard for the others to follow. It is simple but very effective. Another exploration, this time of consciousness, is to be found in the library. focused A Friend to Man, by Lucas Bale, which is also gloriously beautiful in it's description.
Rhett Bruno's, 142 Hours Until Impact, the only one of these stories that I have previously encountered, preceded the mission which took Earthers to Titan, with candidates being selected to escape the destruction being visited on our planet by an approaching meteorite: this jumpstarts the entirety brilliant Titanworld Trilogy. And Fe!ix R Savage's Guardians of Earth also sees a threat to our ongoing but differently, after drastic measures had to be taken when a Void Dragon age the sun. There is comedy, too, and also a case for the chief enforcer for SynCorp - from authors Jason Anspach and Chris Pourteau, respectively, and apocalyptic monsters... But I've already exceeded the couple I promised to mention. It would be so easy to continue. In fact, it would have been much simpler to mention the two out of fifteen which did not engage me quite as much as the others.
Yes, this is a superb collection from very talented and creative authors, and one which I highly recommend to anyone with a penchant for science fiction, good writing and out of the normal ideas. Thanks to to Rhett Bruno for gathering these excellent pieces into a single book.
This is an astonishingly good anthology of fifteen science fiction stories, some quite short, several of near novella proportions, and all superboy written. The breadth of the story content is also verging on galactic proportions too, so that there will be some to appeal whatever the reader's preferences and I'm betting that, like me, that reader will find almost every one exhilarating, thought provoking and memorable.c
With fifteen stories too many to mention in a brief review, so I will confine myself to just a couple that I found truly exceptional. Firstly, As The Sparks Fly Upwards, by David vanDyke, a touching story exploring what it is to be human on board one ship which is under a serious attack. This is the first in the book, after Kevin J Anderson's masterly introduction, and sets a high standard for the others to follow. It is simple but very effective. Another exploration, this time of consciousness, is to be found in the library. focused A Friend to Man, by Lucas Bale, which is also gloriously beautiful in it's description.
Rhett Bruno's, 142 Hours Until Impact, the only one of these stories that I have previously encountered, preceded the mission which took Earthers to Titan, with candidates being selected to escape the destruction being visited on our planet by an approaching meteorite: this jumpstarts the entirety brilliant Titanworld Trilogy. And Fe!ix R Savage's Guardians of Earth also sees a threat to our ongoing but differently, after drastic measures had to be taken when a Void Dragon age the sun. There is comedy, too, and also a case for the chief enforcer for SynCorp - from authors Jason Anspach and Chris Pourteau, respectively, and apocalyptic monsters... But I've already exceeded the couple I promised to mention. It would be so easy to continue. In fact, it would have been much simpler to mention the two out of fifteen which did not engage me quite as much as the others.
Yes, this is a superb collection from very talented and creative authors, and one which I highly recommend to anyone with a penchant for science fiction, good writing and out of the normal ideas. Thanks to to Rhett Bruno for gathering these excellent pieces into a single book.
January 16, 2018
I was very pleasantly surprised as I have never enjoyed "Shorts"! Simply because, if you really get into the story all of a sudden...it's over and your left angry and annoyed. This was and was not the case here. Another author I correspond with suggested this was (and is) a fabulous way to discover new authors without a great time and cost factor....brilliant!!! It helped also that I recognized many of the authors a number of whom are currently on my TBR stack! I am certain they will now be repositioned closer to the top.
17 very interesting science fiction tales that will excite and enthrall. Some are very intense like David Van Dyke's "As The Sparks Fly Upward" How far does one go to prove a point...depends on how important the issue is...but would you sacrifice your life to prove your point of view?
Craig Martelle hits the nail excruciatingly well with "The Trenches of Centauri Prime"...as a former infantry man who has served in the middle east, this is exactly how the average soldier feels like in cycles...bored, discouraged, exhausted, angry with the politicians who sent him to this hell hole, more angry at his gung ho superior officers, and scared and terrified when it's time to go up and over the top...eerily reminiscent of WWI and the horrors it generated! Great read!
These are just two authors that I now want to follow along with Arenson, Jansen, Anspach, Pourteau, Dietzel, Burns, Buroker, and Bruno and of course the rest... Bale, Bohnhoff, Christy, McIntosh Russell and Savage! The others are quite exciting as well depending on where your preferences lie...they are of course as varied as the authors imaginations! I have a habit of saying more than I should or mean too...therefore just do yourself a favor and pick this gem up..it has changed my view of... "the shorts".
I received this copy complimentary from the crafters of "Bridge Across The Stars", however I freely and happily choose to write this review. Well done Rhett, Jason and Chris... well done indeed!
17 very interesting science fiction tales that will excite and enthrall. Some are very intense like David Van Dyke's "As The Sparks Fly Upward" How far does one go to prove a point...depends on how important the issue is...but would you sacrifice your life to prove your point of view?
Craig Martelle hits the nail excruciatingly well with "The Trenches of Centauri Prime"...as a former infantry man who has served in the middle east, this is exactly how the average soldier feels like in cycles...bored, discouraged, exhausted, angry with the politicians who sent him to this hell hole, more angry at his gung ho superior officers, and scared and terrified when it's time to go up and over the top...eerily reminiscent of WWI and the horrors it generated! Great read!
These are just two authors that I now want to follow along with Arenson, Jansen, Anspach, Pourteau, Dietzel, Burns, Buroker, and Bruno and of course the rest... Bale, Bohnhoff, Christy, McIntosh Russell and Savage! The others are quite exciting as well depending on where your preferences lie...they are of course as varied as the authors imaginations! I have a habit of saying more than I should or mean too...therefore just do yourself a favor and pick this gem up..it has changed my view of... "the shorts".
I received this copy complimentary from the crafters of "Bridge Across The Stars", however I freely and happily choose to write this review. Well done Rhett, Jason and Chris... well done indeed!
January 7, 2018
One of the things I love about sci-fi anthologies is discovering new authors and new worlds. “Bridge across the Stars” introduced me to some exceptionally talented authors and captured my imagination with the worlds they created. All of the stories in this collection are first-class and left me wanting to read more by each of them. I loved the diversity of the stories – some made me laugh, some made me consider my assumptions about what makes us human, and some had me on the edge of my seat.
Some of the stories that particularly caught my attention were:
Patty Jansen's 'This Deceitful State of Truth' - Jansen is one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy indie writers in large part due to her world-building. After being introduced to one of the worlds that the Solaris Agency plays a part in, I'm left wanting to know more about the larger Solaris Agency universe.
Jason Anspach's 'Queen's Iris' – This story made me laugh out loud from start. If Monty Python wrote short stories, I think this would be one of them.
Rhett C. Bruno's 'Interview for the End of the World' – This was a tear-jerker. What kind of choices would you make about who to save if you knew your planet was going to be destroyed?
Chris Pourteau's 'The Erkennen Job' – This was an action packed story that had a bit of a noir feel to it. I enjoyed following along as the main character, a corporate enforcer and assassin, dealt with his current assignment to deal with someone who had committed corporate espionage and send a message to others who contemplate doing the same.
Felix Savage's 'Guardians of the Earth' – This story made me wish I had my own void dragon egg. The main character finds a void dragon egg as a child, hides it to avoid discovery, and continues to carry it around in secret as an adult, even into the heart of the battlefront. Once you read this story, you'll want your own void dragon egg too.
Note: I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Some of the stories that particularly caught my attention were:
Patty Jansen's 'This Deceitful State of Truth' - Jansen is one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy indie writers in large part due to her world-building. After being introduced to one of the worlds that the Solaris Agency plays a part in, I'm left wanting to know more about the larger Solaris Agency universe.
Jason Anspach's 'Queen's Iris' – This story made me laugh out loud from start. If Monty Python wrote short stories, I think this would be one of them.
Rhett C. Bruno's 'Interview for the End of the World' – This was a tear-jerker. What kind of choices would you make about who to save if you knew your planet was going to be destroyed?
Chris Pourteau's 'The Erkennen Job' – This was an action packed story that had a bit of a noir feel to it. I enjoyed following along as the main character, a corporate enforcer and assassin, dealt with his current assignment to deal with someone who had committed corporate espionage and send a message to others who contemplate doing the same.
Felix Savage's 'Guardians of the Earth' – This story made me wish I had my own void dragon egg. The main character finds a void dragon egg as a child, hides it to avoid discovery, and continues to carry it around in secret as an adult, even into the heart of the battlefront. Once you read this story, you'll want your own void dragon egg too.
Note: I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 18, 2018
kindle unlimited, had gotten away, far far away, another kind of 'space' from reading antholgies and collections but recognized a few names {horrible at names} so checked this one out, and as with any collection there are going to be some like more than others and even possibly don't like at all, but nice collection this time
The universe is dangerous, wondrous—a vast canvas upon which humanity sketches its hopes for the future.
In this anthology, you’ll find seventeen tales of conflict and heroism, exploration and discovery, endurance and triumph. Flee the apocalypse of modern-day Earth, fly a fighter in the cold emptiness of deep space, and find new life on the distant shores of an alien world. You might even discover something about yourself as each author opens a window on the soul of mankind. Who are we, really? Should we survive? How do we become something greater without losing what makes us human?
Open this collection and take your first steps into tomorrow. Travel the cosmos to find amazing adventure. Walk beside unforgettable characters on the bridge across the stars…
Featuring a Foreword by Kevin J. Anderson
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward”
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons”
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime”
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job”
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh”
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth”
The universe is dangerous, wondrous—a vast canvas upon which humanity sketches its hopes for the future.
In this anthology, you’ll find seventeen tales of conflict and heroism, exploration and discovery, endurance and triumph. Flee the apocalypse of modern-day Earth, fly a fighter in the cold emptiness of deep space, and find new life on the distant shores of an alien world. You might even discover something about yourself as each author opens a window on the soul of mankind. Who are we, really? Should we survive? How do we become something greater without losing what makes us human?
Open this collection and take your first steps into tomorrow. Travel the cosmos to find amazing adventure. Walk beside unforgettable characters on the bridge across the stars…
Featuring a Foreword by Kevin J. Anderson
– David VanDyke – “As the Sparks Fly Upward”
– Ann Christy – “Peace Force”
– Felix R. Savage – “Guardians of Earth”
– Lindsay Buroker – “Here Be Dragons”
– Chris Dietzel – “The Gordian Asteroid”
– Craig Martelle – “The Trenches of Centauri Prime”
– Josi Russell – “Broken One”
– Chris Pourteau – “The Erkennen Job”
– Daniel Arenson – “The Firebug and the Pharaoh”
– Rhett C. Bruno – “Interview for the End of the World”
– Steve Beaulieu – “Night Shift”
– Lucas Bale – “A Friend to Man”
– Jason Anspach – “…Space Pirates”
– Will McIntosh – “Drive”
– Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – “Water Babies”
– David Bruns – “Take Only Memories”
– Patty Jansen – “This Deceitful State of Truth”
February 22, 2018
This is a really good anthology, though there is a bit of moral preening which some science fiction writers can't help themselves about. There is pretty much something for everyone who's a fan of sci-fi with short's to novelette length reads. Although the first story is a solid 5 stars from me, most of the better stories came towards the end. My favorite being Queen's Iris which was absolutely hilarious.
Overall a solid 4 stars
As The Sparks Fly Upward by David VanDyke:
5 - Stars
Peace Force by Ann Christy
3- Stars
Guardians of Earth by Felix R. Savage
4 – Stars
Here Be dragons by Lindsay Buroker
3 ½ – Stars
The Gordian Asteroid by Chris Dietzel
4 – Stars
the Trenches of Centauri Prime
4 1/2– Stars
Broken One
3 ½ – Stars
The Erkennen Job by Chris Pourteau
4 – Stars
The Firebug and the Pharoah by Daniel Arenson
4 – Stars
Interview for the End of the World by Rhett C. Bruno
3 – Stars
Night Shift by Steve Beaulieu
3 – Stars
A Friend to Man by Lucas Bale
3 ½ – Stars
Queen's Iris, or: The Initial Adventures of Roderick Langston, or: The Tale of General Smith Featuring Roderick Langston, or: Space Pirates by Jason Anspach
5 – Stars
Just Drive by Will McIntosh
5 – Stars
Water Babies by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
5 - Stars
Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints by David Bruns
4 – Stars
This Deceitful State of Truth by Patty Jensen
4 - Stars
Overall a solid 4 stars
As The Sparks Fly Upward by David VanDyke:
5 - Stars
Peace Force by Ann Christy
3- Stars
Guardians of Earth by Felix R. Savage
4 – Stars
Here Be dragons by Lindsay Buroker
3 ½ – Stars
The Gordian Asteroid by Chris Dietzel
4 – Stars
the Trenches of Centauri Prime
4 1/2– Stars
Broken One
3 ½ – Stars
The Erkennen Job by Chris Pourteau
4 – Stars
The Firebug and the Pharoah by Daniel Arenson
4 – Stars
Interview for the End of the World by Rhett C. Bruno
3 – Stars
Night Shift by Steve Beaulieu
3 – Stars
A Friend to Man by Lucas Bale
3 ½ – Stars
Queen's Iris, or: The Initial Adventures of Roderick Langston, or: The Tale of General Smith Featuring Roderick Langston, or: Space Pirates by Jason Anspach
5 – Stars
Just Drive by Will McIntosh
5 – Stars
Water Babies by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
5 - Stars
Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints by David Bruns
4 – Stars
This Deceitful State of Truth by Patty Jensen
4 - Stars
January 16, 2018
A first-class SF short-story anthology
My thanks to the authors who provided me with an ARC. The opinion voluntarily expressed is my own. I've been a SF reader for almost as long as I've been a reader, period. Like most SF fans, I gravitate to the short-story anthologies for a taste of what, and who, is new on the SF horizon. I jumped at the chance to read Bridge Across the Stars, certain I'd find a few gems (and maybe a few turkeys). That's how these collections typically pan out. But instead, I'm mesmerized by the uniformly high writing quality, and the depth of thought in each of these little gems. There isn't a ho-hum-drum story in this 4- and 5-star lot. Patty Jansen, Rhett Bruno, and Felix Savage are familiar (to me) authors with something new to say - series prequels or sequels, perhaps; they make me itch to read more. Jason Anspach's Monty Python-esque pirate tale had me in stitches. Lucas Bale's tale of love and sacrifice had me in tears. Popular SF themes are well represented in series that wrestle with the question of sentience, and with the oxymorons of military intelligence and diplomatic solutions. The monstrous is represented in human and alien guise, with dinosaurs and dragons to add historical and mythological aspects. It's all marvelous, a feast of treats, puzzles, and pondering material SF fans will devour.
My thanks to the authors who provided me with an ARC. The opinion voluntarily expressed is my own. I've been a SF reader for almost as long as I've been a reader, period. Like most SF fans, I gravitate to the short-story anthologies for a taste of what, and who, is new on the SF horizon. I jumped at the chance to read Bridge Across the Stars, certain I'd find a few gems (and maybe a few turkeys). That's how these collections typically pan out. But instead, I'm mesmerized by the uniformly high writing quality, and the depth of thought in each of these little gems. There isn't a ho-hum-drum story in this 4- and 5-star lot. Patty Jansen, Rhett Bruno, and Felix Savage are familiar (to me) authors with something new to say - series prequels or sequels, perhaps; they make me itch to read more. Jason Anspach's Monty Python-esque pirate tale had me in stitches. Lucas Bale's tale of love and sacrifice had me in tears. Popular SF themes are well represented in series that wrestle with the question of sentience, and with the oxymorons of military intelligence and diplomatic solutions. The monstrous is represented in human and alien guise, with dinosaurs and dragons to add historical and mythological aspects. It's all marvelous, a feast of treats, puzzles, and pondering material SF fans will devour.
January 15, 2018
I think that these sorts of anthologies are great because they’ll invariably include contributions from authors I know and then introduce me to authors I’ve never read. Here, for example, there were three tales by authors who always deliver stories I love.
First up was Guardians of Earth by Felix R. Savage (in 2160 a Void Dragon ate our Sun; luckily the Void Dragons moved on and mankind had developed the tech needed to turn Jupiter into a dwarf sun and move Earth to its orbit ... but our hero just found a Dragon egg...).
Next came Here Be Dragons by Lindsay Buroker (landing on the inhospitable planet Dragons - Here be Dragons indeed - a star cartographer’s joke, or could there be more?).
Then, finally, This Deceitful State of Truth by Patty Jansen (a new Solaris Agency story with our heroine, Ellinor Darga, an auditor for the Solaris Agency coming to Cloud City - “outpost of humanity, rough and primitive as the Wild West”, to do her job and getting much more than bargained for out of it).
It was no surprise that I read these first - or that each more than worth the price of the entire collection. Now I’m off to read the other 14 stories, but I already know enough to easily (highly) recommend this ebook.
First up was Guardians of Earth by Felix R. Savage (in 2160 a Void Dragon ate our Sun; luckily the Void Dragons moved on and mankind had developed the tech needed to turn Jupiter into a dwarf sun and move Earth to its orbit ... but our hero just found a Dragon egg...).
Next came Here Be Dragons by Lindsay Buroker (landing on the inhospitable planet Dragons - Here be Dragons indeed - a star cartographer’s joke, or could there be more?).
Then, finally, This Deceitful State of Truth by Patty Jansen (a new Solaris Agency story with our heroine, Ellinor Darga, an auditor for the Solaris Agency coming to Cloud City - “outpost of humanity, rough and primitive as the Wild West”, to do her job and getting much more than bargained for out of it).
It was no surprise that I read these first - or that each more than worth the price of the entire collection. Now I’m off to read the other 14 stories, but I already know enough to easily (highly) recommend this ebook.
January 19, 2018
As a huge fan of anthologies this collection was an incredibly satisfying addition to the Sci-Fi genre.The standouts to me were Interveiw for the End of the World by Rhett C. Bruno which kept me glued to my kindle and was my favorite.Peace Force by Ann Christy was an enjoyable dip back into her LuLu 394 series. I loved all the back story about this world she created.Here be Dragons by Lindsey Buroker was intriguing.Broken One by Josi Russell was incredible and I enjoyed the twist at the end.Take Only Memories,Leave Only Footprints by David was a delight for this animal lover.Just Drive by Will Mcintosh was quite unique and left me wanting to know more about the frightening earth he created.Night Shift by Steve Beaulieu was interesting.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by these authors.I received an arc from the authors for a voluntary review.
January 16, 2018
I picked up this collection thinking that would be all Space Opera and Military SF, and although there's some of that, there was plenty of other SF too... The first story, As the Sparks Fly Upward by David VanDyke, informs the reader that the book in their hands is gonna be top-notch... There are plenty of stories in the collection that will titillate even finicky readers... to mention a few of my favorites David Bruns "Take Only Memories, Leave Only Foot Prints" sorta kinda a park ranger story... Maya Kaathryn Bonhoff "Water Babies" a first contact story... Felix R Savage "Guardians of Earth" a Space Opera boy and his Dragon story. Yes, I said a Space Opera Dragon story... This only begins the list of great stories you'll find between these pages...
January 16, 2018
What a great Anthology full of action and adventure in space and beyond. I had read some of the authors before so knew it would have some amazing stories just based on them alone. I have to say I enjoyed every story. I really liked that they were all well written and "complete" short stories. A few made me want to go check out some new authors and new series. I liked them all especially as they were all a bit different in tone and story line so each new story I was in for a bit of a surprise. I read it all in one sitting as they were that good in my opinion. Hard to stop after just one story. Well worth reading.
February 3, 2021
This book appeared as one of the few sci-fi books I could digitally rent from my local library, so I gave it a shot. I was intrigued to see it was a series of short stories, and having first fallen in love with sci-fi through a short story read in grade school, I decided to give it a shot.
Each story manages in the course of an hour or so (I listened to the audio version) to build a world which is imaginative as well as challenging. The stories are captivating. Many are fun. But just as many challenge our notions of humanity.
This is truly worth your time. While one or two stories were not of interest to me, you are only ever a few pages away from the next great one.
Each story manages in the course of an hour or so (I listened to the audio version) to build a world which is imaginative as well as challenging. The stories are captivating. Many are fun. But just as many challenge our notions of humanity.
This is truly worth your time. While one or two stories were not of interest to me, you are only ever a few pages away from the next great one.
January 14, 2018
3.5 stars. If you love SciFi, then this is a set of stories you have to get! Add in diverse writers and it gets even better. The variety of the authors and storylines will keep you riveted.
My favorite stories include Interview For The End Of The Earth by Rhett C. Bruno, Guardians Of Earth by Felix R. Savage, and The Firebug And The Pharoah by Daniel Arenson. There is something for everyone. I even found some new authors, new to me anyway, that I want to read more from. You can’t go wrong with reading this collection.
My favorite stories include Interview For The End Of The Earth by Rhett C. Bruno, Guardians Of Earth by Felix R. Savage, and The Firebug And The Pharoah by Daniel Arenson. There is something for everyone. I even found some new authors, new to me anyway, that I want to read more from. You can’t go wrong with reading this collection.
August 20, 2018
A Great Anthology to Read!
This anthology has a number of new stories that I really enjoyed. Each one successfully 'creates' a world - a hard thing to do in just a few pages, but which each author succeeds in accomplishing. Some of the Sci-Fi themes are 'traditional' in that past authors have dealt with them - but some are not, at least to me, and I have read Sci-Fi for the past 55+ years. I definitely recommend this anthology and look forward to more from the compilers and authors
This anthology has a number of new stories that I really enjoyed. Each one successfully 'creates' a world - a hard thing to do in just a few pages, but which each author succeeds in accomplishing. Some of the Sci-Fi themes are 'traditional' in that past authors have dealt with them - but some are not, at least to me, and I have read Sci-Fi for the past 55+ years. I definitely recommend this anthology and look forward to more from the compilers and authors
January 15, 2018
Bridge Across The Stars is a very well put together collection of sci fi stories. The stories were fun, sometimes dark, but I enjoyed reading shorts from authors I had never read. No surprise that Guardians Of Earth, my favorite, was written by Felix R Savage, an author I've followed for years. Sequel?? LOL. This collection is something any sci fi aficionado should have in their library. You'll enjoy it.
April 29, 2018
Great group of stories
I should be angry at you,but I'll forgive you.
I now have 13 new writers to research and read what they have written.
I have already read most of Lindsay's work and await more
I have recently started reading short stories again and look forward to reading more. Keep the great stories coming.
Thanks for all the hard work you all have done.
I should be angry at you,but I'll forgive you.
I now have 13 new writers to research and read what they have written.
I have already read most of Lindsay's work and await more
I have recently started reading short stories again and look forward to reading more. Keep the great stories coming.
Thanks for all the hard work you all have done.
July 1, 2018
A Truly Good Collection
In very few anthologies do I enjoy every story. This is one exception. Even the stories that weren't necessarily in my cup of scifi tea (I like military space opera and adventure) were well written and often thought provoking. It recommend it to anyone who likes scifi or is new to the genre and wants to expand his (or her) interest.
In very few anthologies do I enjoy every story. This is one exception. Even the stories that weren't necessarily in my cup of scifi tea (I like military space opera and adventure) were well written and often thought provoking. It recommend it to anyone who likes scifi or is new to the genre and wants to expand his (or her) interest.
August 8, 2018
Mixed bag
I do enjoy anthologies, especially when I am between author's. Typical mixed bag here, some I liked some not so much, but , we don't all like the same and am always impressed with anyone who will give writing s try. At least three authors i will follow up here so it's a win for me.
I do enjoy anthologies, especially when I am between author's. Typical mixed bag here, some I liked some not so much, but , we don't all like the same and am always impressed with anyone who will give writing s try. At least three authors i will follow up here so it's a win for me.
August 27, 2018
I love SF, and have since I was young. I'm not normally a great fan of anthologies, but these stories were all very good.it was like putting your toes into a different universe and seeing how things might pan out.
I found the stories all left me wanting more, which is exactly what a good story should do. More than one story could expand to a full novel.
I found the stories all left me wanting more, which is exactly what a good story should do. More than one story could expand to a full novel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews