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Stars Of Albion
Stars of Albion is an attempt to compile stories that show how british writers are at ease in all facets of their idiom, from Ian Watson's startling recapitulation of nineteenth-century prose in To the Pump Room with Jane to the jaunty style of Bob Shaw's The Giaconda Caper, an account of the discovery of certain disgraceful occurrences in Leonardo da Vinci's studio.
Contents:
- Introduction by Robert Holdstock
- Sober noises of morning in a marginal land (1971) by Brian W. Aldiss
- A place and a time to die (1969) by J.G. Ballard
- The Giaconda Caper (1976) by Bob Shaw
- The Vitanuls (1967) by John Brunner
- Whores (1978) by Christopher Priest
- Warlord of Earth (1978) by David S. Garnett
- The time beyond age: A journey (1976) by Robert Holdstock
- Dormant soul (1969) by Josephine Saxton
- The radius riders (1962) by Barrington J. Bayley (as by P.F. Woods)
- Traveller's Rest (1965) by David I. Masson
- To the Pump Room with Jane (1975) by Ian Watson
- Weihnachtsabend (1972) by Keith Roberts
- Afterword by Christopher Priest
Cover illustration by Bob Norrington
Contents:
- Introduction by Robert Holdstock
- Sober noises of morning in a marginal land (1971) by Brian W. Aldiss
- A place and a time to die (1969) by J.G. Ballard
- The Giaconda Caper (1976) by Bob Shaw
- The Vitanuls (1967) by John Brunner
- Whores (1978) by Christopher Priest
- Warlord of Earth (1978) by David S. Garnett
- The time beyond age: A journey (1976) by Robert Holdstock
- Dormant soul (1969) by Josephine Saxton
- The radius riders (1962) by Barrington J. Bayley (as by P.F. Woods)
- Traveller's Rest (1965) by David I. Masson
- To the Pump Room with Jane (1975) by Ian Watson
- Weihnachtsabend (1972) by Keith Roberts
- Afterword by Christopher Priest
Cover illustration by Bob Norrington
238 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 10, 1979
29 people want to read
About the author
Robert Holdstock
99 books401 followersRobert Paul Holdstock was an English novelist and author who is best known for his works of fantasy literature, predominantly in the fantasy subgenre of mythic fiction.
Holdstock's writing was first published in 1968. His science fiction and fantasy works explore philosophical, psychological, anthropological, spiritual, and woodland themes. He has received three BSFA awards and won the World Fantasy Award in the category of Best Novel in 1985.
Pseudonyms are Chris Carlsen, Robert Faulcon,Robert Black, Steven Eisler and Richard Kirk.
Holdstock's writing was first published in 1968. His science fiction and fantasy works explore philosophical, psychological, anthropological, spiritual, and woodland themes. He has received three BSFA awards and won the World Fantasy Award in the category of Best Novel in 1985.
Pseudonyms are Chris Carlsen, Robert Faulcon,Robert Black, Steven Eisler and Richard Kirk.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 26, 2024
A superb collection of short SF fiction, published by Pan in the late 1970s, showcasing the best of British SF writers from the previous 15 years. Edited by Robert Holdstock and Christopher Priest, this has some absolutely brilliant stories and if you can track a copy down I would highly recommend you do so.
Standout stories for me are the tongue in cheek The Giaconda Caper by Bob Shaw, where a seemingly unknown version of the Mona Lisa leads to a shocking revelation about Da Vinci; Whores by Christopher Priest, part of his Dream Archipelago stories, although this tale of war and its aftermath is more nightmare; Traveller’s Rest by David I. Masson, a mind bending tale of time distortion and war, cleverly constructed and compelling; and Weihnachtabend by Keith Roberts, possibly the best story here, similar to PKD’s Man in The High Castle or Deighton’s SS-GB, in that it’s a “what if Germany won WW2” tale, but utterly its own beast.
To be honest there’s not a bad story here. Sadly only one woman is represented, Josephine Saxton, but that doesn’t diminish the book in any way. If you like SF short fiction, hunt this one down. Excellent stuff.
Standout stories for me are the tongue in cheek The Giaconda Caper by Bob Shaw, where a seemingly unknown version of the Mona Lisa leads to a shocking revelation about Da Vinci; Whores by Christopher Priest, part of his Dream Archipelago stories, although this tale of war and its aftermath is more nightmare; Traveller’s Rest by David I. Masson, a mind bending tale of time distortion and war, cleverly constructed and compelling; and Weihnachtabend by Keith Roberts, possibly the best story here, similar to PKD’s Man in The High Castle or Deighton’s SS-GB, in that it’s a “what if Germany won WW2” tale, but utterly its own beast.
To be honest there’s not a bad story here. Sadly only one woman is represented, Josephine Saxton, but that doesn’t diminish the book in any way. If you like SF short fiction, hunt this one down. Excellent stuff.
July 31, 2013
An anthology edited by none other than Robert Holdstock and Christopher Priest... what more could you possibly want?? How about if each of these great authors contributed with a story of their own?
This is a review-in-progress and I will write short reviews of all the stories as I read them (or as you will see in a second, try to read to them...)
Sober noises of morning in a marginal land (by Brian W. Aldiss) is one of those stories that I've tried to read three times now, but has never been able to finish, so for now... I've given up on it. I will definitely return to it a fourth time to see if I can figure out what its all about.. (0 stars)
A place and a time to die (by J.G. Ballard) is a story of three men who are attacked by the enemy, thinking that their time is up, only to realise... This was actually a surprisingly dull read and not worth going back to a second time. (1 star)
The Giaconda Caper (by Bob Shaw) is a wonderful little tale about ancient secrets, Leonardo Da Vinci and especially... about the Mona Lisa (or should I say... the Mona Lisas). Not heavy on the science-fiction elements, but it does make good use on psi powers. When I read it, it sort of reminded me about a future version of the Dresden files... so if you like that sort of thing, this will be a wonderful read for you. (3 stars)
The Vitanuls (by John Brunner) is the story of a simple doctor who sees something that the rest of the world doesn't. I shall not explain anything more, because that would surely ruin the amazing, sad and eye-opening experience that you, the reader, is about to embark on. This is a very human story, not of a far future, but perhaps of the very future of tomorrow. It is a though-provoking story and will surely stay with me for a good while, and even if I am no buddhist or hindu, I can easily follow the logic of the doctor... John Brunner will be a voice that I will look for in the future, for he can not only write, he also has something on his mind!(6 stars)
Whores (by Christopher Priest) is the story of a sick soldier returning to the Dream Archipelago to find that the whore he was looking for is now dead. Christopher Priest introduces a strange sickness called Synaesthethics, which is basically when all the senses gets scrambled, and when this happens, life can quickly become a living nightmare. The prose in this story is beautiful and well worth its time. (4 stars)
Warlord of Earth (by David S. Garnett) tells the tale of Hero, a warlord of Vunhea now placed on Earth, a strange place for this medieval warrior, and yet, some things still works the same. A fun little story, a snack really... nothing more. (2 stars)
The Time Beyond Age: A Journey (by Robert Holdstock) is the story of Martin and Yvonne, two test subjects in a rather macabre experiment. This story, like the scientists, wants to examine what happens to man when he ages without the possiblity of disease. It starts out as a beautiful journey, but ends up in the darkest place of all... and actually, this tale might be closer to reality than even Mr. Holdstock would have thought back in 1976 when he wrote the story. This story comes highly recommended, in fact we should all read this story so that we can come to terms with our own motality and in fact... embrace it. (6 stars)
This is a review-in-progress and I will write short reviews of all the stories as I read them (or as you will see in a second, try to read to them...)
Sober noises of morning in a marginal land (by Brian W. Aldiss) is one of those stories that I've tried to read three times now, but has never been able to finish, so for now... I've given up on it. I will definitely return to it a fourth time to see if I can figure out what its all about.. (0 stars)
A place and a time to die (by J.G. Ballard) is a story of three men who are attacked by the enemy, thinking that their time is up, only to realise... This was actually a surprisingly dull read and not worth going back to a second time. (1 star)
The Giaconda Caper (by Bob Shaw) is a wonderful little tale about ancient secrets, Leonardo Da Vinci and especially... about the Mona Lisa (or should I say... the Mona Lisas). Not heavy on the science-fiction elements, but it does make good use on psi powers. When I read it, it sort of reminded me about a future version of the Dresden files... so if you like that sort of thing, this will be a wonderful read for you. (3 stars)
The Vitanuls (by John Brunner) is the story of a simple doctor who sees something that the rest of the world doesn't. I shall not explain anything more, because that would surely ruin the amazing, sad and eye-opening experience that you, the reader, is about to embark on. This is a very human story, not of a far future, but perhaps of the very future of tomorrow. It is a though-provoking story and will surely stay with me for a good while, and even if I am no buddhist or hindu, I can easily follow the logic of the doctor... John Brunner will be a voice that I will look for in the future, for he can not only write, he also has something on his mind!(6 stars)
Whores (by Christopher Priest) is the story of a sick soldier returning to the Dream Archipelago to find that the whore he was looking for is now dead. Christopher Priest introduces a strange sickness called Synaesthethics, which is basically when all the senses gets scrambled, and when this happens, life can quickly become a living nightmare. The prose in this story is beautiful and well worth its time. (4 stars)
Warlord of Earth (by David S. Garnett) tells the tale of Hero, a warlord of Vunhea now placed on Earth, a strange place for this medieval warrior, and yet, some things still works the same. A fun little story, a snack really... nothing more. (2 stars)
The Time Beyond Age: A Journey (by Robert Holdstock) is the story of Martin and Yvonne, two test subjects in a rather macabre experiment. This story, like the scientists, wants to examine what happens to man when he ages without the possiblity of disease. It starts out as a beautiful journey, but ends up in the darkest place of all... and actually, this tale might be closer to reality than even Mr. Holdstock would have thought back in 1976 when he wrote the story. This story comes highly recommended, in fact we should all read this story so that we can come to terms with our own motality and in fact... embrace it. (6 stars)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews