Space Opera Fans discussion

The October 2022 Limited Pick is Common Ground and Other Stories by Mackey Chandler. Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

Official description (from Amazon):

A collection of seven Science Fiction short stories by Mackey Chandler.

The lead story, Common Ground is big enough to be a novella. It was published in Jim Baen's Universe e-zine. Sadly that has gone out of business. They had a goal of paying professional rates which made it more difficult. I'm somewhat spoiled because this was the first short story I ever attempted and it sold.

I won't ruin your read with detailed spoilers - sufficient to say the seven shorts contain an alien with a very human foible, a joker Joyboy banished to selling shoes on the moon, a crotchety old man holding aliens at bay with a leaf blower, the ultimate Windoze -FAIL-, a self made billionaire who never lost his touch, a sword wielding Earth diplomat who was either very very good or incredibly lucky, and a future Mama's boy dealing with family in an era of extended life times.

I enjoyed the first story “Common Ground” thoroughly, and laughed out loud more than once. I encourage you to read the free preview. This story is novella sized. I’ll be refreshing my memory on the various stories in October and posting comments on each, trying to avoid spoilers.

I'm looking forward to reading this one. Got a copy already :)

I have read this book three times so far, with the most recent time being a few weeks ago.

The first story is Common Ground. Novella length, and my favorite of the book. First contact, where the alien contacts astronauts on the ISS then wants to play tourist on Earth for a while. Humorous, with a groaner at the end.

I didn’t care for A Mother’s Son.

Alien Dawn of the Deadly Diesinker is another good one. First contact, with aliens scouting Earth for later attacking it. Comedy of errors, assumptions, and coincidences.

Breakfast of Champions involves culture clashes and confusion and is worth rereading.

Eddie is more about how the first Lunar colony might transition from a base where humans stayed for a few years then returned to Earth into a place where people came to live and never return to Earth.

The other stories weren’t worth rereading IMO.

I finished the book today, having thoroughly enjoyed Common Ground, and found the others much as you did, Teresa.

I like the humour in these, despite some of the situations being decidedly unfunny. Very inventive and believable aliens, with well thought out odd cultures!

I was somewhat irritated by the number of homophones and other editing errors scattered about, though.