Bryan Reynolds > Recent Status Updates

"Himself In Anachron" - Once again we're exploring love strained — destroyed, even; perhaps hints of Smith's percolating Christian faith? — by fate, and man striving into the unknown. A spectacular ending sequence that foreshadows Dan Simmon's _Hyperion_. A great story.

“The Burning of the Brain” - Smith’s favourite themes—relationships strained by duty to the point of self-sacrifice; filial love and admiration—no frills.

“From Gustible’s Planet” - An uncharacteristically silly story. Darkly funny.

"The Game of Rat and Dragon" - Man and animal psychically team up to battle cosmic monsters while planoforming through the Up-and-Out. Very cool.

"The Colonel Came Back from the Nothing-At-All" - A Colonel, world famous for mysteriously vanishing on the test-flight of an experimental method of interstellar travel, unexpectedly reappears. Except he's changed. Scientists, out of options, put aside their prejudices to employ the help of a psychic girl. An alluring story that could have used a bit more length!

"Think Blue, Count Two" - Another tale of stewards watching over cryogenic sleepers aboard an interstellar flight. Some strange techno-jargon regarding a mouse brain (!) paves the way for a short space thriller wherein a series of techno-specters (!) help thwart a maniac.

Eerie talk of a doomed journey "Old Twenty-two."

A brief reference to Helen America ties this to "The Lady Who Sailed The Soul."

"When the People Fell"
A fable told by a crotchety man with an artificially augmented lifespan, reminiscent of Heinlein's Lazarus Long. The Goonhogo from "War 81-Q"—perhaps the New Goonhogo, this presumably being many centuries later—is up to new machinations, pulling off a horrifyingly spectacular terraforming stunt. The first I've understood Bookpilled's description of Smith as scary.

Clumsy writing and characterisation in service of a big scientific idea. Brisk enough to hold interest so far. The wave-of-hand pronouncement that population control has "now" been implemented worldwide by not only Earth but also its alien superiors is tired. Written by a scientist, of course!

Literary fiction disguised as sci-fi. This is a takeoff on the Decameron or the Canterbury Tales, diverse travelers' tales told on breaks during a journey. Brilliant framing device if not original.

The first story was so good I was ready to recommend this book far and wide on the basis of the first 100 pages alone. The second, third, and fourth stories are—to my pleasant surprise—very, very good, and inventive.

The back of the book says, "better than Dune!" While obviously an overstatement—who's talking about Heart of the Comet these days? who's even heard of it?—the blurb did get me to pick the book up at all. That said, it has exceeded my expectations. Technical jargon is not overbearing, but is just enough to keep things believable (to me, a non-scientist). The plotting is excellent relative to KSR's drudging Red Mars.

Reminiscent of Robinson’s _Red Mars_ but without the socialist philosophising. These writers are not clear when describing physical locations or objects, providing many details which don’t always add up to an easy mental picture. Nevertheless, a good yarn so far.

Genuinely curious turns of plot, despite stock characters and frequent, cringe-inducing banter.