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jpskewedthroneLove & Rockets
I have to admit that I started reading this anthology with some trepidation, since in general I am not drawn to stories involving the usual romance tropes. I like stories with relationships in them, but there are certain elements that romance readers expect from their reading and I just don’t enjoy those aspects as much. However, it turns out that this anthology is not so much a set of stories that mix the sci-fi and romance genres, as it is stories about sci-fi and relationships. If you are expecting heavy-duty romance with some SF setting, you’ll be disappointed. There are a few stories in here that do that (Anita Ensal’s story, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s story), but for the most part these are simply stories that explore different aspects of relationships in space. I was a little disappointed that more of the stories didn’t involve an exploration of alien/human relationships (there’s only two). Most are traditional relationships, with two involving female/female relationships, or at least suggesting that possibility.
That said, if you go into this thinking it’s more SF with a focus on relationships, then it was a great anthology, one of the better ones actually. I usually only chose two of the stories as those I consider the best, but couldn’t decide between three of them, so you’ve got three this time--Dean Wesley Smith’s, Tim Waggoner’s, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s. And quite a few of the other stories rated highly on my list as well. Here are the individual reviews:
Introduction by Lois McMaster Bujold: An interesting little discourse about science fiction, fantasy, romance, and trying to get the different genres to play nice with one another. Lois McMaster Bujold makes you think about the expectations of the readers for the relationships that are present in each genre. A good way to start such an anthology.
Second Shift by Brenda Cooper: In the first story, we are introduced to a woman who has fallen in love even though she’s never met the one she loves in person. The story then asks whether or not this is true love, or something else. I liked the setup of this love story, but can’t say much else without giving too much away.
Gateway Night by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: Here we meet a woman who heads for a space station where four distinct races mix in order to be a nurse and to experience more of the universe than she’s seen on her home planet. She learns more than expected on Gateway Night, the station’s equivalent of a carnival, a night of shared debauchery and passion. A good story with a subtle and appropriate shift in the main character by the end. One of the only stories to include an alien/human relationship (in some sense).
The Women Who Ate Stone Squid by Jay Lake: In this story, a ship has just discovered evidence of another sentient life form on a planet in the form of ruins and sends out a scout to see what’s what. I’m not certain how much of a love story this ends up being in the end (not much), but it does have a unique twist about society in the future that’s interesting.
Wanted by Anita Ensal: A young woman escapes from a space station and, through bad luck, ends up adrift is space. She’d rescued by an asteroid miner and . . . well, that would be telling. *grin* This is the first story in the anthology that I would say has the heavy romance tropes that the title of the anthology suggests.
An Offer You Couldn’t Refuse by Sylvia Kelso & Lillian Stewart Carl: You know that euphemism about sex and fireworks? Well, here the main character is a hired hand for a fireworks company who ends up with more than he bargained for when his boss creates a new algorithm for launching those rockets. (I’m making this sound more tawdry than the actual story.) A nice story, with love blooming in that awkwardness within work relationships.
In the Night by Steven H Silver: The person behind the voice you hear on the radio is never like the person you imagine them to be when you meet them in real life. That’s the premise behind this story, where a comm officer decides he wants to meet the woman behind the stellar voice that guides him and his ship into dock. This story is all about adjusting for those initial misconceptions (on both sides).
F Isn’t For Freefall by Donald J. Bingle: What was your first time like? That’s what this story answers for a group of guys at a space flight training college. A fun story that makes you grin. I’m finding it hard to say anything without spoiling something in the plot though.
If This Were a Romance by Shannon Page & Jay Lake: Here, a lowly biomechanic on a generational ship dreams of a better life, something with romance like what she sees and reads about for entertainment. So when the Consort drifts into her life, she seizes the opportunity to make her dreams come true. But the Consort has something else in mind. . . . A good story with a nice twist at the end. The story plays on our reader expectations for the types of stories we assume are in this anthology.
The Business of Love by Kelly Swails: Here, a young man feels trapped between the life his mother—the head of a major corporation—expects him to lead, and the life he expects for himself. He finds that perhaps both expectations are wrong. Another good story, where the main character changes during the course of the story.
Music In Time by Dean Wesley Smith: A musician hits rock bottom, selling his own guitar, and is approached with a job offer that is completely unbelievable. And to complicate matters, he finds the woman who approaches him attractive. The beginning of this story was a little rough, but I found myself seriously drawn into the man and his problem . . . and how he was going to resolve it. A great character story.
Dance of Life by Jody Lynn Nye: This is the first story that deals with a true alien/human relationship. The main character is an alien that falls in love with a human dancer at a wedding set on a luxury space cruiser. There were some . . . uncomfortable moments in this one, where I wasn’t certain if the feelings were mutual. I’m not certain the ending was appropriate either; it seemed to happen way too fast.
Old Times’ Sake by Tim Waggoner: This was in interesting story, where one of the pair in the romance confronts the other and asks him why he killed her. The subsequent revelation was very well written and the circumstances and emotions behind the incident totally believable. How would it come about that one person can kill the person he truly loves? One of the best stories in the anthology, IMO.
Drinking Games by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: This last story is also good, about a hired assassin who isn’t particularly good at her job and the man who “accidentally” runs across her trying to dispose of her latest victim. This had much more of the romance tropes in it, so fit the anthology theme rather well. Very well written and good ending to the anthology.
I have to admit that I started reading this anthology with some trepidation, since in general I am not drawn to stories involving the usual romance tropes. I like stories with relationships in them, but there are certain elements that romance readers expect from their reading and I just don’t enjoy those aspects as much. However, it turns out that this anthology is not so much a set of stories that mix the sci-fi and romance genres, as it is stories about sci-fi and relationships. If you are expecting heavy-duty romance with some SF setting, you’ll be disappointed. There are a few stories in here that do that (Anita Ensal’s story, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s story), but for the most part these are simply stories that explore different aspects of relationships in space. I was a little disappointed that more of the stories didn’t involve an exploration of alien/human relationships (there’s only two). Most are traditional relationships, with two involving female/female relationships, or at least suggesting that possibility.
That said, if you go into this thinking it’s more SF with a focus on relationships, then it was a great anthology, one of the better ones actually. I usually only chose two of the stories as those I consider the best, but couldn’t decide between three of them, so you’ve got three this time--Dean Wesley Smith’s, Tim Waggoner’s, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s. And quite a few of the other stories rated highly on my list as well. Here are the individual reviews:
Introduction by Lois McMaster Bujold: An interesting little discourse about science fiction, fantasy, romance, and trying to get the different genres to play nice with one another. Lois McMaster Bujold makes you think about the expectations of the readers for the relationships that are present in each genre. A good way to start such an anthology.
Second Shift by Brenda Cooper: In the first story, we are introduced to a woman who has fallen in love even though she’s never met the one she loves in person. The story then asks whether or not this is true love, or something else. I liked the setup of this love story, but can’t say much else without giving too much away.
Gateway Night by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: Here we meet a woman who heads for a space station where four distinct races mix in order to be a nurse and to experience more of the universe than she’s seen on her home planet. She learns more than expected on Gateway Night, the station’s equivalent of a carnival, a night of shared debauchery and passion. A good story with a subtle and appropriate shift in the main character by the end. One of the only stories to include an alien/human relationship (in some sense).
The Women Who Ate Stone Squid by Jay Lake: In this story, a ship has just discovered evidence of another sentient life form on a planet in the form of ruins and sends out a scout to see what’s what. I’m not certain how much of a love story this ends up being in the end (not much), but it does have a unique twist about society in the future that’s interesting.
Wanted by Anita Ensal: A young woman escapes from a space station and, through bad luck, ends up adrift is space. She’d rescued by an asteroid miner and . . . well, that would be telling. *grin* This is the first story in the anthology that I would say has the heavy romance tropes that the title of the anthology suggests.
An Offer You Couldn’t Refuse by Sylvia Kelso & Lillian Stewart Carl: You know that euphemism about sex and fireworks? Well, here the main character is a hired hand for a fireworks company who ends up with more than he bargained for when his boss creates a new algorithm for launching those rockets. (I’m making this sound more tawdry than the actual story.) A nice story, with love blooming in that awkwardness within work relationships.
In the Night by Steven H Silver: The person behind the voice you hear on the radio is never like the person you imagine them to be when you meet them in real life. That’s the premise behind this story, where a comm officer decides he wants to meet the woman behind the stellar voice that guides him and his ship into dock. This story is all about adjusting for those initial misconceptions (on both sides).
F Isn’t For Freefall by Donald J. Bingle: What was your first time like? That’s what this story answers for a group of guys at a space flight training college. A fun story that makes you grin. I’m finding it hard to say anything without spoiling something in the plot though.
If This Were a Romance by Shannon Page & Jay Lake: Here, a lowly biomechanic on a generational ship dreams of a better life, something with romance like what she sees and reads about for entertainment. So when the Consort drifts into her life, she seizes the opportunity to make her dreams come true. But the Consort has something else in mind. . . . A good story with a nice twist at the end. The story plays on our reader expectations for the types of stories we assume are in this anthology.
The Business of Love by Kelly Swails: Here, a young man feels trapped between the life his mother—the head of a major corporation—expects him to lead, and the life he expects for himself. He finds that perhaps both expectations are wrong. Another good story, where the main character changes during the course of the story.
Music In Time by Dean Wesley Smith: A musician hits rock bottom, selling his own guitar, and is approached with a job offer that is completely unbelievable. And to complicate matters, he finds the woman who approaches him attractive. The beginning of this story was a little rough, but I found myself seriously drawn into the man and his problem . . . and how he was going to resolve it. A great character story.
Dance of Life by Jody Lynn Nye: This is the first story that deals with a true alien/human relationship. The main character is an alien that falls in love with a human dancer at a wedding set on a luxury space cruiser. There were some . . . uncomfortable moments in this one, where I wasn’t certain if the feelings were mutual. I’m not certain the ending was appropriate either; it seemed to happen way too fast.
Old Times’ Sake by Tim Waggoner: This was in interesting story, where one of the pair in the romance confronts the other and asks him why he killed her. The subsequent revelation was very well written and the circumstances and emotions behind the incident totally believable. How would it come about that one person can kill the person he truly loves? One of the best stories in the anthology, IMO.
Drinking Games by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: This last story is also good, about a hired assassin who isn’t particularly good at her job and the man who “accidentally” runs across her trying to dispose of her latest victim. This had much more of the romance tropes in it, so fit the anthology theme rather well. Very well written and good ending to the anthology.
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