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This is an anthology of six original novellas of the very far future, commissioned by the Science Fiction Book Club, in a departure from their usual reprints-only policy. The authors are all well-known: Robert Reed, Robert Silverberg, Nancy Kress, Alastair Reynolds, Charlie Stross, and Greg Egan. Plus a nice introduction by super-editor Gardner Dozois. A stellar lineup!

The opening story, "Good Mountain" by Robert Reed, is set in an old water-world colony with some unusual terraforming adaptations. Reed's writing and characterizations are very fine, but the story has an odd twist ending that undercut its impact, at least for me. But who could resist a railway system where the passengers ride inside giant worms?

Robert Silverberg has a long-standing interest in the far future. His "A Piece of the Great World" is a story of a world recovering from a Long Winter, after a heavy meteorite bombardment. It's set in the world of his novels At Winter's End and The New Springtime. As you'd expect, Silverberg's writing is polished and professional. This isn't one of his best stories, though it has some nice moments, and some gorgeous images. Silverberg fans won't go away unhappy.

Nancy Kress has clone-sisters, a galaxy-spanning quantum AI and clashing branes in her far-future "Mirror Image." One clone-sister is convicted of an awful crime, and sentenced to life on a prison planet. Her sisters try to rescue her and solve the mystery of who really dunnit. Fine world-building and a good story.

Alastair Reynolds's clever, colorful and very fast-moving "Thousandth Night" takes us to 2,000,000 AD, for a family reunion of the clone-line of Abigail Gentian, a noted star-traveler who picked an unusual (but effective) way to "double the pleasure, double the fun!", carried to the eighth power. But the reunion turns into a murder mystery, and the fate of the Galaxy is in the balance! Classic Reynolds, not to be missed.

Charles Stross's "Missile Gap" is a major new story. It's Yet Another Stross replay of the Cold War, set on a Very Big Dumb Object.... I can't say much more without spoiling the fun (which has a dismal outcome, for us Old Humans), except to say that "Missile Gap" will leave you scratching your head, wondering what the hell really happened. Who was that CIA 'man'? Denizens of rec.arts.sf.science will see the results of Charlie's past inquiries about ekranoplans. Stross is an astonishingly inventive author who's giving staid old SF some well-needed kicks in the pants. Stories like this are why I keep reading this stuff. "Missile Gap" is worth buying the book for.

The windup story is "Riding the Crocodile" by Greg Egan, who hasn't been writing much SF lately, more's the pity. And certainly not because he has forgotten how: this is a typically dazzling Egan story, and if it's not quite up with his very best, it's still very, very good. With such grace notes as the festival planet Tassef, where the Listening Party had proved so popular that the authorities "imposed a thousand-year limit on their presence, if they wished to remain embodied without adopting local citizenship..."

This is the strongest original-story anthology I've read in awhile, and a fine reason to join the SFBC, since that's the only way you can buy the book. Recommended.

Pete Tillman has been reading SF for better than 40 years now. He reviews SF -- and other books -- for Amazon, Infinity-Plus, SF Site, and others. He's a mineral exploration geologist based in Arizona. Google "Peter D. Tillman" +review for many more of Pete's reviews.