Once Upon a Galaxy | |||||||||
edited by Wil McCarthy, Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers | |||||||||
DAW Books, 318 pages | |||||||||
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A review by David Maddox
The idea is not new, but this DAW Books publication handles it in a very engaging and fresh manner. The book features several of today's
top science fiction writers; Thomas Wylde, Ronnie Seagren, Gregory Benford, Paul Di Filippo, Stanley Schmidt, Michelle West, Will McCarthy,
Scott Edelman, Fiona Patton, Richard Garfinkle, Tanya Huff, Robert Rogoff, Richard Friesen and Bruce Holland Rogers. The authors give new
life to stories older than time. The element of the fantastic is still present, but everything is well grounded in science.
Staring off is Thomas Wylde's "Spinning Kingdoms, Two." This "reverse-image companion" to "Spinning Kingdoms" which was originally
published in Asimov's back in 1985, is an excellent doorway to the realm of science-fairy tale. It's not necessary to
read the original (track it down, if you've got a few spare hours) but this princely adventure, set inside a self-contained satellite
world is quite charming.
The book contains a myriad of tales. Gregory Benford's "The Goldilocks Problem" tells the classic children's story in a creation
of the universe theme while Paul Di Filippo's "Alioura" is a re-telling of Puss in Boots with an unnerving twist.
Analog editor Stanley Schmidt presents "The Emperor's Revenge," a humorous look at what happened after
the Emperor's New Clothes were revealed to be a swindle. "He Died that Day in Thirty Years" by Wil McCarthy takes a morbid and
disturbing look at man's foolishness.
While it's relatively easy to see which fairy-tale some stories are based upon, such as West's "The Nightingale," others have a
rather hidden birth, like Patton's "The Control Device" (I'm still not sure, myself).
While it can be said that everything is derived from something else and there are no original ideas left, imitation is still
the greatest form of flattery. These stories are imaginative and fresh. Like their predecessors, they open up the doorway
of the imagination. Once Upon A Galaxy is the perfect late night story book for those that like a little science in their fantasy.
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