4 - Eclipse Two

Yet another Strahan edited short story collection. Since it’s a collection, a list:

• The Lanagan story here is visceral and voicy and wonderful, for all that it leans ever so hard on its source material. People unfamiliar the legends old testament might be a little confused.
• I am glad to see new work from Tony Daniel. I wish there were more.
• The Schroeder story points to exciting new places for his Virga stuff, even if it isn’t his best work (he always feels a little constrained in shorts).
• The Baxter reminds me a lot of a Benford story about almost the same thing that I read just a few years ago, but I can’t remember the name of it.
• WTF is going on with the end of the Reynolds story? Also if I have to read another story about a galactic empire held together only by a human male of exceeding grace and wisdom (I’m looking at you too, Mr. Scholes) I am going to vomit.
• Need to track down more stuff by Daryl Gregory.
• I am not smart enough for perhaps 40% of Jeff Ford’s stories. This is one of those.
• Tighten, Moles, tighten! So very close, though.
• Ted Chiang makes peace with entropy.

Lots of good stuff here. An improvement, I think, on the first one. I have nothing to add to the gender balance thing at this late date.