- Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Ace Books; First Edition edition (31 Dec 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0441006396
- ISBN-13: 978-0441006397
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.7 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,587,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback
With the exception of Philip K.Dick's "Second Variety", the ten stories here were written after, or in the latter stages of the Vietnam war and it shows with tales of pill popping soldiers in jungle warfare against indigenous populations, cynical government psychological manipulations and war haunted veterans unable ever again to take a normal place in society.
Dating from 1953, "Second Variety" is not just the oldest tale here, by almost two decades, it is also the best and it highights Dick's favouite theme of questioning the reality of what we perceive. The only small problem with its inclusion is that it is so well known that it may not be new to most readers. It is not the only fine tale here. Ian McDonald's "Floating Dogs" is a fascinating tale of a proxy war fought between armies of automated weapons and augmented, computer directed animals who fight with no real concept of the purpose of the war and who thus make almost perfect soldiers.
If you want tales of war on earth, in space or even spread across the dimensions, you can get them all here and there are a lot good stories in this colection. As usual in this series, there are brief biographical and bibliographial notes for each author should the reader feel the need to explore further.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
One or two really good stories
13 Jan 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
With the exception of Philip K.Dick's "Second Variety", the ten stories here were written after, or in the latter stages of the Vietnam war and it shows with tales of pill popping soldiers in jungle warfare against indigenous populations, cynical government psychological manipulations and war haunted veterans unable ever again to take a normal place in society.
Dating from 1953, "Second Variety" is not just the oldest tale here, by almost two decades, it is also the best and it highights Dick's favouite theme of questioning the reality of what we perceive. The only small problem with its inclusion is that it is so well known that it may not be new to most readers. It is not the only fine tale here. Ian McDonald's "Floating Dogs" is a fascinating tale of a proxy war fought between armies of automated weapons and augmented, computer directed animals who fight with no real concept of the purpose of the war and who thus make almost perfect soldiers.
If you want tales of war on earth, in space or even spread across the dimensions, you can get them all here and there are a lot good stories in this colection. As usual in this series, there are brief biographical and bibliographial notes for each author should the reader feel the need to explore further.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A decent collection
19 May 2000
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This title contains 10 short stories, obviously all with the common theme of future war. I wouldn't normally read anything titled "Future War", but someone picked this up for me and I felt obligated to read it. I was surprised that some of the stories were actually quite good, such as "A Dry, Quiet War" by Tony Daniel. Overall, it might not make the most interesting read - I wouldn't make it a priority, anyway - its suitable when there is nothing else around.
Some things just stick with you...
5 Mar 2010
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Sometimes I wonder if I'm too nostalgic about these things. I bought my copy at a 6th-grade book fair, but the stories in it keep coming back to me.
Many of them, like Phillip K. Dick's dusty "Second Variety," either never quite strike the right tone, or are a little too short to really shine. The rest of the stories, however, far and a ways make up for it.
Lucius Shepard's 'Salvador' is a fantastic piece of magical realism, although it mostly serves to remind me of his excellent novella, "R&R"
Ian McDonald's "Floating Dogs" is told form one of the most fantastic and eerie points-of-view I've seen across sci-fi.
Dozois' own "A Special Kind of Morning" is one of the most finely crafted works I've seen in the genre. It plays on the humility of the narrator's telling to slowly add flesh to the story, and contrasts the immense devastation of high technology with the horrifically unthinkable methods of war known to our era.
"A Dry, Quiet War" is, to this day, pretty much my favorite story anywhere. Tony Daniel's poetic style leaves spaces the size of endless galaxies free to the imagination, serving as a starry backdrop for one man's very personal trials.
Of all the science fiction I devoured as a child, these are the stories that still come to mind, all on their own. If you haven't read them piece-mail by now, in "Year's Best"s or Asimov's or what have you, then this collection is definitely worth your time.
Many of them, like Phillip K. Dick's dusty "Second Variety," either never quite strike the right tone, or are a little too short to really shine. The rest of the stories, however, far and a ways make up for it.
Lucius Shepard's 'Salvador' is a fantastic piece of magical realism, although it mostly serves to remind me of his excellent novella, "R&R"
Ian McDonald's "Floating Dogs" is told form one of the most fantastic and eerie points-of-view I've seen across sci-fi.
Dozois' own "A Special Kind of Morning" is one of the most finely crafted works I've seen in the genre. It plays on the humility of the narrator's telling to slowly add flesh to the story, and contrasts the immense devastation of high technology with the horrifically unthinkable methods of war known to our era.
"A Dry, Quiet War" is, to this day, pretty much my favorite story anywhere. Tony Daniel's poetic style leaves spaces the size of endless galaxies free to the imagination, serving as a starry backdrop for one man's very personal trials.
Of all the science fiction I devoured as a child, these are the stories that still come to mind, all on their own. If you haven't read them piece-mail by now, in "Year's Best"s or Asimov's or what have you, then this collection is definitely worth your time.
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