The Good New Stuff: Adventure Sf in the Grand Tradition [Paperback]

I started this book convinced that I don't really care for the adventure story/space opera genre of science fiction. Now, I strongly believe that ANYBODY interested in science fiction should read this book. Almost everyone of these stories pulled me into a world of wonder, adventure, and suspense. I had a great time.

Gardner Dozois's short essays for each story, with a short biography and book/story list for each author, are not to be missed, either. Now, I have a great listing of books that I can't wait to explore, to Amazon's benefit and the further depletion of my wallet.

... fun escapist reading for a lazy Sunday. The collection is dominated by feel-good stories whose ideas and plot twists are familiar, often predictable.

Buoyed by a few charismatic selections (like Janet Kagan's "The Return of the Kangaroo Rex") which make up for their shortcomings by going at a good healthy clip and keeping the laughs coming in. William Jon Williams' "Prayers on the Wind" and George Turner's "Flowering Mandrake" offer moderately interesting twists on the tradition of the theocratic and the First Contact story respectively. I had been particularly interested in reading Vernor Vinge's novella "The Blabber," but it goes like the literary equivalent of a clip show: if you've already read "A Fire Upon the Deep" it's all too obvious, and if you haven't the story will probably seem pointless.)

For more consistently innovative picks but a bit more of a tendency toward name-brand authors, check out James Gunn's "Road to SF" series.

This is closing on the perfect anthology. The Good New Stuff averages 4.06, The Good Old Stuff 4.03. The former, however, doesn't contain the introductory and recommended reading material to the same degree as the latter, perhaps assuming you will be interested in both? Anyway, you will be if you like this book. I'd be happily still reading either if they were three times and long, and the editor said he had plenty more to choose from.

Dozois moves on from the up to the seventies of the earlier volume, beginning with a late seventies Varley story, a few from the eighties, and the majority from the nineties.

From 1999, maybe by the teens we will see The Good New Stuff 2, given it would be over ten years old then, although there's been originals like The New Space Opera, etc., produced, as well.

There are also supposed to be some Space Opera reprint anthologies from Rich Horton's publisher, for those interested in this sort of book with new work. Those books have been coming longer than xmas though, twice, even, I think, so have the unfortunately distinctly insubstantial smell of v@p0rware. So, will have to settle for these and The Space Opera Renaissance in the meantime if looking for other work, conveniently packaged.

Back to this volume though. There is quite a lot of space opera material here, of course, but some other stories of strange colonies - Janet Kagan, for instance, or baroque cultures in the case of Swanwick.

Yet another book that shows Dozois is the editor who chooses the stories I like the most, in general, even if only by a small margin.

Good New Stuff : Goodbye Robinson Crusoe - John Varley
Good New Stuff : The Way of Cross and Dragon - George R. R. Martin
Good New Stuff : Swarm - Bruce Sterling
Good New Stuff : The Blind Minotaur - Michael Swanwick
Good New Stuff : The Blabber - Vernor Vinge
Good New Stuff : The Return of the Kangaroo Rex - Janet Kagan
Good New Stuff : Prayers on the Wind - Walter Jon Williams
Good New Stuff : The Missionary's Child - Maureen F. McHugh
Good New Stuff : Poles Apart - G. David Nordley
Good New Stuff : Guest of Honor - Robert Reed
Good New Stuff : Flowering Mandrake - George Turner
Good New Stuff : Cilia-of-Gold - Stephen Baxter
Good New Stuff : Gone to Glory - R. Garcia y Robertson
Good New Stuff : A Dry Quiet War - Tony Daniel
Good New Stuff : All Tomorrow's Parties - Paul J. McAuley
Good New Stuff : Escape Route - Peter F. Hamilton
Good New Stuff : The Eye of G0d - Mary Rosenblum