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Solaris Book of New Science Fiction #2
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume Two
Following the successful format established by The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, this new anthology brings together an eclectic selection of all-original stories by some of the genre's best-loved and most popular writers. Authors include: Michael Moorcock, Karl Schroeder, Robert Reed, Kay Kenyon, David Louis Edelman, Peter Watts, Paul Di Filippo, Chris Roberson, Dan Abnett, Dominic Green, Brenda Cooper, Neal Asher and Mary Robinette Kowal
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
George Mann
322Ìýbooks666ÌýfollowersGeorge Mann is an author and editor, primarily in genre fiction. He was born in Darlington, County Durham in 1978.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 11, 2022
Good tales, Icity follows another tale of "I" in the previous volumne one. Is not a sequel or prequel but in the same vein. Love it. Mason's Rats / Mason Rats: Autotractor by Neal asher is another story that remind me of episode of love death and robots abot the smart rats and war between the human & Rats
Blood Bonds is another interesting take on AI.
The Eyes of God - Peter Watts - another interesting dystopia story about where society might go.
Point of Contact - Dan Abnett another cool story by 40K Gaunt Ghosts's writer.
OVerall good.
Blood Bonds is another interesting take on AI.
The Eyes of God - Peter Watts - another interesting dystopia story about where society might go.
Point of Contact - Dan Abnett another cool story by 40K Gaunt Ghosts's writer.
OVerall good.
February 14, 2010
iCity - Paul Di Filippo
Frederick Law Moses, an urban planner, cannot accept that he lost a contest to design a district in iCity (a city that is constantly being rebuilt with intelligent materials). So he decides to cheat by proclaiming himself the winner. However the intelligent material get mixed up and merges his design with that of the original winner, creating a whole new trend among urban planners.
6/10
The Space Crawl Blues - Kay Kenyon
When Quantum Transport hits the market, regular space travel suffers a fatal blow. However, as pilot Blake Niva discovers, this instant ‘teleportation� isn’t without its own flaws.
[Interesting for the fact that Blake treats his ship, The Samantha Gray, like a real woman.:]
8/10
The Line Of Dichotomy - Chris Roberson
In space there is a war between the Mexica Empire and that of the Middle Kingdom. Both faction blame the horror of the conflict on each other. Yao is a soldier who gets a chance to listen to what the enemy has to say. Unfortunately he chooses to perpetrate the killing.
[This army stuff is not exactly my cup of tea. In addition, at the very end, we don’t get to see who is behind the door. Fair enough whoever is there would not have improved the situation, but I’d have preferred to know all the same J )
3/10
Fifty Dinosaurs - Robert Reed
This is the type of story that makes me feel stupid, ’cos I can’t understand it. Anyway, the plot is about a man who is confronted to a talking dinosaur named Sandra. Apparently, they, along with fifty other species, have been gathered to celebrate the birthday of a superior being. When the hero dreams, he is 21 and celebrates his birthday with booze and karaoke songs�
0/10
Mason’s Rats - Neal Asher
Borderline fantasy. Mason is a farmer with intelligent rats living on his property. There is also an agoraphobic harvester that needs repair. One day, a black rat helps Mason to get rid of an obnoxious salesman.
4/10
Blood Bonds - Brenda Cooper
A young woman whose body has been severely damaged during a terrorist attack downloads herself into a community of Artificial Intelligences. She then goes to see her sister on Mars, to have a chance to defend the rights of these A.Is.
6/10
The Eyes of God - Peter Watts
In a big brother society, airports are fitted with scanners that not only search for concealed weapons, but also mental flaws. When they find one, it gets corrected immediately.
2/10
Sunworld - Eric Brown
Yarrek lives on Sunworld, a rural community severely controlled by the church. When he graduates from college, he is sent to the remote land of Icefast to become an inquisitor. Once there, he discovers that his world is not what it seems and has been visited by aliens. His role will be to prepare his people for this revelation.
7/10
Evil Robot Monkey - Mary Robinette Kowal
Very short story about sly, an intelligent monkey who likes to make pottery, and how the local children treat him.
[Amusing to read, but not as deep as “Rachel In Love� by Pat Murphy.:]
3/10
Shining Armour - Dominic Green
Story reminiscent of “Dragon King� by Michael Swanwick. A village boy witnesses how Khan, his grandfather, manages to access the “Guardian� a gigantic robot using during an old war. Armed in that manner, he expel the soldiers sent by greedy mining company.
8/10
Book, Theatre and Wheel - Karl Schroeder
Two men from the church investigate the property of a woman who is suspected of educating her people. She manages to befriend one of them and show him what power books and story telling have.
[Good story, but hardly a SF one.:]
6/10
Mathralon - David Louis Edelman
The sole purpose of the small moon named Howards 27 is to mine a rare mineral called mathralon. The workers who live there are totally cut from the rest of the galaxy. They haven’t seen a human face in two decades and wonder if the company that employ them still exits.
9/10
Mason Rats: Autotractor - Neal Asher
The farmer and his intelligent rats are back. This time they are visited by an employee from the health department who wants to eradicate the rat population on the farm.
[Reads like a “Shawn the Sheep" adventure.:]
Modern Times (A Jerry Cornelius adventure) - Michael Moorcock
Another story that’s too clever for me, and it doesn’t help that this anthology didn’t print a few lines as to who this Cornelius is supposed to be. Thankfully there is always Wikipedia for such questions.
The story evolves around Jerry and his tribe. They seem to travel through time, stop in pubs, play cricket and talk about the towns and periods they happen to be in. They like to comment on how stupid and worthless humans are. There is no action per se, just a series of instalments, preceded by real (?) news taken from various media sources.
0/10
Point of Contact - Dan Abnett
An alien spaceship has discovered planet Earth. However, its occupants are not in the least thrilled by this finding, nor are we in awe of their technology or culture. The two species try to communicate for 3 years then go their own ways.
[Interesting story, too bad it’s done in an endless list of negative statements.:]
5/10
Frederick Law Moses, an urban planner, cannot accept that he lost a contest to design a district in iCity (a city that is constantly being rebuilt with intelligent materials). So he decides to cheat by proclaiming himself the winner. However the intelligent material get mixed up and merges his design with that of the original winner, creating a whole new trend among urban planners.
6/10
The Space Crawl Blues - Kay Kenyon
When Quantum Transport hits the market, regular space travel suffers a fatal blow. However, as pilot Blake Niva discovers, this instant ‘teleportation� isn’t without its own flaws.
[Interesting for the fact that Blake treats his ship, The Samantha Gray, like a real woman.:]
8/10
The Line Of Dichotomy - Chris Roberson
In space there is a war between the Mexica Empire and that of the Middle Kingdom. Both faction blame the horror of the conflict on each other. Yao is a soldier who gets a chance to listen to what the enemy has to say. Unfortunately he chooses to perpetrate the killing.
[This army stuff is not exactly my cup of tea. In addition, at the very end, we don’t get to see who is behind the door. Fair enough whoever is there would not have improved the situation, but I’d have preferred to know all the same J )
3/10
Fifty Dinosaurs - Robert Reed
This is the type of story that makes me feel stupid, ’cos I can’t understand it. Anyway, the plot is about a man who is confronted to a talking dinosaur named Sandra. Apparently, they, along with fifty other species, have been gathered to celebrate the birthday of a superior being. When the hero dreams, he is 21 and celebrates his birthday with booze and karaoke songs�
0/10
Mason’s Rats - Neal Asher
Borderline fantasy. Mason is a farmer with intelligent rats living on his property. There is also an agoraphobic harvester that needs repair. One day, a black rat helps Mason to get rid of an obnoxious salesman.
4/10
Blood Bonds - Brenda Cooper
A young woman whose body has been severely damaged during a terrorist attack downloads herself into a community of Artificial Intelligences. She then goes to see her sister on Mars, to have a chance to defend the rights of these A.Is.
6/10
The Eyes of God - Peter Watts
In a big brother society, airports are fitted with scanners that not only search for concealed weapons, but also mental flaws. When they find one, it gets corrected immediately.
2/10
Sunworld - Eric Brown
Yarrek lives on Sunworld, a rural community severely controlled by the church. When he graduates from college, he is sent to the remote land of Icefast to become an inquisitor. Once there, he discovers that his world is not what it seems and has been visited by aliens. His role will be to prepare his people for this revelation.
7/10
Evil Robot Monkey - Mary Robinette Kowal
Very short story about sly, an intelligent monkey who likes to make pottery, and how the local children treat him.
[Amusing to read, but not as deep as “Rachel In Love� by Pat Murphy.:]
3/10
Shining Armour - Dominic Green
Story reminiscent of “Dragon King� by Michael Swanwick. A village boy witnesses how Khan, his grandfather, manages to access the “Guardian� a gigantic robot using during an old war. Armed in that manner, he expel the soldiers sent by greedy mining company.
8/10
Book, Theatre and Wheel - Karl Schroeder
Two men from the church investigate the property of a woman who is suspected of educating her people. She manages to befriend one of them and show him what power books and story telling have.
[Good story, but hardly a SF one.:]
6/10
Mathralon - David Louis Edelman
The sole purpose of the small moon named Howards 27 is to mine a rare mineral called mathralon. The workers who live there are totally cut from the rest of the galaxy. They haven’t seen a human face in two decades and wonder if the company that employ them still exits.
9/10
Mason Rats: Autotractor - Neal Asher
The farmer and his intelligent rats are back. This time they are visited by an employee from the health department who wants to eradicate the rat population on the farm.
[Reads like a “Shawn the Sheep" adventure.:]
Modern Times (A Jerry Cornelius adventure) - Michael Moorcock
Another story that’s too clever for me, and it doesn’t help that this anthology didn’t print a few lines as to who this Cornelius is supposed to be. Thankfully there is always Wikipedia for such questions.
The story evolves around Jerry and his tribe. They seem to travel through time, stop in pubs, play cricket and talk about the towns and periods they happen to be in. They like to comment on how stupid and worthless humans are. There is no action per se, just a series of instalments, preceded by real (?) news taken from various media sources.
0/10
Point of Contact - Dan Abnett
An alien spaceship has discovered planet Earth. However, its occupants are not in the least thrilled by this finding, nor are we in awe of their technology or culture. The two species try to communicate for 3 years then go their own ways.
[Interesting story, too bad it’s done in an endless list of negative statements.:]
5/10
May 8, 2022
Only liked few stories, mea be three.
February 2, 2024
Rating only for Evil Robot Monkey by Mary Robinette Kowal, heard on Escape Pod episode 196.
December 11, 2015
This collection is, in spite of its many good points, an enemy unto itself, and that comes down mostly to pacing.
Mann’s cautiously triumphant introduction is overlong, the fiction starts with a story that is competent but is not the soul-firing trip of the imagination a truly grand collection requires as an opening salvo. There are two stories by Neal Asher set in the same universe, and though they are both greatly entertaining, this is kind of unforgivable in a format which is all about variety. Variety in general is lacking here, the ordering of the stories accentuates the similarity in tone and subject matter between them. Two, for example, are delivered in strictly didactic terms. SF is as subject to fashion as much as anything, and all these stories are drawn from the same year, but it would have been good to shake it up a bit.
Individually, the stories themselves are not at fault, and it is good value for money. But it lacks a certain polish in presentation, and, crucially, that one brilliant tale that makes you sit up and take notice. This is a box of silver, bereft of gold.
iCity
Paul Di Filippo
TWO STARS
Slick but unengaging story of Sim City being played out for real. Improbable and one-dimensional.
The Space Crawl Blues
Kay Kenyon
TWO AND A HALF STARS
Confused story about a pilot who is put out of a job by instantaneous travel device. A half-hearted love story backs onto the tale of dispossession, which is itself resolved tritely.
The Line of Dichotomy
Chris Roberson
THREE AND A HALF STARS
Adventure tale set in Roberson’s Fire Star universe, where Aztec and Chinese empires battle over Mars. Some of the plotting is too convenient, but good characterization wins the day.
Fifty Dinosaurs
Robert Reed
THREE STARS
A boy and a tyrannosaur are two of fifty extinct beings reconstituted for a sentient plasmoid’s birthday party in the really distant future. The idea, though original, is not strong enough for the length of the story.
Mason’s Rats: Black Rat
Neal Asher
THREE AND A HALF STARS
Non-Polity story from Asher about a farmer who makes mutually beneficial arrangements with the intelligent rats inhabiting his farm. Very amusing.
Blood Bonds
Brenda Cooper
TWO AND A HALF STARS
Twins, one crippled, one not, become embroiled in the struggle for AI rights. This use of twins as a device to discuss personhood doesn’t quite gel with the story’s aims.
The Eyes of God
Peter Watts
THREE AND A HALF STARS
An essay on criminality, desire, and intent wrapped up in a swipe at surveillance society. Thoughtful, though picking paedophilia as the argument’s motif is unsubtle.
Sunworld
Eric Brown
TWO STARS
Great author, Brown, one of the few who still writes eyes-open-with wonder golden-age style tales. But this one, where a young man discovers the truth about his bubble-world, is pressed from an over-used mould.
Evil Robot Monkey
Mary Robinette Kowal
FOUR STARS
The shortest, and one of the best, stories here present. The travails of an enhanced, artistic chimp. Streamlined to the point of elegance.
Shining Armor
Dominic Green
THREE STARS
Odd, engaging story about a giant robot and farming. Ties itself in knots trying to hide the identity of the characters. Otherwise it’s kind of like an episode of a cartoon, complete with a (actually pretty good) moral.
Book, Theatre and Wheel
Karl Schroeder
FOUR STARS
Great story about duty towards knowledge. But it is set in medieval Europe, and though the themes it features are core to the science-fictional world-view, it’s hard to see this as actually SF.
Mathralon
David Louis Edelman
THREE AND A HALF STARS
The first of the collection’s tell-not-show tales concerns the meaningfulness, or otherwise, of life’s day-to-day grind.
Mason’s Rats: Autotractor
Neal Asher
FOUR STARS
Number two of Asher’s comedic take on the Rats of NIMH; this one even more amusing.
Modem Times
Michael Moorcock
FOUR AND A HALF STARS
Disjointed as all Cornelius tales are, this one takes us on a peripatetic ramble through Moorcock’s thoughts, guilts and feelings for home. I never really got Cornelius, or indeed some of Moorcock’s later work, veering as it does towards the polemical. But I get this.
Point of Contact
Dan Abnett
THREE STARS
Alien contact, like Christmas, will probably not be all it’s cracked up to be. A downbeat end to the anthology penned by prolific scribe Abnett. The second of the book’s didactic offerings.
Mann’s cautiously triumphant introduction is overlong, the fiction starts with a story that is competent but is not the soul-firing trip of the imagination a truly grand collection requires as an opening salvo. There are two stories by Neal Asher set in the same universe, and though they are both greatly entertaining, this is kind of unforgivable in a format which is all about variety. Variety in general is lacking here, the ordering of the stories accentuates the similarity in tone and subject matter between them. Two, for example, are delivered in strictly didactic terms. SF is as subject to fashion as much as anything, and all these stories are drawn from the same year, but it would have been good to shake it up a bit.
Individually, the stories themselves are not at fault, and it is good value for money. But it lacks a certain polish in presentation, and, crucially, that one brilliant tale that makes you sit up and take notice. This is a box of silver, bereft of gold.
iCity
Paul Di Filippo
TWO STARS
Slick but unengaging story of Sim City being played out for real. Improbable and one-dimensional.
The Space Crawl Blues
Kay Kenyon
TWO AND A HALF STARS
Confused story about a pilot who is put out of a job by instantaneous travel device. A half-hearted love story backs onto the tale of dispossession, which is itself resolved tritely.
The Line of Dichotomy
Chris Roberson
THREE AND A HALF STARS
Adventure tale set in Roberson’s Fire Star universe, where Aztec and Chinese empires battle over Mars. Some of the plotting is too convenient, but good characterization wins the day.
Fifty Dinosaurs
Robert Reed
THREE STARS
A boy and a tyrannosaur are two of fifty extinct beings reconstituted for a sentient plasmoid’s birthday party in the really distant future. The idea, though original, is not strong enough for the length of the story.
Mason’s Rats: Black Rat
Neal Asher
THREE AND A HALF STARS
Non-Polity story from Asher about a farmer who makes mutually beneficial arrangements with the intelligent rats inhabiting his farm. Very amusing.
Blood Bonds
Brenda Cooper
TWO AND A HALF STARS
Twins, one crippled, one not, become embroiled in the struggle for AI rights. This use of twins as a device to discuss personhood doesn’t quite gel with the story’s aims.
The Eyes of God
Peter Watts
THREE AND A HALF STARS
An essay on criminality, desire, and intent wrapped up in a swipe at surveillance society. Thoughtful, though picking paedophilia as the argument’s motif is unsubtle.
Sunworld
Eric Brown
TWO STARS
Great author, Brown, one of the few who still writes eyes-open-with wonder golden-age style tales. But this one, where a young man discovers the truth about his bubble-world, is pressed from an over-used mould.
Evil Robot Monkey
Mary Robinette Kowal
FOUR STARS
The shortest, and one of the best, stories here present. The travails of an enhanced, artistic chimp. Streamlined to the point of elegance.
Shining Armor
Dominic Green
THREE STARS
Odd, engaging story about a giant robot and farming. Ties itself in knots trying to hide the identity of the characters. Otherwise it’s kind of like an episode of a cartoon, complete with a (actually pretty good) moral.
Book, Theatre and Wheel
Karl Schroeder
FOUR STARS
Great story about duty towards knowledge. But it is set in medieval Europe, and though the themes it features are core to the science-fictional world-view, it’s hard to see this as actually SF.
Mathralon
David Louis Edelman
THREE AND A HALF STARS
The first of the collection’s tell-not-show tales concerns the meaningfulness, or otherwise, of life’s day-to-day grind.
Mason’s Rats: Autotractor
Neal Asher
FOUR STARS
Number two of Asher’s comedic take on the Rats of NIMH; this one even more amusing.
Modem Times
Michael Moorcock
FOUR AND A HALF STARS
Disjointed as all Cornelius tales are, this one takes us on a peripatetic ramble through Moorcock’s thoughts, guilts and feelings for home. I never really got Cornelius, or indeed some of Moorcock’s later work, veering as it does towards the polemical. But I get this.
Point of Contact
Dan Abnett
THREE STARS
Alien contact, like Christmas, will probably not be all it’s cracked up to be. A downbeat end to the anthology penned by prolific scribe Abnett. The second of the book’s didactic offerings.
June 24, 2019
A nice, solid anthology of SF.
Read
August 22, 2008The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume 2 (Solaris Book of New Science Fiction) by George Mann (2008)
April 2, 2011
Best stories:
Sunworld � Eric Brown
Shining Armor - Dominic Green
Sunworld � Eric Brown
Shining Armor - Dominic Green
Read
July 31, 2018
This new anthology brings together
an eclectic selection of all-original stories by some of the genre's
best-loved and most popular writers, including Michael Moorcock, Karl
Schroeder, Chris Roberson, and Dan Abnett.
an eclectic selection of all-original stories by some of the genre's
best-loved and most popular writers, including Michael Moorcock, Karl
Schroeder, Chris Roberson, and Dan Abnett.
Ìý
Contents
iCity by Paul Di Filippo
The Space Crawl Blues by Kay Kenyon
The Line of Dichotomy by Chris Roberson
Fifty Dinosaurs by Robert Reed
Mason’s Rats: Black Rat by Neal Asher
Blood Bonds by Brenda Cooper
The Eyes of God by Peter Watts
Sunworld by Eric Brown
Evil Robot Monkey by Mary Robinette Kowal
Shining Armor by Dominic Green
Book, Theatre, and Wheel by Karl Schroeder
Mathralon by David Louis Edelman
Mason’s Rats: Autotractor by Neal Asher
Modern Times by Michael Moorcock
Point of Contact by Dan Abnett
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