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A review by emilyrandolph_epstein
Rip-Off! by Gardner Dozois
4.0
The premise of this anthology is to take the opening line of a classic work and build it into a sci-fi/fantasy story. First off, I think that is a great writing prompt and I want to try it. As for the stories themselves: they're a mixed bag. There's little straight-up hard science fiction, which I was perfectly alright with not being a big hard sci-fi reader. There's some noir, fantasy, weird, and supernatural thrown in for good measure.
Below, I breakdown what I thought of each story individually:
1. "Fireborn" by Robert Charles Wilson: I thought this was cute story. Very fairy tale. There wasn't too much going on, but I found it entertaining and well-written.
2. "The Evening Line" by Mike Resnick: This one was fun. a Harry the Book story ripping off the first line of Pride and Prejudice. I've never read a Harry the Book story, but I found this one extremely entertaining. Think Guys and Dolls with wizards.
3. "No Decent Patrimony" by Elizabeth Bear: This was more of a think piece. Beautifully written, it raises questions about the dangers of having an increasingly long-lived population and what that means for job security, government, and opportunities for the young. All this wrapped up in a (maybe) murder mystery.
4. "The Big Whale" by Allen M. Steele: This is tied for favorite. Herman Melville meets Dashiel Hammond. Moby Dick has never been more readable.
5. "Begone" by Daryl Gregory: It took me a while to figure out what was going on with this story and to figure out what genre it was. It wasn't one of my favorites, but that's mostly because the main character was unappealing. I thought it was well-written and well-crafted.
6. "The Red Menace" by Lavie Tidhar: With the opening line of the communist manifesto as it's premise, this was an interesting and political story that rewrote the history of the first half of the twentieth century. I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this story, but the conclusion was a little heavy-handed in my opinion. It would have benefited from more subtlety.
7. "Muse of Fire" by John Scalzi: Again, this one is tied for favorite. The main character was well-developed. It melded science fiction with mythology. It was positively gripping. (Also, the audio version is narrated by Wil Wheaton).
8. "Writer’s Block" by Nancy Kress: This was a fun, meta story with a great twist. Loved it.
9. "Highland Reel" by Jack Campbell: I enjoyed the setting and the nod to the fae, but this story didn't sink into my skin like some of the others. It didn't really stay with me.
10. "Karin Coxswain or Death as She Is Truly Lived" by Paul Di Filippo: Some people would probably really enjoy this story. I found it a little too crude for my taste, which was appropriate since the setting was Hell. I found it entertaining, but the imagery and language were a little too off-putting for me to really get into the characters and story.
11. "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal": Loved this one. This story had the largest emotional impact for me and it was beautifully written. There was a sweetness and a tenderness to this story that really touched me. It was more about the characters than about the Mars setting or the science.
12. "Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air" by Tad Williams: This was laugh out loud, hysterical. I loved every minute of it. It had such vivid detail that I felt fully immersed in the story. It was brilliantly narrated too. My one caveat is that if you take your Bible seriously you might want to skip this one if you're easily offended. Then again, if you're easily offended, lighten up. This is a fun, irreverent take on the creation of the Garden of Eden.
13. "Declaration" by James Patrick Kelly: While technically a very good piece. I had a hard time getting into this story. The main character was too much of an observer in her own story that I found I didn't care, which is a shame because this story raises some interesting points about virtual reality.
Below, I breakdown what I thought of each story individually:
1. "Fireborn" by Robert Charles Wilson: I thought this was cute story. Very fairy tale. There wasn't too much going on, but I found it entertaining and well-written.
2. "The Evening Line" by Mike Resnick: This one was fun. a Harry the Book story ripping off the first line of Pride and Prejudice. I've never read a Harry the Book story, but I found this one extremely entertaining. Think Guys and Dolls with wizards.
3. "No Decent Patrimony" by Elizabeth Bear: This was more of a think piece. Beautifully written, it raises questions about the dangers of having an increasingly long-lived population and what that means for job security, government, and opportunities for the young. All this wrapped up in a (maybe) murder mystery.
4. "The Big Whale" by Allen M. Steele: This is tied for favorite. Herman Melville meets Dashiel Hammond. Moby Dick has never been more readable.
5. "Begone" by Daryl Gregory: It took me a while to figure out what was going on with this story and to figure out what genre it was. It wasn't one of my favorites, but that's mostly because the main character was unappealing. I thought it was well-written and well-crafted.
6. "The Red Menace" by Lavie Tidhar: With the opening line of the communist manifesto as it's premise, this was an interesting and political story that rewrote the history of the first half of the twentieth century. I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this story, but the conclusion was a little heavy-handed in my opinion. It would have benefited from more subtlety.
7. "Muse of Fire" by John Scalzi: Again, this one is tied for favorite. The main character was well-developed. It melded science fiction with mythology. It was positively gripping. (Also, the audio version is narrated by Wil Wheaton).
8. "Writer’s Block" by Nancy Kress: This was a fun, meta story with a great twist. Loved it.
9. "Highland Reel" by Jack Campbell: I enjoyed the setting and the nod to the fae, but this story didn't sink into my skin like some of the others. It didn't really stay with me.
10. "Karin Coxswain or Death as She Is Truly Lived" by Paul Di Filippo: Some people would probably really enjoy this story. I found it a little too crude for my taste, which was appropriate since the setting was Hell. I found it entertaining, but the imagery and language were a little too off-putting for me to really get into the characters and story.
11. "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal": Loved this one. This story had the largest emotional impact for me and it was beautifully written. There was a sweetness and a tenderness to this story that really touched me. It was more about the characters than about the Mars setting or the science.
12. "Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air" by Tad Williams: This was laugh out loud, hysterical. I loved every minute of it. It had such vivid detail that I felt fully immersed in the story. It was brilliantly narrated too. My one caveat is that if you take your Bible seriously you might want to skip this one if you're easily offended. Then again, if you're easily offended, lighten up. This is a fun, irreverent take on the creation of the Garden of Eden.
13. "Declaration" by James Patrick Kelly: While technically a very good piece. I had a hard time getting into this story. The main character was too much of an observer in her own story that I found I didn't care, which is a shame because this story raises some interesting points about virtual reality.