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POWER TRIO
A three-pronged review of SF anthologies by Matthew Payne When writing my reviews, I try to read two or three books first to see if they have any conceptual threads that loosely tie them together into one multi-review. But what was I thinking when I decided to read three large-enough sci-fi anthologies in a row? Normally they seem so foreboding; big, hulking, expensive. But almost 3,000 pages later, I have a new-found excitement for them. First, they're really not so overbearing because we're talking about short stories. Not only are they quantitatively shorter, most times they are qualitatively better because the author has distilled his concepts and characters into a very economical space without room for waste. I know this will win me some enemies, but even Robert Jordan could use a little trimming. So these books can be picked up and put down at leisure. Second, each book's editor attempts to connect and compliment each story with a sense of continuity through the choice of story, and writing important forewords for each story (one). David Hartwell's The Science Fiction Century shows sweeping changes and small but important similarities between H.G. Wells' "The Shape of Things to Come" and William Gibson's "Johnny Mnemonic". James Gunn's The Road to Science Fiction is set up like a textbook for a college-level literature class, and each introduction talks about the major "schools of thought" from the 1950's to the 1980's. Gardner Dozois' The Good Old Stuff tries to show the sophistication that existed in even the more unadulterated, "adventure" SF that was written as late as the 70's (who knows, it may still exist). These anthologies have pacing and do appear to lead the reader somewhere. Third, these collections give the reader a chance to brush up on the "classic" SF writers. If you feel like there's just too many novels and authors in the field for you to keep up with in your lifetime, these brief but vivid glimpses into each writer's approach will stay with, and prime you for, a few authors you might wish to continue exploring. So let's bite into this "power trio" and see which one (or two, or all) might dare you to put down good money.
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