- Hardcover: 300 pages
- Publisher: Golden Gryphon Press (April 1 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1930846088
- ISBN-13: 978-1930846081
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.9 x 2.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 531 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,100,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The 24 highly regarded stories of this brilliant collection span 30 years of John W. Campbell Memorial Award winner Zebrowski's (Brute Orbits) career in fundamentally philosophical hard SF. Convinced that the genre best "rehearses possible futures," Zebrowski succinctly exhibits a wide range of gritty, postmodern, impeccably disciplined glimpses into futures far and near, as well as alternative histories, like the intriguing "Number of the Sand" and "Let Time Shape" from the History Machine series he began in the early 1970s. All probe the innermost reaches of human frailty. Like Kafka, Zebrowski follows each wrenching "what if" opener with remorseless logic to a closing as stark and inevitable as the utter cold of outer space, often a direct result of humanity's violent and spiritually fatal pursuit of power. Most disturbing are Nebula Award nominee "The Eichmann Variations," which questions whether that murderer is capable of remorse and redemption; "Bridge of Silence," an alien contact that cuts to the essence of human hubris; and the shattering "Lesser Beasts," which lays bare the tragic delusional aftermath of the Vietnam War. Humanity's saving grace of humor, which the author sees as a weapon against totalitarianism, dominates "Stooges," an alien encounter via a comedy jam session. Though Zebrowski notes that several of his stories "got away" from him, all demonstrate impressive discipline, logic and mastery of his craft; as his conclusion, "Holdouts," suggests, there is a human need to "rewrite reality itself." Few SF writers have done so with such mathematical elegance. (Apr.)Forecast: Possibly too demanding for some, especially younger readers, this quality collection should nonetheless quickly sell out its first printing.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Science fiction's most philosophical talent here offers 24 stories, some of them landmarks in the field. "Godel's Doom," for instance, attempts the difficult task of turning a classic mathematical problem into fiction, in the process meditating on determinism versus free will. In what is actually his most conventional piece, "Lenin in Odessa," Zebrowski enters the mind of Joseph Stalin to conjure an extraordinarily detailed alternative history. Some tales, though based on serious philosophical conceits, are like cartoons: in "Word Sweep," for instance, the words characters speak form in the air and crash to the ground, slowly filling up the world; and the wry "Stooges" features Curly of the Three Stooges. "Sacred Fire" is a wrenching consideration of violence as a necessary component of being human. "This Life and Later Ones" demonstrates how awful a man-made immortality might be. Zebrowski is outrageously didactic but so polished a stylist and so original that the reader is sure to be mesmerized. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Packed from cover to cover with unexpected twists,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Swift Thoughts (Hardcover)
This new collection presents original stories which focus on the theme of evolving artificial intelligences and the questions about humanity versus machine which evolve. From the question of whether a clone of Adolf Ecihmann will ever show remorse for Nazi history to the rationing of speech when words begin to take physical form, [Swift] Thoughts is packed from cover to cover with unexpected twists which will delight both seasoned fans and those who are newcomers to Zebrowski's art.
5.0 out of 5 stars
none,
By Gary S. Potter (Mount Pleasant, SC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Swift Thoughts (Hardcover)
Zebrowski is SF's thinking man's writer, a writer who can mix and mingle and weave science, law, humor, and philosophy throughout his stories that range from hard SF to Alternate History to first alien contact. Zebrowski is a modern master of SF and "Swift Thoughts" is a thought-provoking collection of 24 masterful tales... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet
5.0 out of 5 stars
An engaging, varied, and enjoyable read,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Swift Thoughts (Hardcover)
Enhanced with an informative introduction by Gregory Benford, Swift Thoughts is a superbly presented anthology of twenty-four science fiction short stories written by the undeniably talented George Zebrowski. From an alien takeover of one of the Stooges to the strict rationing of words in an era when speech has physical form, to hardcore sci-fi and tales of excitement and pushing human boundaries, Swift Thoughts in an engaging, varied, and enjoyable read for science fiction buffs in general, and George Zebrowski fans in particular!
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