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
Review
"One of the few books I intend to read again." -- Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Book Description
Ranging from hard science fiction (“Gödel’s Doom”) to alternate history (“Lenin in Odessa”) to first alien contact (“Bridge of Silence”), this collection delineates one of the unique voices writing science fiction today. In the tradition of Stanislaw Lem, each of the stories in this collection confronts the big questions of human existence. The detailed notes that follow each story provide insight into the author’s influences and include commentary from other noteworthy authors in the field.
About the Author
George Zebrowski is the author of Macrolif, Cave of Stars, and Brute Orbits, which won the 1999 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel of the year. He lives in Delmar, New York.
