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A review by sonofthe
Federations by John Joseph Adams
4.0
I've had my eye on this book for a while, even had it in my library for a while. What put me over the edge was watching Enterprise and seeing blog posts about the best Star Trek novels. I wanted something in that vein, but not bogged down by the baggage of Star Trek.
This wasn't the anthology I wanted, then, but the one I needed. (I know, I know)
Only at the very end did I find a couple stories that felt like the same sort of space opera I was looking for, and I'll certainly be trying at least a full novel in the respective series.
The first was [a:Allen Steele|73419|Allen Steele|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1377096425p2/73419.jpg]'s "The Other Side of Jordan", set in his Coyote Universe. The story itself was a bit of a run-of-the-mill romance, but the way he hints at the rich universe he's created scratched all the right itches for me. I've already flagged two of the novels for my to-read shelf.
[a:Jeremiah Tolbert|1916425|Jeremiah Tolbert|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-a7c55399ea455530473b9f9e4da94c40.png]'s "The Culture Archivist" is the other. Tolbert said in the introduction that he wanted to imagine a "realistically capitalist federation." It was about a deserter, trying to catalog new sentient species before they're corrupted by his former culture. There were some funny satirical bits and hints at a broader universe. As far as I can tell, though, there are no more stories. Alas.
[a:John C. Wright|58124|John C. Wright|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1220187415p2/58124.jpg]'s "Twilight of the Gods" was the big stand-out in the anthology. Based on The Ring of the Nibelung (which I've never read), it takes place on a generation ship where memories of the past, of the command structure and job tasks, of the proper way to use the technology, have all been forgotten or corrupted. There's a fight for power, and the 'return' of a foretold savior of sorts. It had the feel of old science fiction, maybe mid 20th century. Wright says this is a sequel to two earlier stories and that he wants to finish this "Ophiuchan Cycle" of stories. I will seek those out.
Here are a few other stand-outs for me:
[a:Alastair Reynolds|51204|Alastair Reynolds|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1369753656p2/51204.jpg]' "Spirey and the Queen" was a fascinating look into harder aspects of space opera. The telling was rich, taking root in my mind more than I initially realized. Images from the story came back to me later on.
[a:Alan Dean Foster|11735|Alan Dean Foster|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207233026p2/11735.jpg]'s "Pardon Our Conquest" gave me a few good chuckles. This one was pretty short, and had fun with some caricatures.
[a:Robert J. Sawyer|25883|Robert J. Sawyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1224975910p2/25883.jpg]'s "The Shoulders of Giants" called back, purposefully, to an older science fiction feel. It embodied sub-light travel and the wonder of exploration well.
[a:K. Tempest Bradford|3378249|K. Tempest Bradford|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1303766065p2/3378249.jpg]'s "Different Day" was a funny first-person story about what a "first contact" might look like to an everyman. It also deals with one of my pet-peeves: alien races in space opera that are mono-cultures (yes, Star Trek, I'm looking at you).
And, finally, [a:Anne McCaffrey|26|Anne McCaffrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323715139p2/26.jpg]'s "The Ship Who Returned" underwhelmed me. It got better toward the end, but the characters just weren't that likeable. The situation would have been much more interesting if the protag had done more protagging. This apparently is in a series of stories, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say that it might work better if I'd been more acquainted with the ship before reading this.
All in all, this is a good anthology. A good example of Adams' editing skills, and, I think, an early-ish indicator of his growing skills in that area.
See my status updates for this book to read my initial reactions and notes for each story.
This wasn't the anthology I wanted, then, but the one I needed. (I know, I know)
Only at the very end did I find a couple stories that felt like the same sort of space opera I was looking for, and I'll certainly be trying at least a full novel in the respective series.
The first was [a:Allen Steele|73419|Allen Steele|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1377096425p2/73419.jpg]'s "The Other Side of Jordan", set in his Coyote Universe. The story itself was a bit of a run-of-the-mill romance, but the way he hints at the rich universe he's created scratched all the right itches for me. I've already flagged two of the novels for my to-read shelf.
[a:Jeremiah Tolbert|1916425|Jeremiah Tolbert|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-a7c55399ea455530473b9f9e4da94c40.png]'s "The Culture Archivist" is the other. Tolbert said in the introduction that he wanted to imagine a "realistically capitalist federation." It was about a deserter, trying to catalog new sentient species before they're corrupted by his former culture. There were some funny satirical bits and hints at a broader universe. As far as I can tell, though, there are no more stories. Alas.
[a:John C. Wright|58124|John C. Wright|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1220187415p2/58124.jpg]'s "Twilight of the Gods" was the big stand-out in the anthology. Based on The Ring of the Nibelung (which I've never read), it takes place on a generation ship where memories of the past, of the command structure and job tasks, of the proper way to use the technology, have all been forgotten or corrupted. There's a fight for power, and the 'return' of a foretold savior of sorts. It had the feel of old science fiction, maybe mid 20th century. Wright says this is a sequel to two earlier stories and that he wants to finish this "Ophiuchan Cycle" of stories. I will seek those out.
Here are a few other stand-outs for me:
[a:Alastair Reynolds|51204|Alastair Reynolds|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1369753656p2/51204.jpg]' "Spirey and the Queen" was a fascinating look into harder aspects of space opera. The telling was rich, taking root in my mind more than I initially realized. Images from the story came back to me later on.
[a:Alan Dean Foster|11735|Alan Dean Foster|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1207233026p2/11735.jpg]'s "Pardon Our Conquest" gave me a few good chuckles. This one was pretty short, and had fun with some caricatures.
[a:Robert J. Sawyer|25883|Robert J. Sawyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1224975910p2/25883.jpg]'s "The Shoulders of Giants" called back, purposefully, to an older science fiction feel. It embodied sub-light travel and the wonder of exploration well.
[a:K. Tempest Bradford|3378249|K. Tempest Bradford|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1303766065p2/3378249.jpg]'s "Different Day" was a funny first-person story about what a "first contact" might look like to an everyman. It also deals with one of my pet-peeves: alien races in space opera that are mono-cultures (yes, Star Trek, I'm looking at you).
And, finally, [a:Anne McCaffrey|26|Anne McCaffrey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1323715139p2/26.jpg]'s "The Ship Who Returned" underwhelmed me. It got better toward the end, but the characters just weren't that likeable. The situation would have been much more interesting if the protag had done more protagging. This apparently is in a series of stories, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say that it might work better if I'd been more acquainted with the ship before reading this.
All in all, this is a good anthology. A good example of Adams' editing skills, and, I think, an early-ish indicator of his growing skills in that area.
See my status updates for this book to read my initial reactions and notes for each story.