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A review by coolcurrybooks
Dark Beyond the Stars: A Space Opera Anthology by Jennifer Foehner Wells, Patrice Fitzgerald, Elle Casey, Annie Bellet, David Gatewood, S.M. Reine, Susan Kaye Quinn, Julie E. Czerneda, Rysa Walker, Ann Christy, Blair C. Babylon, Theresa Kay, Autumn Kalquist
3.0
Dark Beyond the Stars is an anthology of space opera short stories written by authors who were all new to me. The only one I’d heard of was Annie Bellet, who I believe writes urban fantasy. The collection came to my attention when there was some kerfuffle over the collection’s line up of all female authors, which some people were apparently upset about. However, sexist reviews tend to encourage me to read something more than dissuade me. Plus, look at that cover art by Julie Dillon! Isn’t it gorgeous?
While Dark Beyond the Stars was the mixed bag typical of anthologies, there were a number of stories I quite enjoyed.
Probably my favorite of the collection was “Containment” by Susan Kaye Quinn. I have a soft spot for robots gaining personhood, and this story was even more aligned with my interests – the robot was discovering art! The Mining Master of Thebes is all alone on a moon orbiting Jupiter, administering mechanized mining functions and overseeing the rare cases of tourism. But then the AI discovers a strange tower of rocks and searching for the mystery behind the tower unlocks hidden depths.
“Containment” was actually one of the happier stories in the collection. Overall, most of the stories had a fairly dark tone, and more often or not the endings were ambiguous as to the fate of their characters. Some of the stories were downright depressing.
One of the most emotional stories of the collection was “Carindi” by Jennifer Foehner Wells. Ei’Pio was taken from the ocean planet where she was born and enslaved aboard the spaceship of another species, her telekinetic powers used for navigation. When a plague strikes the ship there are only two survivors – Ei’Pio and Carindi, an alien child who’s precipitous grasp on life is due to the constant help of a full body armored suit. The heart wrenching bond between Ei’Pio and Carindi made this one of the most powerful stories of the collection.
Other stories that warrant praise include “Lulu ad Infinitum,” which had some fascinating ideas and a premise that begs expansion; “2092,” an unusual first contact story involving time travel; and “Dragonet,” which fulfills my love for dragons and invites comparisons to Anne McCaffrey.
Other stories left me cold. For instance, the twist of “Animal Planet” was easy to predict and the story ended up feeling one note. However, the only story I had significant issues with was “Winner Takes All” by Elle Casey. What the hell even was this story? The protagonist is a sexist asshole who enters into a gambling competition with a young woman who’s contribution to the pot is her virginity. There’s just so many problems with this. I really hate fetishization of virginity in the modern day, but why would such an attitude even be present in a completely different part of the galaxy in the far future! Even if you lay aside the complete grossness of the entire thing, there’s some serious world building issues there. If you’re going to read this collection, you’d do yourself a favor by skipping “Winner Takes All.”
Although Dark Beyond the Stars had its low points, on the whole it was a collection I enjoyed. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to get more familiar with some science fiction indie authors.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
While Dark Beyond the Stars was the mixed bag typical of anthologies, there were a number of stories I quite enjoyed.
Probably my favorite of the collection was “Containment” by Susan Kaye Quinn. I have a soft spot for robots gaining personhood, and this story was even more aligned with my interests – the robot was discovering art! The Mining Master of Thebes is all alone on a moon orbiting Jupiter, administering mechanized mining functions and overseeing the rare cases of tourism. But then the AI discovers a strange tower of rocks and searching for the mystery behind the tower unlocks hidden depths.
“Containment” was actually one of the happier stories in the collection. Overall, most of the stories had a fairly dark tone, and more often or not the endings were ambiguous as to the fate of their characters. Some of the stories were downright depressing.
One of the most emotional stories of the collection was “Carindi” by Jennifer Foehner Wells. Ei’Pio was taken from the ocean planet where she was born and enslaved aboard the spaceship of another species, her telekinetic powers used for navigation. When a plague strikes the ship there are only two survivors – Ei’Pio and Carindi, an alien child who’s precipitous grasp on life is due to the constant help of a full body armored suit. The heart wrenching bond between Ei’Pio and Carindi made this one of the most powerful stories of the collection.
Other stories that warrant praise include “Lulu ad Infinitum,” which had some fascinating ideas and a premise that begs expansion; “2092,” an unusual first contact story involving time travel; and “Dragonet,” which fulfills my love for dragons and invites comparisons to Anne McCaffrey.
Other stories left me cold. For instance, the twist of “Animal Planet” was easy to predict and the story ended up feeling one note. However, the only story I had significant issues with was “Winner Takes All” by Elle Casey. What the hell even was this story? The protagonist is a sexist asshole who enters into a gambling competition with a young woman who’s contribution to the pot is her virginity. There’s just so many problems with this. I really hate fetishization of virginity in the modern day, but why would such an attitude even be present in a completely different part of the galaxy in the far future! Even if you lay aside the complete grossness of the entire thing, there’s some serious world building issues there. If you’re going to read this collection, you’d do yourself a favor by skipping “Winner Takes All.”
Although Dark Beyond the Stars had its low points, on the whole it was a collection I enjoyed. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to get more familiar with some science fiction indie authors.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.