Far Horizons, Robert Silverberg (Editor). (Paperback 0060817127)

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Far Horizons
Author: Robert Silverberg (Editor)

All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction. — The universe of the mind is a limitless expanse of wonders, filled with worlds and secrets that cannot be fully explored within the pages of a single novel. Avid readers of science fiction have long appreciated the myriad joys of returning to fictional galaxies a... more »lready experienced; delighting in the ever-unfolding mysteries of Frank Herbert's Dune or Asimov's Foundation series, for example.

In Far Horizons -- edited by acclaimed author Robert Silverberg -- a veritable "Who's Who" of science fiction's most beloved and highly honored writers once again revisit the remarkable worlds they created and made famous. Perhaps the greatest concentration of science fiction talent ever in one volume, Far Horizons is an unprecedented masterpiece -- one that reopens vast empires of imagination and adventure to new explorations and appreciations. It is a major SF event, sure to bring unparalleled joy to the hearts of serious fans everywhere.

Contents:

Introduction (Far Horizons: All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction) • (1999) • essay by Robert Silverberg
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Ekumen: "Old Music and the Slave Women": thirty-five hundred years ago, an aggressive black-skinned people dominated the paler northern races and instituted a slave-based society and economy, with caste established by skin color. First contact with the Ekuman scared the xenophobic Warelians into rapid development of weapons and spaceships, and incidentally into colonizing Yeowe, the planet next inward to their sun, which they exploited with intensive slave labor. Soon after Warel finally admitted diplomacy from the Ekumen, a great slave uprising began on Yeowe. After thirty years of war, Yeowe won its freedom from the dominant nation on Wheel, Voe Deo. Voe Dean society was destabilized by the Yeowan liberation, as well as the new perspectives offered by the Ekumen. Within a few years, a widespread slave uprising in Voe Deo pitted "owners" against "assets" in a full-scale civil war.
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War: "A Separate War": tells Marygay Potter's story during the last part of The Forever War where she and William Mandella were forced to go their separate ways for a few centuries.
Orson Scott Card - The Ender Series: "Investment Counselor": set in the 3000 year time span between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, tells the missing story of the meeting of Ender and Jane and the beginning of their friendship and partnership.
David Brin - The Uplift Universe: "Temptation": features the adventures of a female dolphin on the faraway world, Jijo, who must escape from two of her own kind and then penetrate a deeply dangerous ancient secret.
Robert Silverberg - Roma Eterna: "Getting to Know the Dragon": a story in the Roma Eterna series set in the year 2503 AUC (1750 to you and me). It concerns Tiberius Ulpius Draco, a character reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci, genius in many fields, from science to architecture to history. His particular passion is investigating the life of his ancestor, the famous caesar Trajan VII, known as Draco ("The Dragon"), but he is constantly interrupted by his own "emperor," the rash and flighty Demetrius, heir to the Roman throne, who has very big plans for his pet genius. The main focus of this story is actually on Trajan, whose deeds, revealed in an ancient journal, present him to not be the man Tiberius thought him to be. A touching story of hero worship encountering warts, rather thoughtful and scholarly and containing no action scenes whatsoever.
Dan Simmons - The Hyperion Cantos: "Orphans of the Helix": brilliantly mixes allegory and space adventure in his dangerous, religion-dominated cosmos of Hyperion. In this story a ship of interstellar settlers responds to a distress call from old offshoot of humanity.
Nancy Kress - The Sleepless: "Sleeping Dogs": a story of a family who buys sleepless puppies, hoping to turn them into guard dogs they can sell.
Frederik Pohl - Tales of the Heechee: "The Boy Who Would Live Forever": a young American orphan stranded in Turkey dreams of flying the Heechee ships.
Gregory Benford - The Galactic Centre Series: "A Hunger for the Infinite": Benford rockets us back to the Galactic Center where a mech is turning captive humans into art forms.
Anne McCaffrey - The Ship Who Sang: "The Ship That Returned": tells the story of a planet of peaceful religious settlers and its impending invasion by a race of brutal pirates.
Greg Bear - The Way: "The Way of All Ghosts": Bear re-explores his artificial universe, "The Way", with a story in which a team must close the portal to a neighboring universe.

ISBN-13: 9780060817121
ISBN-10: 0060817127
Publication Date: 12/1/2005
Pages: 496
Rating:

Currently 3.4/5 Stars.

3.4 stars, based on 4 ratings

Publisher: Eos
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
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David C. (xcom) - , reviewed Far Horizons on 10/2/2012 + 29 more book reviews

I found this book to be plain. The stories were very mediocre. Even the story by Orson Scott Card was the least entertaining short I have so far read by him. I liked certain parts of a few of the stories such as those by Frederick Pohl and Dan Simmon's Hyperion story was a pretty decent one. Overall, as one who enjoys short stories for their windows into brief imaginings, most of these just fell flat to me.

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Robert K. reviewed Far Horizons on 8/10/2006 + 98 more book reviews

Some great new stories connected with epics previously published. I particularly liked those by Orson Scott Card, Frederik Pohl, Greg Bear.

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Matt B. (someshta) reviewed Far Horizons on 5/23/2006 + 8 more book reviews

This is a must-have for any sci-fi fan. It has many beloved authors revisiting their most famous works with all-new stories. A great read!

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