Interesting selection of short fiction from an author who has developed on his early promise. Most of the themes McDonald has tackled over the course of his long career are here: the fine line between science and magic, the power of our dreams, the role that small nations, currently considered "inconsequential," might have in our futures.
McDonald has probably developed these ideas in more satisfying ways as his career has progressed, and some of them probably work better in his novels, where they can be given full expression. But, this volume is well-worth looking at as a taster of how it all began.
My particular favorite: "Empire Dreams (Ground Control to Major Tom)," because (a) how many science fiction stories are set in Northern Ireland? and (b) it is as heartbreaking now, given the current political climate (and the recent death of a young journalist in Derry) as it was 30+ years ago.
McDonald has probably developed these ideas in more satisfying ways as his career has progressed, and some of them probably work better in his novels, where they can be given full expression. But, this volume is well-worth looking at as a taster of how it all began.
My particular favorite: "Empire Dreams (Ground Control to Major Tom)," because (a) how many science fiction stories are set in Northern Ireland? and (b) it is as heartbreaking now, given the current political climate (and the recent death of a young journalist in Derry) as it was 30+ years ago.
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