contains 13 novellas. Unfortunately the only criteria for selection was if Dozois enjoyed it. Like most people there's a particular type of story he enjoys. There's a lot of the same here. Themes of extended life span and perception of reality. I'd be OK if they at least treated the themes differently but they often use the same plot devices (alien biological material invading humans is probably the most glaring). LeGuin's hand wringing about gender roles in Forgiveness Day was almost a relief. There is some great stuff here Sailing To Byzantium by Robert Silverberg, The Hemingway Hoax by Joe Haldeman and Mr. Boy by James Patrick Kelly. Beggars In Spain and Oceanic by Greg Egan both completely failed to work for me. For different reasons. By the end the repetitiveness was taking its toll. I'd probably think better of New Light On The Drake Equation by Ian R. MacLeod and Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds if I had got to them earlier. If I would have it to do over instead of reading it all in two weeks I probably would have read one novella every week.Recommended with caveats.
superb history written by as far as I can tell a layperson. Campbell is a journalist. The story is mostly about the development of the tanks and it's deployment. What I especially liked was that he's not looking forward to WWII so he doesn't overemphasize the rather limited success they had.
let me put it to you like this. There are few books I read that could be longer and I would enjoy them. This could be 5 times longer and I would. Collins gives a lot of dirt on Top Gear. Clarkson is that much of a jerk, Hammond is that crazy and yes May is that boring. Interspersed throughout the show stories are vignettes about his military service, racing career and private life. This is simply a must have for any Top Gear fan.
this is a new translation of a book first published during WWII. It covers the experiences of a squadron of Polish fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain. It tells a few accounts of combat as well as chapters describing the bravery of the other personnel. Apparently the book is taught in schools back in Poland and I can understand why. This new edition contains new photos, appendices and explanatory notes from the translator. Not exactly a book you would want to use in a scholarly paper but a good read.
this is a courtroom drama combined with a search for part of the true Cross. First the good, the writing is excellent . This is occasionally bordering on literature. Unfortunately the characters are all unlikable. By the end of the book I was hoping that they would all be punished somehow. Even the characters I was supposed to feel sorry for I really didn't. There seems to have been a lot of work done as far as making things technically accurate particularly with the trial. The problem is the ending doesn't really work. It's as if the trial, which was the center of most of the narrative was an afterthought in the conclusion.
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