Eclipse Two
To observe an eclipse is to witness a rare and unusual event. Under darkened skies the sun becomes a negative image of itself, its corona transforming the landscape into a strange space where anything might happen, and any story may be true. . . In the spirit of classic science fiction anthologies such as Universe, Orbit, and Starlight, master anthologist Jonathan Strahan (The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year) presents the non-themed genre anthology Eclipse: New Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here you will find stories where strange and wonderful things happen--where reality is eclipsed by something magical and new. Following in the footsteps of the multiple-award-nominated Eclipse One, Eclipse Two delivers new fiction by some of the genre's most celebrated authors, including Alastair Reynolds's star-spanning saga of Imperial assassination and courtly intrigue; Stephen Baxter's tantalizing tale of impermanence and memory, as first contact with an alien artificial intelligence has very real consequences; Nancy Kress's claustrophobic fable of shared space, life delayed, and critical choices; and Ted Chiang's evocative story of an all-metal world, its argon-breathing inhabitants, and the scientist who performs the ultimate self-examination. Contents:Introduction - Jonathan Strahan The Hero - Karl Schroeder Turing's Apples - Stephen Baxter Invisible Empire of Ascending Light - Ken Scholes Michael Laurits is: Drowning - Paul Cornell Night of the Firstlings - Margo Lanagan Elevator - Nancy Kress The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm - Daryl Gregory Exhalation - Ted Chiang Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom - David Moles The Rabbi's Hobby - Peter S. Beagle The Seventh Expression of the Robot General - Jeffrey Ford Skin Deep - Richard Parks Ex Cathedra - Tony Daniel Truth Window: A Tale of the Bedlam Rose - Terry Dowling Fury - Alastair Reynolds Praise for Eclipse One: ". . . it's refreshing to find an editor who is sanguine about short fiction, and who, moreover, can assemble a volume of fresh wonders to justify his optimistic stance. Such is the case with talented compiler Jonathan Strahan and his Eclipse One . . . This is a strong, non-thematic, non-programmatic assemblage of great stories that affirm the power of fabulation in a variety of voices. . . with luck, we'll experience more such volumes on a regular basis." Cover Art by Donato Giancola |
|
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. First printing, October 2008 |
ISBN-10: 978-1-5978-0136-4
|
|