Book Review - Fast Forward 1

January 17th, 2007 by Paul | Filed under Book, Review, Science Fiction.

Edited by: Lou Anders
Cover Artist: John Picacio
Publisher: PYR
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: February 2007

There are two things I need to mention up front: one, I generally read anthologies from front cover to back, and two, I never like every story I come across. Thus, I was surprised when I found myself pleasantly enjoying story after story in Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge edited by Lou Anders, an unthemed anthology of science fiction tales from many well-known names in the field. Rather than dwell on the few stories that didn’t work for me, I’d like to take a look at the ones that really stood out. Let’s call these gems, yes?

In Lou Anders’ introduction to Fast Forward I, he references the 1950s Orbit series of anthologies edited by Damon Knight and another later series compiled by Frederik Pohl from 1966 to 1980. Unfortunately, both of these were well before my time and therefore are lost to me in terms of comparison. But what I found most interesting was Anders own take on science fiction: a tool for making sense of a changing world. Surprisingly, for a planned unthemed anthology, this premise appears numerous times in the stories of Fast Forward I, particularly in Justina Robson’s “The Girl Hero’s Mirror Says He’s Not the One,” Paolo Bacigalupi’s “Small Offering,” Stephen Baxter’s “No More Stories,” and Paul Di Filippo’s “Wikiworld.” Our world is constantly changing; how are we, as a people, to deal with it? Some of these authors have ideas how…

Fast Forward I opens quietly, with Robert Charles Wilson’s “YFL-500″ telling the devotional story of Gordo and the love he begins to feel for Iris, a woman whose coded dream gave him the inspiration to paint the acclaimed piece of art YFL-500. Set in the world of the Rationalization, a locality where humans are considered obsolete due to the precision and advances in robotics. This sort of future has been crafted many before, but what I found so eerily captivating about Wilson’s take on it was just how calm and subdued humans were with their lives; there were no oppressive robots or evil henchmen or nasty overlords, just them and those considered obsolete living where they could off what little work they could do. Though the ending was a bit predictable after all the set-up, I found Gordo to be a strongly sympathetic character in a world where there was not a lot left but to try and love one another.

Paolo Bacigalupi’s “Small Offering” is the most horrifying science fiction short story I’ve ever read. And for that fact alone you should read it. Dr. Lily Mendoza delivers babies in a future where delivering babies is more complex than ever. To say anymore would really ruin Bacigalupi’s genius within, and so I sit here, urging you, you who is sitting there reading this, to pick up Fast Forward I, flip right to his story, and immerse yourself in one amazing, heart-wrenching, psychologically-damaging experiences one can craft with words.

Having only ever read Kage Baker’s Company novels, I was excited to see a short story of hers in Fast Forward I that was set in a different world. We join Eugene Clifford, a teenage boy on an orbital spaceship above Earth, as he’s running around serving to the Shooters. A new recruit, Charles Tead, has arrived though and it’s Eugene’s job to show him around. It’s the Plotters job to find asteroids heading for Earth, plot their courses, and then inform Shooters who will take them out with superb precision. And it’s just like high school: Shooters are jocks and jerks; Plotters are kids and twerps. But newbie Charles isn’t going to be bullied around, planning to become a Shooter himself instead of a lowly Plotter. And Eugene might just suffer all the consequences. I enjoyed the harshness Baker poured into her Shooters, and Eugene, while mostly cowardly, does make for a decent hero in the end albeit Charles’ doings.

Elizabeth Bear’s “The Something-Dreaming Game” is based on the choking game that many teenagers and young children play to get a rush without using drugs. Bear’s take on the “high” is something more otherworldly: Tara, a young girl with reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, journeys elsewhere after playing the game where she meets Albert, an alien resembling a large centipede. And Albert needs Tara, needs her help. I enjoyed the absurdity that was the dream world where Tara went after playing the something-dreaming game, and Tara’s mother, Jillian, definitely makes you feel for her situation. Bear’s writing has always been stylistic, something of her own, and here it really shines. I just hope folks won’t try playing “flat liner” (as I knew it when I was younger) in hopes of meeting aliens…

Ken MacLeod’s “Jesus Christ, Reanimator” is both a light-hearted look at the blogosphere and the war while also questioning the nature of humanity. A man who is telling all he is Jesus Christ has descended upon the world. Some believe him to be a robot, others an alien. Many think he’s just a liar looking for some time in the spotlight. A nameless journalist befriends Jesus after doing some interviews, hoping to find out the truth of the matter. Handled poorly, this type of story could be deemed trite and laughable, but MacLeod pours a lot of characterization into Jesus, making him into an almost cynical-yet-witty sort of person, which makes the ending all the more saddening. I’m not sure if I understood the politics of the story (and if there was something more to it than that, obviously I missed it), but I really enjoyed it regardless.

I will freely admit that I enjoy cat stories, even if the cats in them aren’t quite normal felines. In Mary A. Turzillo’s “Pride,” Kevin is smuggling lab animals out of Franklin Agricultural College to prevent any more experiments from happening. He takes in one deformed cub that he names Jonesy, which he soon comes to learn is a bit too much to handle. This is silly fun, especially Kevin and Sara’s “relationship,” but has that hint of seriousness that makes it all worth it.

Can Gene Wolfe ever do wrong? I’ll say no to that, but others might always disagree. In “The Hour of the Sheep,” Tiero is writing a book suggested to him by the President-Protector. The story is not his own, being that of his father’s, and he’s having some trouble getting the words right. Tiero, the greatest swordsman alive, faulting with a pen! It’s the classic story within a story, and though it fuses both aspects of science fiction tropes and epic fantasy staples, it works more than well. Wolfe knows how to weave both stories around one another, all while keeping Tiero the focus.

There’s also two pieces of poetry wedged into Fast Forward I, but I’m not really big on poetry and therefore can’t offer any kind of opinion on it. But it’s there, for those that are interested. I can say this though: Fast Forward I is a great anthology, filled with numerous and diverse stories and is bound to please any fan of science fiction.

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