Author: Nancy Kress
Publisher: Golden Gryphon Press
Publishing Date: May 2008
Binding: Hardcover
Cover Artist: Thomas Canty

I first encountered Nancy Kress’ short fiction in the Wastelands anthology. The story Inertia was one of the highlights of that collection for me. Some time later Bookspotcentral hosted the title story of this collection (you can still read it here), which is of a similar quality. I was sufficiently impressed to get the collection after that and I haven’t been disappointed. Nano Comes to Clifford Fall’s and Other Stories is a collection in which Kress shows the full extent of here talent for writing short fiction. It ranges from flash fiction to stories that could have grown into a novel had the author made a few different choices. From stories that focus on the impact of certain events on a single individual to events painted on the vast canvas of space. It exceeded my expectations.

Golden Gryphon collected thirteen of Kress’ stories in this high quality hardcover. Good quality paper and very well bound. One of the things that annoys me most about hardcovers these days, is that they are no longer made to last. I’ve had way too many fall apart after a couple of readings. If I spend my money on a  hardcover I expect it to last. This one looks like it will last a lifetime. I’ll go over the thirteen stories briefly.

The first story in the collection is Nano Comes to Clifford Falls. A story that deals with the impact of the invention of nano technology. It basically enables us to create literally anything from the raw materials the earth provides. A rearrangement of particles on the subatomic level. This invention brings unparalleled prosperity. You can literally create anything you could possibly want for free. Why bother to work? Or learn? Or do anything else except what you really enjoy?

Patent Infringement is a story completely written in e-mails. It deals with the issue of patenting genetic material, a development which can have some disturbing consequences. I felt this story was a bit more about form than content but it works well nonetheless. It shouldn’t have been longer though. The them Kress uses for this story is one that interests me a lot. In this relatively short story Kress doesn’t have the space to elaborate on it. Paolo Bacigalupi’s work goes into the consequences of this in more detail. Check out his stories if this theme interests you.

The story Computer Virus reminded me very much of the novel Fools’ Experiment by Edward M. Lerner I recently reviewed. It deals with an artificial intelligence which, fearing for it’s existence, escapes the research facility in which it was created and seeks refuge in one of the most secure private properties of the country. The interaction between the owner of the property, Cassie, and the artificial intelligence carries a lot more emotional impact than Lerner’s story though. It is one of the strongest stories in this collection.

At less than a thousand words Product Development is one of the shortest stories in the collection. It is an interesting take on western societies dependence on electronic devices for entertainment, told entirely though dialogue, and written with a sense of humour. I’m not a great fan of flash fiction, I usually feel they lack the depth to make them interesting for the reader (even if I can see the challenge for an author in writing such a piece). This story doesn’t escape that feeling but it is one of the better ones I’ve read.

Kress move on to a first contact scenario in The Most Famous Little Girl in the World. A spaceship lands in a cow field somewhere in the US. A young girl enters the ship and comes out again with no recollection of what went on in there.The aliens depart again but not without having left a major impact on the lives of the little girl and her cousin. Again a story that relates an important event though the eyes of a character who will never make the history books. Kress manages to turn this first contact into a very personal experience.

Savior is another take on first contact. Again a spaceship lands somewhere in Minnesota. This time it proves impossible to contact the aliens though. The world holds it’s breath and waits for the aliens to take action. Nothing happens. For well over tow centuries. Savior is a story that challenges the thought that we are somehow the centre of the universe. Maybe the story takes a bit too long to get to the point but in a way that adds to building tension. The story has a very strong finish.

Settling new planets is not without it’s dangers. In Ej-Es we follow a medical relief mission to a recently (several centuries) settled planet. They find the place deserted. A closer look reveals survivors though. They have reverted to the most primitive of circumstances, suffering from all manner of infections, their brain functions impaired to the point where they are unable to build a society again. But for some reason seem perfectly happy. Interfere or not? The situation is quite a dilemma for some members of the expedition. A story with a very convincing main character. Weary, perhaps a bit shell shocked by her experiences, she has lost sight of why she volunteered for this work in the first place.

In Shiva in Shadow we follow a scientific expedition to the centre of the galaxy, where an enormous black hole is swallowing all matter that ventures too close to it. Various phenomena that can’t be explained by current theories have been seen there. To learn more the two scientists and the captain upload themselves into a computer and set out in a heavily shielded probe to take closer measurements. While on board the ship the biological versions of the main characters spiral into an unresolvable conflict, their electronic counterparts try to learn as much as they can before the probe is destroyed by radiation and extreme gravity. The efforts of the captain to avoid cabin fever are very fascinating to read if you look beyond the rather crude instrument of sex she uses. The different paths the group dynamics take in the probe and on the ship is what really makes this story interesting though.

First Flight is set on a space fleet academy. The main character is put to the test in a training exercise. I didn’t like this one at all. It’s predictable and it doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the stories.

The next story, To Cuddle Amy, Kress considers to be a horror story. It is another piece of flash fiction, and it gives us a frightening look at what fertility techniques and embryo selection might lead to. Frightening but not all that realistic I think. Still, it gives you something to think about. Not a pleasant story at all.

The third first contact story in this collection has fear of the unknown as a theme. In Wetlands Preserve alien organisms are found that seem to evolve at a staggering rate. Lisa, an intern at the research facility near the wetlands the aliens picked as a landing site, experiences the intense research and almost paranoid secrecy up close. Together with her personal circumstances it changes her outlook on life considerably. Not a pretty portrayal of our society but it is most likely what would happen. Lisa is one of the best characters in the collection. Kress manages to convey the feeling of suppressed anger very well.

Mirror Image is a story with a vast scope. It is set in the far future where the entire universe is connected through an artificial intelligence named QUENTIAM that is woven in the fabric of spacetime itself. Vast advances in genetics have been made and humanity is practically immortal. Family ties seem to have become irrelevant except for the genetically similar sister selves. The main character in the story has four such sister selves. One of them commits a terrible atrocity and the others are determined to find out why. What they find is beyond anything they suspected. I’m not sure what to make of this story. It’s well written certainly but somehow it doesn’t work for me. It has a very open end to the story, not very satisfying at all. This could have made a good novel I think.

The final story in the collection, My Mother, Dancing, is related to Mirror Image. It focusses on a religious aspect that doesn’t get a lot of attention in Mirror Image. A religious movement (with Fermi as a prophet, I wonder what he’d have made of that) that proclaims the universe is empty because God left it for humanity to fill has started to distribute life throughout the galaxy. They return to their “seedings” periodically to see how they are doing. This particular seeding has been programmed to expect a return of their “Mother” in the year 3000. When the expedition approaches however, they find something completely contrary to their beliefs. This story works a lot better than Mirror Image. The sense of panic that envelopes the crew of the ship makes it much easier to relate to this very alien future than the previous story.

All in all a remarkably high rate of success in this collection. I rarely read one where I like so many of the stories. Kress writes science fiction not so much from the perspective of those directly responsible for a scientific breakthrough  or people high up in the decision making process, but rather from the eyewitnesses of history. People who live with the effects of these changes on a day to day basis. This perspective means the reader can easily identify with the characters. Despite the future setting of the stories, the scenes are often very recognizable. Using this she also manages to translate often complicated technical concepts into every day applications and effects.

This is another book that stayed on the to be read pile too long. A very strong collection by an author I hope to read more of soon. Highly recommenced.

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Topics: Collection, Golden Gryphon Press, Nancy Kress, Nano Comes to Clifford Falls and Other Stories, Short Fiction, Thomas Canty