Subject: Review: STARLIGHT 1 edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden

From: "Evelyn C Leeper" <[email-masked]>
Date: 30 Oct 1997 22:27:02 -0500

STARLIGHT 1 edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
            Tor, ISBN 0-312-86215-6, 1996, 316pp, US$13.95
                   A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
		    Copyright 1997 Evelyn C. Leeper

     Two Hugo nominees out of twelve stories is not a bad percentage for
an original anthology, and this anthology undoubtedly contributed to
Nielsen Hayden's own Hugo nomination as Best Professional Editor.  Plus
it's not a theme anthology.  This is not "Science Fiction Stories Set in
the Interior of Stars" or "Fantasy Stories About Light."  It's just good
science fiction and fantasy.  Everyone seems to be comparing this to such
series as Terry Carr's "Universe" or Damon Knight's "Orbit," but in my
opinion it's too soon to tell.  I will say that this is a very auspicious
start.

     The first story in STARLIGHT 1 is "The Dead" by Michael Swanwick; the
last is "The Cost to Be Wise" by Maureen McHugh.  Traditional anthology
wisdom is to start with your strongest story, and end with your second
strongest.  Nielsen Hayden is certainly in agreement with this idea --
these were the two stories nominated for the Hugo Award.  But don't ignore
the stories in the middle, or you'll miss some excellent works.

     For example, "Mengele's Jew" by Carter Scholz is a unique combination
of quantum mechanics and the Holocaust.  "The Weighing of Ayre" by Gregory
Feeley is a science fiction story of the seventeenth century. Jane Yolen
has "Sister Emily's Lightship," the second "Emily-Dickinson-and-the-space-
aliens" story of the year (and in my opinion, the better of the two).
John M. Ford's "Erase/Record/Play" is written in the rather unusual form
of a playscript, and reminds me in some ways of the plays of Vaclav Havel.
It is subtitled "A Drama for Print," though it wouldn't surprise me to see
this performed at some point.  In fact, I wouldn't object if the folks at
Boskone who do theatrical performances each year decided to do this one.
Consider that a hint.

     I won't list every story, but I will recommend that you go out and
get this book and discover them for yourself.  I'm looking forward to the
second volume.

%B      Starlight 1
%E      Patrick Nielsen Hayden
%C      New York
%D      September 1996
%I      Tor
%O      trade paperback, US$13.95
%G      ISBN 0-312-86215-6
%P      316pp
%S      Starlight
%V      1

Evelyn C. Leeper    |  [email-masked]
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