|
-
Hivemind social net
-
News
- Features
- Blogs
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Google Toolbar scifi
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Identity Theft And Other Stories by Robert J. Sawyer
01/06/2008 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Robert J. Sawyer Books/Red Deer Press. 284 page enlarged paperback. Price: $15.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-88995-412-0. Buy Identity Theft And Other Stories in the USA - or Buy Identity Theft And Other Stories in the UK  check out websites: www.robertjsawyer.com, www.reddeerpress.com and www.sfwriter.com
At the end of this book, author Robert Sawyer announces not to expect any more short stories any time soon. Not because he doesn't like writing them, many of the seventeen included here were requests for various anthologies, but because novels pay better for the time and effort involved.
He also says that he's avoided his fixation with dinosaurs here. After reading the stories I can't help wonder if Sawyer also has a fixation with mind survival and Mars instead as they turn up several times. Mind you, considering there are two SF detective stories, 'Identity Theft' and 'Biding Time', featuring Alex Lomax has both of these elements then this shouldn't be totally a total surprise. 'Come All Ye Faithful' is also set on Mars, not quite the same place, and where a priest attracts pilgrims after seeing a vision there.
'Shed Skin' is another story where questions about what happens when you trade up your body for a better one and the original is still intact and holds a hostage saying he's changed his mind. A marvellous story with no real winners and the dilemma of what happens in such situations.
'The Mikeys' is an acknowledgement to the likes of astronaut Michael Collins who spent all that time getting to the Moon and then watching his two buddies land and was more or less left out of the limelight. This trip isn't to the Moon. Well, not Earth's Moon but to Demois, one of the two satellites around Mars. While one team goes onto Mars, the other lands here and guess which makes the biggest discoveries.
'Ineluctable' covers the problems of communication with aliens and different interpretations of messages. Richard Dawkins would no doubt approve of this idea but it would bound to make aliens concerned.
'The Right's Tough' covers the problem of coming back from a long space voyage and discovering you really can't come home again. 'Relativity' looks at returning to Earth from a shorter trip and a similar repercussion to those whom you leave behind. Both are stories which should make anyone think regarding long trips out into space.
'Driving A Bargain' is a cross-genre story mixing in with ghosts and not to trust too good a deal when buying a car.
These are the stories that struck me the most. I'm sure you'll have your own favourites with this book. Rob Sawyer does change personalities with each story making for an interesting array and one can only hope he doesn't stay in novel format for too long.
GF Willmetts
|
|
