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Editorial Review Book Description
Science Fiction is the genre that looks at the implications of technology on society, which in this age of exponential technological growth makes it the most relevant branch of literature going. This is only the start, and the close of the 21st century will look absolutely nothing like its inception. It has been said that science fiction is an ongoing dialogue about the future, and the front line of that dialogue is the short story. The field has a long history of producing famous anthologies to showcase its distinguished short fiction, but it has been several years since there has been a prestigious all-original science fiction anthology series. Fast Forward is offered in the tradition of Damon Knight's prestigious and influential anthology series, Orbit, and Frederik Pohl's landmark Star SF. Fast Forward marks the start of a new hard science fiction anthology series, dedicated to presenting the vanguard of the genre and charting the undiscovered country that is the future. Contributors scheduled for the first volume include: Paolo Bacigalupi, Kage Baker, Tony Ballantyne, Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear (Sarah B.E. Kindred), A.M. Dellamonica, Paul Di Filippo, Robyn Hitchcock, Louise Marley, Ken MacLeod, Ian McDonald, John Meaney, Larry Niven & Brenda Cooper, Mike Resnick & Nancy Kress, Justina Robson, Pamela Sargent, Mary A. Turzillo, Robert Charles Wilson, Gene Wolfe, George Zebrowski. ... Read more Customer Reviews (5) 
Not Free SF Reader
It is pretty cool to new a good old fashioned )in series terms at least, not in contest) sf anthology series.
The book starts well with a good introduction by Anders as to why he wants to do it, and some of his inspirations, including a quote from Pohl.
There are also a couple of poems included for those that like them.
The stories are good, the average rating being 3.53, which is a bit over what you hope for from a book, and is rather well done in a new original project as opposed to some sort of reprint.
The standout is Di Filippo's Wikiworld, but Pride and Kage Baker's Plotters and Shooters were also excellent.
In fact, only called three of these '3' or average, so it is a book that is well worth looking at.
The one quibble I would have is the format, being the considerably more expensive trade paperback compared to the recently seen competitor the Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, being the good old paperback.I wonder if this will affect the success of either.
Wouldn't mind seeing an electronic version for easier obtainability, either.
Otherwise, I definitely recommend having a look.In fact, at the moment I would suggest that anything Pyr puts out is worth a look at, presuming you like fantasy as well, of course.
A fine opening effort, I was pleasantly surprised.
Fast Forward 1 : YFL-500 - Robert Charles Wilson
Fast Forward 1 : The Girl Hero's Mirror Says He's Not the One - Justina Robson
Fast Forward 1 : Small Offerings - Paolo Bacigalupi
Fast Forward 1 : They Came From the Future - Robyn Hitchcock
Fast Forward 1 : Plotters and Shooters - Kage Baker
Fast Forward 1 : Aristotle OS - Tony Ballantyne
Fast Forward 1 : The Something-Dreaming Game [SS] - Elizabeth Bear
Fast Forward 1 : No More Stories - Stephen Baxter
Fast Forward 1 : Time of the Snake - A.M. Dellamonica
Fast Forward 1 : The Terror Bard - Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper
Fast Forward 1 : p dolce - Louise Marley
Fast Forward 1 : Jesus Christ Reanimator - Ken MacLeod
Fast Forward 1 : Solomon's Choice - Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress
Fast Forward 1 : Sanjeev and Robotwallah - Ian McDonald
Fast Forward 1 : A Smaller Government - Pamela Sargent
Fast Forward 1 : Pride - Mary A. Turzillo
Fast Forward 1 : I Caught Intelligence - Robyn Hitchcock
Fast Forward 1 : Settlements - George Zebrowski
Fast Forward 1 : The Hour of the Sheep - Gene Wolfe
Fast Forward 1 : Sideways from Now - John Meaney
Fast Forward 1 : Wikiworld - Paul Di Filippo
Dream deal.
3.5 out of 5
Wild for not to hold.
3.5 out of 5
Prenatal drug dose.
4 out of 5
Deathlok defense defeat predicted, Avenger!
4.5 out of 5
Philosophy of upgrades is of arguable effectiveness.
3 out of 5
Autoasphyxiation communicates alien information preservation.
4 out of 5
Interbreeding expansion remnant conversation.
3.5 out of 5
Tinker, tailor, soldier, squid.
4 out of 5
Planet pool is tough on the artificial eight ball.
3 out of 5
Past master possession discovery preemption.
3.5 out of 5
Second coming, blogging, shooting.
3 out of 5
Matriarchal memory madness or many mutant men? Stealing space shuttle solution at least requires no sea severing.
3.5 out of 5
Battletech comes and goes, but pizza always popular.
4 out of 5
Peewee politics could be smooshed.
3.5 out of 5
Sabretoothed green-eyed monster.
4.5 out of 5
Future or past, advice not taken well by greedy power mongers.
3.5 out of 5
Trust the lightsabre Luke, not the woman.
3.5 out of 5
A quantum of solace.
3.5 out of 5
Dickieworld, with groups the Coodabeens could definitely love. Trade cybernetwarstylin'.
4.5 out of 5
Pretty good collection, with two standout stories. 3.4 stars
This is the first volume of a projected annual series of original SF stories. It has a couple of standout stories, and is pretty good overall (though not as good as the hype).
The standout story is Ken MacLeod's amazing "Jesus Christ, Reanimator". It takes place in
present-day Israel (in part at Meggido) and opens: "The Second Coming was something of a washout, if you remember."Truly a KILLER story, MacLeod's best short to date, I'd say.Enthusiastically recommended. Look for it on the awards ballots.
My second-favorite story is Paul Di Filippo's very amusing (if slight) "Wikiworld," conveniently available online at pyrsf[dot]com . It's pretty much what you'd expect, but *very* nicely done. Recommended.
Past this we get into good, pretty-good, and "eh" stories. Here's the TOC, with comments:
"YFL-500", Robert Charles Wilson. Eh. Can't remember a thing, two weeks later.
"The Girl Hero's Mirror Says He's Not the One", Justina Robson. Pretty good, if very slight.
"Small Offerings", Paolo Bacigalupi. Unpleasantly gory, but a decent story.
"They Came From the Future", Robyn Hitchcock. Poem, sorta kinda. Eh.
"Plotters and Shooters", Kage Baker. Gamers in Spaaaace! Pretty good, really, if slight.
"Aristotle OS," Tony Ballantyne. OK but very slight.
"The Something-Dreaming Game", Elizabeth Bear. Pediatric autoerotic asphyxiation. Well-written but icky.
"No More Stories," Stephen Baxter.Forgotten already.
"Time of the Snake", A.M. Dellamonica. Violent, nihilistic and slight.
"The Terror Bard", Larry Niven & Brenda Cooper. Sequel to "Kath & Quicksilver"; pretty good.
"p dolce", Louise Marley. Channeling into Brahms; good.
"Jesus Christ, Reanimator," Ken MacLeod. KILLER story, best by far.
"Solomon's Choice", Mike Resnick & Nancy Kress. Weird aliens, except they're not. Good.
"Sanjeev and Robotwallah", Ian McDonald. Exotic violence & fashion in a future India. Good.
"A Smaller Government," Pamela Sargent. Literally so, and very amusing
"Pride", Mary A. Turzillo. Bringing up a sabertooth kitten. Very good.
"I Caught Intelligence", Robyn Hitchcock. Poem. Eh.
"Settlements", George Zebrowski. "Helpful" aliens; a downer (what a surprise!). Eh.
"The Hour of the Sheep", Gene Wolfe. I just don't get Wolfe.
"Sideways from Now", John Meaney. Interesting novella from the Nulapeiron guy.
"Wikiworld, Paul Di Filippo". Second-best, and available online, too.
Bottom line: worth checking out for the standouts, but not really worth your $15, in my opinion. Too many "read once & forget" stories. YMMV.
Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
fine collection forecasting technology vs people
In his introduction to what he plans as being a continual science fiction anthology containing all new stories, Lou Anders explains the premise is "making sense of a changing world" as "the implications of technology on society ... makes it (SF) the most relevant branch of literature".Bias aside, the contributions of nineteen original shorts and two poems (by Robyn Hitchcock) live up to Mr. Anders' prime objective.The tales focus on people struggling with an exponentially changing world that leaves many behind.The contributors are a who's who of Sci Fi or fantasy to include Larry Niven (with Brenda Cooper), Justina Robson, Stephen Baxter and Louise Marley.All the entries are strong with the best being those concentrating on everyday people dealing with commonplace technology like Paul Di Filippo's Wikiworld" and Justina Robson' The Girl Hero's Mirror Says He's Not the One" (in Mappa Mundi world) and those bringing the past into the future such as Tony Ballantyne's "Aristotle OS and Ken McLeod's "Jesus Christ, Reanimator".This is a fun collection that forecasts where technology will take humans including those left behind struggling with yesterday's artifacts.
Harriet Klausner
...from the Cutting Edge
Fast Forward 1 once again demonstrates Lou Anders' editing prowess (his Live Without a Net and Futureshocks are also excellent).The tagline identifies the collection as "future fiction from the cutting edge," and almost every story offers up an intriguing view of the future from some of the field's best writers.
Robert Charles Wilson's "YFL 500" opens the anthology with a gripping character tale regarding intellectual property, art, and theft in a post-scarcity world.Paolo Bacigalupi's "Small Offerings" is a chilling tale of sacrifice on an ecologically damned Earth."Plotters and Shooters," by Kage Baker, is a lighthearted "Lord of the Flies"-esque chronicle of the rise of hackers and geeks as the defenders of mankind in a new age.
Indeed, in a collection of 19 short stories and 2 poems (the latter a refreshing addition courtesy of Robyn Hitchcock), only 4 stories don't seem to belong.Elizabeth Bear's "The Something-Dreaming Game" and Louise Marley's "p dolce," while well-written, deal in concepts already well-traversed throughout the genre.Pamela Sargent's "A Smaller Government," while an entertaining satire, is more of a political fantasy than a work of science fiction.And George Zebrowski's "Settlements" is too trite and rife with tropes to be considered "cutting edge" - a story of mysterious aliens with advanced technology imposing peace on a violent, adolescent humanity.
Where the collection truly shines, though, are in the off-kilter stories.Tony Ballantyne's "Aristotle OS" is a comedic, philosophical view of the world through one of the most pervasive, defining facets of oursociety: the computer operating system."Jesus Christ, Reanimator" is Ken MacLeod's rational look at the possible second coming of the Christ - charming in its grounded outlook amidst a momentous religious event.Mary A. Turzillo's "Pride" is the endearing tale of a boy and his sabretooth kitten.Finally, the perfect capstone to the anthology is Paul Di Filippo's "Wikiworld" - one of the most brilliant short stories I've read - an adventure through a foreign but realistic near-future, where political lines are drawn between usergroups and power, prestige, and popularity ebb and flow organically between the real world and the virtual.
While the writing and stories are excellent, it is the variety of worlds and tales that makes the anthology truly compelling.Having enjoyed the majority of the book, I can safely say that Fast Forward holds something for everyone.One can only hope that Fast Forward 2 is future fact.
Great Anthology...a must for SF readers and writers...
I was able to read the ARC of this book prior to its release, and I was very, very pleased with the selections. I enjoyed 14/21 stories in this, with Robert Charles Wilson's,Paolo Bacigalupi's,Elizabeth Bear's, Louise Marley's, and the Mike Resnick/Nancy Kress piece being my personal faves for their "wow" factor. I recognized some of the stories in this anthology were not to my particular SF taste (and some stories I wished were written a bit differently, but that's me), but most of these pieces had good/fun premises, and it was nice to see a variety of stories in this anthology.
I'd definitely recommend this anthology to anyone reading (or writing) science fiction, and I'm not just saying that because I got the ARC: I think I'll pick up the actual copy myself, when I get the chance. Some of these stories really blew me away, and while I would've bought the anthology solely for Bacigalupi's work, I wouldn't have minded paying for the rest of it either, if that makes sense. In other words, there's something in here for everyone, and there's some really, really good stories here.
Also, an interesting stat that some people won't care about: 9/21 stories are penned by women (though two of those nine are co-written by men). The reason this stat jumps out at me is the fact that I've heard several women complain about how when you pick up an anthology of SF stories, there are few to no women featured. It's something I've noticed myself, so a big shout-out to Lou Anders for both sampling a variety of SF and not limiting anthology slots to the male population of the SF community.
Great anthology. Check it out.
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