Customer Reviews (1)

welllll....
Not sure what Asimov has to do with this since the editor is a Shawna McCarthy. A couple worth reading, but overall... I remember thinking - now this is pretty politically incorrect- proof women write boring science fiction. And 20 mediocre science-fiction stories by women writers...Some I don't consider SF, rather more like fantasy. Sidon in the Mirror (a man who copies the personalities of others, saints or sinners), Sorceress in Spite of Herself (you know how you lose thing when you need them most?)almost had me closing the book in boredom. Night of the Fifth Sun (feed the Aztec Sun God)wasn't SF but it was the best up til then. Jarabon (the thief who could handle hyperspace without going insane)was quite a bit better and actually SF. Then it was back down to barely readable Horn of the Elfland (magical note will send you.. you know where- urghh) not-SF. Belling Martha, post-apocalyptic cannibalism, raised it back up with bleak SF.Back to not-SF w/ La Reine Blanche (cycle of expectation and punishment)- good story but not SF. Ancient Document - 2 paragraphs I wouldn't mind seeing a story around. Actually a 'like'. Miles to Go Before I Sleep- post-apocalyptic evil country hick villages vs cities. ehh.
My likes: Le Guin's story: Ascent of the North Face I found ooooh, intriguing... $CALL LINK4(CATHY)reminded me of an OUTER LIMITS episode and the upcoming series CAPRICA.
Then back to not-SF Exorcycle (ie. Ghost Actor and like Ghost Dad, it ain't so good-well to me at least. I am sure someone thought Ghost Dad was good). Stargrazing (poem, nebula as hungry animal).eck. Shadows from a Small Template. Not bad. Ghost in a box. In this case a child's ghost. Tissue material here. a 'like' on this one- worth reading... Packing Up (live-in psychologist for families. Everyone should have one). Blue Heart (you lose that special something when you transfer to an android body - and its not all that interesting). EXAMINATION OF EX-EMPEROR MING (who doesn't fear the merciless Intergalactic Revenue Korps?)was amusing. The Crystal Sunlight, the Bright Air ( religious censorship takes over the universe)was also pretty readable. MISSING was amusing (you'll never notice what's 'missing' until the last few sentences)as wasI almost forgot, Letter from the Clearys is sad and bleak post-apocalypse tale as is, to lesser extent, Heavenly Flowers. The last story is Fire-Caller calling a beaten slave race to their former wholeness and unique talents. ... Read more

Product Description
In this historical fantasy set in late 12th century Mongolia, an old woman hasgrown fearful of the magical powers she has misused in the past, and sworn neverto use them again. But now she must help a young shaman still learning his craftto save their Mongol chief and his people from their enemies. Several charactersin this story, including the boy Temujin (the young Genghis Khan), also appearin Sargent's historical novel Ruler of the Sky. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent anthology
This collection from the award winning Pamela Sargent consists of eight shorts and the title longer tale that were in various publications.The tales include one from the mid 1970s, four from the 1980s, and four from the 1990s.Each story in spite of its relative size brings out a sense of place even those that are extremely few in pages so that the reader believes they are in this locale at that time.Regardlessof when a contribution was written, the traits of the key protagonist(s) are also clearly defined making most of them seem very real yet purposely displaced in their environs in a Twilight Zone like manner.

The stories are all well written especially the almost novella sized Eye of the Flame.Fans of the author will appreciate the work being inside one book while newcomers will gain a taste of the author's ability to place a fantasy story inside a Twilight Zone like realm.

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Product Description
The famous astrophysicist Paul Swenson creates five perfect clones in his ownimage. The Swenson clones are the target of criticism, hostility and abuse froma frightened public that does not understand their strange existence. However,they must survive, for Paul Swenson has cloned them in order to accomplish animportant task. This is the story of their loves and battles, triumphs andterrors, as they struggle to save their futures and the collective destiny theywere created for... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Back Cover Description
2000 A. D. - 2037 A. D.The biological time bomb has exploded and a brand new breed of human has taken shape...The Clones...There were five of them.Each a carbon copy of each other and of their father, the famous astrophysicist Paul Swenson.There were very few of these specially bred children at the beginning of the 21st century.And the Swenson clones became the target of much hostility and abuse.But they had been cloned for a purpose.And their creators were determined that they survive.This is their story, their dreams, their loves, their terrors and the strange destiny that kept them bound as one.

A well-written, mature story
The same gifts, but different paths chosen: You might say this is the premise of *Cloned Lives,* in a nutshell. When a gifted and multi-talented scientist is chosen to be the first human to be cloned, to become the "father" to a small group of artificially-birthed newborns who will grow up being physically and genetically identical to himself, the story quickly shows the resulting furor over this controversial act, with this scientist, Paul Swenson, and his "kids" at its focus. Essentially the story focuses on the lives of the children as they grow up, and the different paths and lives they take -- in a way showing us just what, in a parallel universe maybe, the path Paul Swenson himself might have taken if he'd explored his other natural talents and interests and become not a famous astrophysicist, but a novelist, or a biologist, or an artist, or even a conventional family man. In this way, Paul Swenson's "kids" (which in fact they really are, just more directly) show us just what one person may be capable if they have enough lifetime and energy in which to explore all their interests and inborn talents to their fullest. In a series of chapters that each focus exclusively on one of the young but maturing clones, whether it's Edward, James, Michael, Kira or Albert, we get to see their flaws and talents, how they each have reacted to the circumstances of their birth in different ways, not always good ways either. Pamela Sargent has written an engaging, thought-provoking but mature-level novel, with interesting, vibrant characters who seem as real as you or me. I recommend this novel for anyone who might like to get a sense of what growing up as a clone under the world spotlight might be like, as well as for the interesting turns our characters' lives take. Also, finally, for the curious way that our characters' personalities all, in a way, seem to reflect different aspects of their parent-projenitor, Paul Swenson. Other science-fiction novels have touched on the subject of cloned people and shown how it affected them, of course, but probably not to the very high degree here -- which is probably another reason to seriously consider adding *Cloned Lives* to your bookshelf. (Another novel I recall that did so is Juanita Coulson's sci-fi novel *Legacy of Earth*, which I recommend highly too, it's a great, galaxy-spanning adventure). Final comments: *Cloned Lives* is a very timely novel these days of course (if you've been following the news lately, that is), with all the recent controversy over animal cloning and now proposed human cloning that is getting a lot of ethical scrutiny by the world's politicians, even though this novel first appeared in its first complete paperback form back in 1976 -- the story of *Cloned Lives* is as relevant today as it was then. It touches on both the downside and major questionable aspect of the cloning process (the fact that the technology isn't perfect, that the process means possible loss of one or more embryos if something goes wrong -- in the story's case, they use a special mechanical womb here), but also the good side too, the fact that for childness couples, this is a way to have a child that is in every way descended from the chosen family member -- just not both, obviously (unless the female half of a couple serves as a surrogate birth-mother for the clone, maybe). Another benefit of the technique is shown at the end of the novel (I hope this isn't a spoiler...) when we meet the young clone of another child, a girl, who was tragically killed in an accident some years before, a few months after the death of the child's mother too -- such a cloning process allows the continuation of one's family even after such tragic loss, so that the product of your love with a lost wife or lover can be restored in a way that lets the family continue on and the surviving parent can get to see the fulfillment of the promise that the child-clone's sister-projenitor might have shown and experienced had she in fact lived. So there are definite pros and cons to human cloning, of course. And in fact, the novel itself is cognizant that human cloning should be a limited, case-by-case option most of the time, by which it explains that cloning should be rarely allowed "except in the case of certain exceptional people or in unusual circumstances," which the situation I've just described regarding the child certainly qualifies. Whether you agree with this or not, the novel itself is definitely worth the read in any case as quality fiction and as a good relationship story. ... Read more

Product Description
The Mountain Cage and Other Stories is a collection that includes thirteen short stories by this unique voice in speculative fiction. A few of the stories previously appeared in The Best of Pamela Sargent, but most have never been collected. Included here are gems such as "Danny Goes to Mars" and "Hilary Orbits Venus," "Dream of Venus," the extremely clever "The Novella Race," and the wonderful "The Mountain Cage," a beautifully written alternate history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful satire and intriguing cautionary tales
First, a disclaimer: I've known Pam Sargent for over ten years, and even maintain her web site for her. I consider her a friend as well as a talented writer.

That doesn't mean that I would automatically write a positive review of her new book if I didn't mean it. One of the things you learn as a book reviewer who also has a fair number of authors as friends is that adage from your mother about not saying anything if you can't say something nice.

But I'm happy to be genuinely able to say more than a few things nice about this new collection of Pam's stories, as it truly demonstrates that she is at home in the shorter medium as she is at the novel. Most people are only familiar with her pair of skillfully done political satires, the Nebula award-winning "Danny Goes to Mars" and its thematic sequel "Hillary Orbits Venus" (I keep anticipating a completion of the trilogy with "George, Uranus"), although she had already shown a gift for satire in the now classic story, "The Novella Race" (where writing takes on the aspects of an Olympic sport). But she deserves better recognition as the writer of cautionary tales (the true forte of the science fiction author). "The Summer's Dust" explores a possible side effect of immortality--the effect on what few children might exist in such a world where no one needs any longer to live on through their progeny--while "Fears" rivals the best stories of James Tiptree, Jr. in its description of a world that follows years after the ability for parents to make a sexual selection for their child.

Two stories here are related to her novels. "The Sleeping Serpent" anticipates her novel of an alternate world where the Mongol horde continued its conquests, even unto the New World. "Dream of Venus" is an ancilliary tale to her Venus trilogy, a special treat for those who had to wait those long years between the second and third books.

While I didn't care for the title story (told from the point of view of a cat, which just didn't sit well with me, especially in comparison to any of the other narrators in this book), one of the newest stories here, "Common Mind," is one of the best I've read on the idea of group consciousness, a theme not often explored in SF.

My favorite parts of this collection are the afterwords to each story, and the publisher, a small press in Atlanta named Meisha Merlin, is to be commended not only for the quality of the book's production, but also for allowing these to be after the stories and not insisting that they be introductions to them. You get a rare glimpse into the creation of stories in these small bits, which as afterwords increase your appreciation of what you just read rather than "giving away" the story had they been placed before. It's a small thing, but so many collections make this mistake that I quit taking this for granted. ... Read more

Product Description
This eclectic group of short stories traverses time, place, and genre to deliver vivid accounts of captivating worlds, both real and imagined. By weaving together the historical and the fantastic, the stories in this collection produce fascinating narratives that remain deeply human. The startling title story, "Thumbprints," explores the darker side of the book business when a literary agent goes too far to ensure that his author’s fees are paid in full. "Erdeni’s Tiger," a historical drama, features a young wife in twelfth-century Mongolia who must master the spirit world to save her tribe. "Climb the Wind" revisits Mongolia in a modern-day setting as the country’s military past haunts its current inhabitants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very Little Science Fiction
That collection of short stories displays PS's talent for writing and nothing else. All stories fail to grab the reader's attention. Either they are rehashes or long boring descriptions going nowhere. Yet I plodded through, always expecting the next story to be better than the previous one but never was I rewarded. Being a talentuous writer is not enough when imagination leaves you, indeed.

Sargent's newest collection distinctive as a thumbprint
Pamela Sargent is one of the most gifted writers of speculative fiction and fantasy working today.Her readership is privileged to have this new collection out now, showcasing twelve fine stories. "Thumbprints" spans early work such as the classic love story "If Ever I Should Leave You," right up to the brand-new title tale, a black comedy of literary bad manners.There are several stories from her "Mongolia" tapestry, including the modern-day "Climb the Wind" and the Genghis Khan tales "Erdeni's Tiger" and "Spirit Brother."There is a new "Venus" tale, the prequel "Venus Flowers at Night".There are tales of familiar family dynamics in strange situations -- "Amphibians," "Gather Blue Roses" -- and strange futurities driven by familiar human frailties -- "Originals," "Shrinker."Most of all, there's heart and soul, for Sargent prefers to tell us about people, rather than technology.Sargent's distinctive voice is alive in these stories, and endlessly expressive.

Exciting and mystical tales
Pamela Sargent is one of today's most imaginative and talented fantasy writers. Thumprints is an anthology of twelve of her short fiction pieces -- each of which is a minor gem of creative story telling. Some of the tales take place in twelfth-century Mongolia; one in present day Mongolia; one follows a charcter from Sargent's "Venus" trilogy; a title story that delves just how far a nearly demonic literary agent will go to ensure that his fees are paid; and several more. Exciting and mystical tales, steeped in the resonance of culture and defying prediction until the last page is turned, Thumbprints is highly recommended, especially for fans of Sargent's other works.
... Read more

Product Description
Each of the Nebula winners and finalists featured here displays its own (often highly idiosyncratic) excellence. This volume, which represents the best of 1993, includes offerings from Harlan Ellison, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Lisa Goldstein.
... Read more

Product Description
The Venus Project calls upon the strongest and most courageous to create a prosperous world in the dismal wilderness of Venus.Those who demonstrate the skill and the passion to embark on this adventure must transform the barren planet in the midst of political and cultural unrest. When Risa and Benzi, children of Iris, one of the first people to partake in this project, find themselves in opposing forces on the battlefield, it is their love and perseverance that will determine the destiny of the new land. ... Read more

Product Description

The Hawking left Earth during the 21st Century on a one-way mission to colonize a distant world. Due to the relativistic effects of pre-warp travel, it's crew has aged only thirty years while two centuries have passed outside the ship. When the Starship Enterprise™ comes to the rescue of the malfunctioning Hawking, the colonists find themselves thrust into a universe and an era that has left them behind.

Captain Kirk intends to help the colonists adjust as best he can, but the task is not a simple one. The newcomers are survivors of a more violent, more paranoid time -- and the have brought old suspicions, and an ancient weapon of mass destruction, into a world of unexpected challenges and dangers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Fun read, well-written, nothing special.
This is a reasonably well-written, reasonably enjoyable Star Trek story. It has nothing to make it stand out from the large number of other stories that would fit that description, however. The plot is pretty standard fare, and is a pretty standard, off-the-shelf plot for a Star Trek story or even just a science fiction story in general. Nor does it blaze new trails in terms of character or background world, or give the reader anything to think about that hasn't been addressed in Star Trek many times before. If you enjoy the genre, you should enjoy it. If you don't, you won't.

Not Horrible, Not Great
I really need to read this book again, cause I felt like I was missing something....the book wasn't bad, but the writers made me feel like I had walked into the middle of a conversation. Did not seem to really explain the so called horrors that these travelers from the past had gone through in all the time they were traveling. I feel we should have had a lot more background story. Plus I had a problem with the green monster that was terrorizing all the people on the planet that they found for the colonists...I dont know, just seems a bit hokey. Though I did enjoy when everyone decided it was time to "mow the lawn"It just seemed like I was reading a sequel where I never read the first book...characters were not fleshed out as well as they could have been, Especially Uhura's friend from the past.I did rather enjoy Chekov meeting an old family member, Chekov has always been my favorite character (In fact I judge a lot of ST books as to how well they use Chekov, and if they bother to put in his accent even better...one gripe I have is a lot of writers will go through the trouble of doing Scotty's accent but not Chekov's. Seems to me if your gonna bother doing one you have to do the other as well...oh well) It's not a horrible book, I've read worse ST books, but I'm not sure if I can really recommend it...read it for yourself and make up your own mind

ST-TOS:Across the Universe
Star Trek - The Original Series:Across the Universe written by Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski is a ship from the past novel that is looking for a place to start a new colony book.

This book is a weak story and the planetary intellegence (a large green moss like substance) is ruthless or so it seems, in its protection of its nerve center. As this adventure unfolds, Kirk and the Enterprise crew try to solve the problem of finding a place for a group of 21st century colonists that time has left behind from the colony ship Hawking and dealing with a planetary intellegence that no one has previously seen.

The story plot is rather weak and the book is short, with those two things going for it makes for a quick short read.I wouldn't recommend reading this book as it is not that well-written and doesn't challenge the reader.I thought that this book was written more for the juvinile mindset not a sophisticated TREK fan.

This book can garner no more than 3 stars and that is generous under the circumstances.

Not too high on the list!
Starfleet has discovered an early model ship from earth's past.The Enterprise is dispatched to intercept the ship and meet with its crew.Once Captain Kirk meets with the ships captain, he has some initial doubts.Despite his doubts, he finds himself liking the captain and his crew.The inhabitants of the ship were originally on course to a distant planet to start a new colony.Once they meet up with Captain Kirk and the Enterprise, they discover the planet they were heading to no longer exists.Left without a place to go, Starfleet finds them a colony world to go to.When they arrive at the colony world though, they find that they may have gone to a planet that is on the verge of destroying the colony and all of it's inhabitants.
At it's core, this story has an interesting premise, unfortunately, the author's do not in my opinion, bring it to fruition."Across the Universe" is one of the few Star Trek books that I found to be hardly captivating.At only 217 pages, this is an extremely short trek book.Hopefully any future trek books I read by these authors will be a lot better than this one.

What an awful book!
I cannot recommend this book even to the hardcore fans of ST universe. The flat pompous prose is more then a little irritating. The plot is completely and totally awful. The "lost in time" colonists do not even needto be included. As it is their angle of the story is not developed at all.Similar recovery is much better covered in ST:NG episode. The idea ofliving planet intelligence is also nothing new. I have seen it presented inmuch more interesting and poignant ways, my recent favorite being the"PoTayBee" trilogy from (I believe) McAfrey. Loss of time andmoney and not worth the materials used for printing.

Also, the"serial novel" idea in this format is not the brightest one I'veever seen. Not everyone is such a devoted fan of the ST books (especiallyconsidering the quality of this one.)

And in conclusion I also hadproblems with the cover. Why, for instance, Captain Kirk is the only faceon the cover (he did not play an overly important role)? The backsidepromotion is misleading. Do the people who write them actually bother toread the books?

Maybe I should go down to one star? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not Free SF Reader
The title may give you a rather large clue that this is a book about females.The editor writes a lengthy analysis of women and roles in science fiction at the beginning, looking at various thinigs - the use of women by Asimov and Heinlein for example, and what they had said about them in person.

Obviously she has chosen stories of a particular type to illustrate what she is on about, given the absence of early writers Catherine Moore and Leigh Brackett and including MacLean, the former being obviously superior talents to the Bradleys, Dormans and Dows etc. as far as short stories go.She does mention them though, but dismisses Brackett as too macho for her, basically, and pointing out more interest in 70s era writers and ongoing as far as her topic is concerned.

This is from the 70s, of course, so people reading this now may see it as belaboring the point rather obviously.

That aside, overall a good anthology, with a few lightweight stories alongside the top class Russ and McIntyre pieces, or Wilhelm.

Women Of Wonder : That Only a Mother - Judith Merril
Women Of Wonder : Contagion - Katherine MacLean
Women Of Wonder : The Wind People - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Women Of Wonder : The Ship Who Sang [short story] - Anne McCaffrey
Women Of Wonder : When I Was Miss Dow - Sonya Dorman
Women Of Wonder : The Food Farm - Kit Reed
Women Of Wonder : Baby You Were Great - Kate Wilhelm
Women Of Wonder : Sex and/or Mr. Morrison - Carol Emshwiller
Women Of Wonder : Vaster Than Empires and More Slow - Ursula K. Le Guin
Women Of Wonder : False Dawn - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Women Of Wonder : Nobody's Home - Joanna Russ
Women Of Wonder : Of Mist and Grass and Sand - Vonda N. McIntyre


Don't know baby.

2.5 out of 5


Melting sickness bloodless men multiple.

4 out of 5


Alien last stop.

3 out of 5


Rogue rejection replacement return.

3.5 out of 5


Protean patterns.

4 out of 5


Eating restriction.

3.5 out of 5


Reality show acting job way too long.

4 out of 5


Where'd he get the big undies?

2.5 out of 5


Empathetic comeback.

3 out of 5


You lousy Mute!

3 out of 5


Only smart girls at parties, please.

4.5 out of 5


Double serpent treatment.

4.5 out of 5


... Read more