New Adventures in Space Opera
New Adventures in Space Opera ed. by Jonathan Strahan
there is almost literally a galaxy of stars in this collection, wow, and SO MANY banger stories!! it's clear to me by now that i love space opera, so these were all right up my alley. some were more to my taste than others, which is the case with any multi-author collection, but overall it's a stunning collection that really showcases everything space opera can be!
i particularly want to highlight Strahan's introduction, which does a really brilliant job of wrangling the slippery definition of what space opera is, has been, and could be—and defining the basic criteria he used to determine what stories to include in a space opera collection that is meant to explore the edges of the boundaries. "First, a space opera should primarily take place in space, either on ship or station, and only occasionally touchdown on a planetary surface. Second, it should take place in a populated universe. When the protagonist of the story ventures forth, they must encounter someone. And, finally, the stakes should be high...it should feel like the world might, emotionally or physically, be about to end." clear! straightforward! much room for variation! (this also brought home to me that a short story i'm currently working on is also space opera, which i hadn't clocked before in my vibes-based process)
from this basic definition, Strahan goes on to elaborate how space opera evolved over time, the changing of trends, the moving away from colonialism and manifest destiny toward more diversity and a hard look at the impacts of empire. this sets the stage so beautifully for all the wonders that follow, stories that question the limits of humanity and consciousness, the intricacies of morality and resistance, the universality of emotion and compassion. specific highlights for me were "Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance" by Tobias S. Buckell, "Belladonna Nights" by Alastair Reynolds, "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher, "The Old Dispensation" by Lavie Tidhar, "A Good Heretic" by Becky Chambers, "A Voyage to Queensthroat" by Anya Johanna DeNiro, and "The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir" by Karin Tidbeck. Almost every story was catnip to me, but these in particular stood out as stunners!
this was a fascinating journey of a collection, i can't wait to get a physical copy and have it on my shelf.
the deets
how i read it: an e-galley from NetGalley again! i know that's all i read anymore but i'm making progress through the backlog.
try this if you: are into space opera obviously, love to be surprised by what you're reading, really dig questions of what a human is and what a person is, or are excited for a lot of queers in space!
some lines i really liked: a really random assortment of delights
The cards were just to give his hands something to do. He had considered taking up crochet, but thanks to an incident earlier in the term, crochet hooks, knitting needles, and fountain pens were no longer permitted in class. from "Extracurricular Activities" by Yoon Ha Lee
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Under the drape of your overjacket, snugged up to your spine like you're its best lovecrush, are the disassembled pieces of a sniper rifle. Nestled right at the small of your back is the lead-shielded explosive heart of an electromagnetic pulse bomb. from "All the Colors You Thought Were Kings" by Arkady Martine
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"We will protect you," said Sister fiercely, and the old man winced. He had never programmed ferocity into them, but love had a way of waking other things that never felt the touch of code. from "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher
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By the side of the rock there was a small, makeshift hut, a little like a Passover sukkah. It is the holiday we celebrate for passing from the old universe to this one, so long ago, and the presence of the sukkah was incongruous in these surroundings. Here, amidst the hidden denizens of the Ashmoret Laila, our Passover was no cause for celebration, but for mourning; for what we call Passover, they inexplicably call Invasion. from "The Old Dispensation" by Lavie Tidhar
pub date: August 13, 2024! hop in your spaceship and go get it!
