James Nicoll Reviews

Jonathan Strahan’s 2024 New Adventures in Space Opera is an anthology of recent space opera stories.

SF has long had a bountiful supply of anthologists. How can any one of them stand out? Strahan’s surname is a variation on my mother’s maiden name. This is such an obvious way to ensure that I notice someone that I don’t know why more editors do not do it.

When I was editing for the Science Fiction Book Club, they sent me a number of Strahan anthologies. Never as many as I wanted. Strahan’s name on an anthology was a promising sign. I thought him equal to Groff Conklin¹.

In retrospect, there’s an important difference between Strahan and Conklin.

Added later: I incorrectly used Anya Johanna DeNiro’s deadname. This was an error and I apologize.

Which is that Strahan not only is aware that women exist, he’s willing to include their stories in his books, As I recall, Conklin went out of his way to avoid including women in his anthologies or at least was adept at overlooking them.

I deferred reading this book because I assumed it had to be a tome. Anthology, big, right? Blame ebooks again, which are as useless for indicating brevity as they are at revealing length. In fact, the book is only three-hundred-odd pages.

As I expected, the anthology was a delightful read.

I will say that the anthology reminds me (again) of how much of-their-time SF stories tend to be. Were these stories to appear mixed with space opera tales of a much older vintage, readers would find it easy to sort the modern stories, consistently dismissive of imperialist excesses, from the old narratives, which often thought space thrones and galactic crowns were terribly cool.

This is where I’d normally list the stand out stories. In this case, the quality of the narratives is consistent and it’s hard to pick out any particular favorites or duds. Give the anthology a chance and you will see what I mean.

New Adventures in Space Opera is available here (Amazon US), here (Amazon Canada), here (Amazon UK), here (Apple Books), here (Barnes & Noble), here (Chapters-Indigo), and here (Words Worth Books).

Introduction: From the Space Opera to Here… • essay by Jonathan Strahan

Strahan gives readers a pocket history of space opera, while wrestling with the same issue that Hartwell and Cramer did in another space opera-related anthology: the meaning of the term evolved over time.

“Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance” • (2017) • short story by Tobias S. Buckell

A robot is constrained by its programming to assist a malevolent CEO’s escape from justice… but it’s not as constrained as the CEO believes.

Extracurricular Activities • [The Machineries of Empire] • (2017) • novelette by Yoon Ha Lee

Interstellar man of mystery Shuos Jedao is dispatched by the unlovable Hexarchate to determine why one of their intelligence-gathering/merchant ships fell silent after sending a distress call. Shous learns many interesting things, including that he was insufficiently briefed.

“All the Colors You Thought Were Kings” • (2016) • short story by Arkady Martine

Empress duels her clone daughter Tamar to determine who shall rule. The empress is more experienced, but corrupted by power. Tamar is more ruthless, but inexperienced. Who shall prevail?

Tamar is also convinced that she will be an improvement over her clone mother, which the text does not really support. I wonder if there was ever a follow-up story to this piece?

“Belladonna Nights” • [House of Suns] • (2017) • short story by Alastair Reynolds

Why does quasi-immortal Campion leave flowers for fellow quasi-immortal Shaula. Will it serve Shaula well to find out?

“Metal Like Blood in the Dark” • (2020) • short story by Ursula Vernon [as by T. Kingfisher]

On the advice of their ailing creator, robots Brother and Sister flee into space. Their naiveté makes the pair an easy target for predatory Third Drone… at least at the start.

This is Hansel and Gretel as robots, IN SPACE. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

“A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime” • (2017) • novelette by Charlie Jane Anders

Space scallywags are caught between a civilization of cruel sybarites and a rapacious space monster, with only their cunning to save them.

“Immersion” • [Universe of Xuya] • (2012) • short story by Aliette de Bodard

The benevolent Galactics are here to help; the only price will be autonomy and local culture.

“Morrigan in the Sunglare” • (2014) • short story by Seth Dickinson

Can pacifism and empathy survive an era of relentless, merciless warfare?

Well, this was depressing.

“The Old Dispensation” • (2017) • short story by Lavie Tidhar

An agent dispatched to deal with heretics returns with unwanted truths.

“A Good Heretic” • [Wayfarers] • (2019) • short story by Becky Chambers

Unable (for reasons beyond her control) to conform with her species’ cultural expectations, Mas searches for a path out of self-loathing and towards self-realization.

A Voyage to Queensthroat • (2020) • short story by Anya Johanna DeNiro

A refugee from a fallen empire is provoked beyond bearing by barbarians who woefully underestimate him.

The Justified • (2019) • novelette by Ann Leckie

Het has no choice but to heed the living god Merur’s summons. Someone, Merur is certain, is scheming against Merur. Can a living god be wrong? Het must determine who. Revelations follow.

“Planetstuck” • (2023) • novelette by Sam J. Miller

A sex-worker/intelligence broker is astonished to find a relic from their homeworld, a relic dated after all portals leading to that world were destroyed. At least one portal must have survived. What will be the price demanded for access?

A mystery: I know I have read this before. I have no idea where I read it. None of the entries on ISFDB look familiar.

“The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir” • (2019) • short story by Karin Tidbeck

Crewmates conspire to assist the being around whom their starship is built, even though this serves no useful financial end.

1: Readers unfamiliar with Conklin might consider visiting their friendly local bookstore, whose shelves are no doubt well stocked with Conklin, Dikty, and Merril anthologies.