The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction is a new collection that features 25 hard sci-fi stories that really push the boundaries, from names like Charles Stross, Robert Reed, Peter Hamilton, and Neal Asher. Highlights feature a perpetual war fought within a cosmic string; a machine that detects alternate worlds and creates a choice of Christs; murder in virtual reality; and a spaceship so large that there's an entire planetary system within it.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Nice snapshot of edgy SF:
If you like edgy SF or are interested in what lies near the horizons of SF thinking, then give this one a whirl. It's far from encycolpedic, just one editors view, but the selections are reasonable and stretch far beyond your standard space opera's. The stories are engaging, by known authors and the science (where it's used) is effective and good enough to suspend belief for the duration.
Hit and Miss:
Some of the stories in this book are great examples of extreme science fiction. They are well written, well thought out, and just a blast to read. Others, though, are not at all. They are contrived, boring, and don't really have anything in their subject matter that could be considered 'extreme.' If you can find it cheap, I'd still suggest buying it.
Not Free SF Reader:
Ashley has done very well here, putting together an excellent collection of stories (3.95 average), even including one he has resurrected from 1909. Nice work indeed on his extreme them. Mammoth Book of Extreme SF : Extreme Science Fiction - Mike Ashley
Mammoth Book of Extreme SF : Anomalies - Gregory Benford
Mammoth Book of Extreme SF : ...And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon - Paul Di Filippo
Mammoth Book of Extreme SF : Crucifixion Variations - Lawrence Person
Mammoth Book of... more info
The SF is extreme, but not all that interesting:
Unlike a previous customer review of the Extreme Science Fiction anthology, I'm writing this review after reading the entire book, every story, all 562 pages. First I'd like to address the fact that most of the stories have been previously published. (Although there are actually three new stories original to this book.) I've been reading science fiction on and off for nearly four decades and have been a subscriber to F&SF for almost all of that time, and there were only one or two of these stories I had... more info
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