Status
Available
Publication
Apex Book Company (2014), Paperback, 294 pages
Description
War is everywhere. Not only among the firefights, in the sweat dripping from heavy armor and the clenching grip on your weapon, but also wedging itself deep into families, infiltrating our love letters, hovering in the air above our heads. It's in our dreams and our text messages. At times it roars with adrenaline. While at others it slips in silently so it can sit beside you until you forget it's there. Join Joe Haldeman, Linda Nagata, Karin Lowachee, Ken Liu, Jay Posey, and more as they take you on a tour of the battlefields. From those hurtling through space in spaceships and winding along trails deep in the jungle with bullets whizzing overhead, to the ones hiding behind calm smiles, waiting patiently to reveal itself in those quiet moments when we feel safest. War Stories brings us 23 stories of the impacts of war, showcasing the systems, combat, armor, and aftermath without condemnation or glorification. Instead, War Stories reveals the truth. War is what we are.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member MsHooker
As a military fiction fan and a sci fi fan this was the best of both worlds in one. I loved how most of the stories were from either a LBGT perspective or a female one. Also the various views of war from authors(and in a lot of cases soldiers), from not only different branches but different
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countries. There were one or two stories that were very difficult to read because their wordiness caused them to be pretentious and drag on(one in particular). Over all though I would recommend this book and would like to see some authors turn the short stories into full length books. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dokfintong
Science Fiction stories about war with the leadoff piece by Joe Haldeman. Most of the stories in this collection are pretty good, none is politically horrible. The book was funded through Kickstarter, which is interesting too.
I received a review copy of War Stories: New Military Science Fiction
I received a review copy of War Stories: New Military Science Fiction
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edited by Jaym Gates and Andrew Liptak through Librarything.com. Show Less
LibraryThing member silentq
This was a Kickstarter project, I put in enough to get a paperback copy of this anthology of new war stories with an s/f bent. It starts off with a chill, Joe Handleman's story about a veteran's nightmare from Vietnam had me physically shuddering when I got to the end. PTSD, desertion, loyalty,
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remote warfare, soldiers of all kinds in all kinds of battles, lots of topics get covered and the quality is high throughout. Only one story had me wondering what the point of it was. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Mostly Meh. As ever with a collection of short stories there are hits and misses, but there were only one or two in this book that I genuinely felt worked well as short stories, and even then they were few that were actually mil-SF as it's commonly known. Yes all the stories featured war and
But there were some good stories in there, mostly the middle and later sections. Some inventive technology and a recognition of biology changing the way we think of weapons. The WarHosts and War Dog were particularly clever. There were plenty of thoughts along the lines of drones, augmented robots, the fallibility of AI, and the re-occurring soldier ported into another body to fight on. There were no stories about the glory of war from a distant perspective. Which given that these were all written by those invovled with the forces in some way is probably the most telling commentary of all.
As ever it's hard to tell who the intended audience for this book is, not me. Probably that small sub-set of forces involved people and families who also like SF. But those may well enjoy it, as I didn't feel any of the stories were bad, mostly just not aimed at me.
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soldiers as part of it - either as heroes or the enemy, as those left behind or doing the leaving. But Mil-SF is more than just a story that features a soldier, as these frequently didn't have that spirit de-corps which characterises Mil-SF. They are more personal tales, more of the horror and feelings of war than Mil-SF manages. Sometimes this is a good thing, Mil-SF is not a favourite sub-genre of mine, but more usually it meant they didn't work as stories either, starting and stopping without having achieved anything. Far too many (over three quarters) of the authors committed the cardinal sin of re-working today's conflicts into the future. Al-Kaida will not be a threat 2000yrs from now. Syria etc ditto. Vietnam is already ancient history, despite how relevant it may seem to vets from that era. At least Russia was mostly given a break. But there were some good stories in there, mostly the middle and later sections. Some inventive technology and a recognition of biology changing the way we think of weapons. The WarHosts and War Dog were particularly clever. There were plenty of thoughts along the lines of drones, augmented robots, the fallibility of AI, and the re-occurring soldier ported into another body to fight on. There were no stories about the glory of war from a distant perspective. Which given that these were all written by those invovled with the forces in some way is probably the most telling commentary of all.
As ever it's hard to tell who the intended audience for this book is, not me. Probably that small sub-set of forces involved people and families who also like SF. But those may well enjoy it, as I didn't feel any of the stories were bad, mostly just not aimed at me.
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LibraryThing member David_Martella
I received this book as a free electronic copy from Library Thing Early Reviewers.
For a large collection, I was pleasantly surprised by how few of the stories weren't quite up to what I expected. In general I was very pleased, and enjoyed reading the various viewpoints expressed by the authors. I
For a large collection, I was pleasantly surprised by how few of the stories weren't quite up to what I expected. In general I was very pleased, and enjoyed reading the various viewpoints expressed by the authors. I
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also liked the way the book was divided up into general categories - a good framing device for the individual stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member raisamichele
I finished reading the anthology today. My favorite short-story is"Ghost Girl". The diction and style of writing really caught my attention. I enjoyed reading this book, because I read one short-story every other day.
LibraryThing member amnoteor
Several reviewers have added excellent, detailed reviews to which I have little to add.
As a collection, the theme of "war" is simply too wide-spread, and I found it fatiguing to jump from one short story to another with wildly different assumptions and contexts -- this is one of the challenges of
As a veteran, I know that there is a vast range of responses to the "other" with whom we do battle. These range from seeing them as "wholly other" - zombies, robots, "Buggers" or stereotypical jihadists or 'gooks' -- to the near-comradeship sense of being fellow warriors who are not understood by non-combatants and civilians. This can explain some of the Rambo-like approaches, as well as the almost blase descriptions of the enemy; both are typical.
The collection, like any collection, varies in quality and interest, and your mileage may vary. It would have benefitted from a much stronger Introduction to set more clearly a theme or the reasons for inclusion of some of the pieces, and possibly a brief introduction (say, the author's bio) to aid in the transition from one story to the next.
As a collection, the theme of "war" is simply too wide-spread, and I found it fatiguing to jump from one short story to another with wildly different assumptions and contexts -- this is one of the challenges of
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"mil-SF" which is not a genre I'm strongly attracted to.As a veteran, I know that there is a vast range of responses to the "other" with whom we do battle. These range from seeing them as "wholly other" - zombies, robots, "Buggers" or stereotypical jihadists or 'gooks' -- to the near-comradeship sense of being fellow warriors who are not understood by non-combatants and civilians. This can explain some of the Rambo-like approaches, as well as the almost blase descriptions of the enemy; both are typical.
The collection, like any collection, varies in quality and interest, and your mileage may vary. It would have benefitted from a much stronger Introduction to set more clearly a theme or the reasons for inclusion of some of the pieces, and possibly a brief introduction (say, the author's bio) to aid in the transition from one story to the next.
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LibraryThing member Anome
The trick with compiling an anthology of stories on a theme, is in collecting different stories that represent that theme, without being repetitive. Unfortunately, I think the editors here have failed.
Their decision to group the stories into sub-genres doesn't help. The first section is about
Another oddity is the opening, ungrouped story by Joe Haldeman. Again, it doesn't really fit SF, and I suspect the only reason for its inclusion is Haldeman's reputation. It's a very interesting, short vignette, with a slight horror theme, but ultimately it's an historical story about Vietnam. (And I don't mean that allegorically.)
In short, like many anthologies, there are a few gems here, but it really would have been helped by not grouping the stories in the way they did.
Their decision to group the stories into sub-genres doesn't help. The first section is about
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autonomous attack vehicles. Only one of them really looks at it from a different angle to the others, and arguably that isn't particularly SF.Another oddity is the opening, ungrouped story by Joe Haldeman. Again, it doesn't really fit SF, and I suspect the only reason for its inclusion is Haldeman's reputation. It's a very interesting, short vignette, with a slight horror theme, but ultimately it's an historical story about Vietnam. (And I don't mean that allegorically.)
In short, like many anthologies, there are a few gems here, but it really would have been helped by not grouping the stories in the way they did.
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LibraryThing member ConalO
I received this book as a free electronic copy from Library Thing Early Reviewers.
War Stories is a group of well written short stories that are all related in some way to War or related activities. There are stories within that should appeal to many fans of this genre, including several that I
4 Stars for enjoyable reads and perfectly suited for any fan of the military or military SF genres.
War Stories is a group of well written short stories that are all related in some way to War or related activities. There are stories within that should appeal to many fans of this genre, including several that I
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would love to read additional stories or novels about. As in most collections, you will find some stories that appeal to you more than others and this is the case as I made my way through this. I especially enjoyed Light and Shadow by Linda Nagata, In the Loop by Ken Liu and Suits by James L. Sutter but they were certainly not the only enjoyable material in this collection.4 Stars for enjoyable reads and perfectly suited for any fan of the military or military SF genres.
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LibraryThing member rnmackrn26
War Stories is a nice addition to the growing number of military science fiction anthologies. Well put together, broken up into general themes like Aftermath, Combat Systems, and Armored Forces, each author has written character-driven stories showing the effects of war on the soldier. high
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recommendations for even the beginning science fiction reader because these stories are so accessible. Show Less
LibraryThing member Gkarlives
This collection of military science fiction was a mixed bag of near future to far future military fiction. A good read overall but not a stunning study of military life in fiction. Warning, the very first story by Joe Haldeman deals with the recovery of human remains and is graphically descriptive.
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The stories that resonated best for me were the ones dealing with the aftermath of the wars, in particularly Black Butterflies, which dealt with what soldiers unknowingly give away to their leaders. Worth a read. Show Less
LibraryThing member sgtbigg
A collection of short stories, most of which I enjoyed. There was only one I actually disliked and one I was so-so about. Other than one story by Joe Haldeman, the stories are written by mostly newer writers. If you like military SF this is a good collection.
LibraryThing member meiloslyther
I wanted sci-fi war stories and man, did I get them! I liked most of them and loved a lot of them. Some had some very off-the-wall worlds/technologies, but the authors of each story made it very easy to just sink right into the world. My only wish is that some of them had been longer.
LibraryThing member bearlyr
As is true in any short story collection, there were stories that I really liked and others not so much. Overall, however, I really enjoyed this collection. Don't expect many happy endings, after all these are war stories! These stories are by all means something different!
LibraryThing member cuentosalgernon
I’m not a fan of Military Science Fiction, but when I saw among the contributors of this anthology some authors I like and that I don’t associate with that kind of fiction I thought that maybe this stories would be something different. And I was right, as what we find here is a bunch of stories
The stories are divided in four groups according to its theme (Wartime Systems, Combat, Armored Force and Aftermath), which a priori seemed a good idea, so I read them in order. But if I were to read this book again, I would probably jump from one group to another, to avoid a slight feeling of repetition.
Despite the aforementioned problems, I enjoyed most of the stories, and my favorites were those by Ken Liu, Yoon Ha Lee, Carlos Orsi and Keith Brooke. All in all, an interesting and worth-reading anthology for any SF fans, although not memorable.
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dealing more with personal and moral conflicts during and after the war, than revolving around battles and the war itself. Although I liked some stories better than others, of course, I found that the level was more uniform than usual in this kind of book. This was not bad, as it meant that there was only one story I actually dislike, but on the other hand it wasn’t so good, as I didn’t find any of them impressive either, with most of the stories in the OK range, and a few in the good or pretty good one. The stories are divided in four groups according to its theme (Wartime Systems, Combat, Armored Force and Aftermath), which a priori seemed a good idea, so I read them in order. But if I were to read this book again, I would probably jump from one group to another, to avoid a slight feeling of repetition.
Despite the aforementioned problems, I enjoyed most of the stories, and my favorites were those by Ken Liu, Yoon Ha Lee, Carlos Orsi and Keith Brooke. All in all, an interesting and worth-reading anthology for any SF fans, although not memorable.
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LibraryThing member Davros-10
Let me state up front that I received an eBook edition of this book as an early reviewer's giveaway through LibraryThing.
It has long been my contention that writing a "good" short story is harder than writing a "good" book. In a short story you cannot "waste" pages supplying a back story,
As a result, many anthologies are rather a hit and miss affair. And so is this collection, but thankfully not only are there more hits than misses, but the number of stories contained in it (23) means that once you have finished all the stories the misses tend to be swept under the carpet by better stories.
The stories are divided into four grouped themes: Wartime Systems, Combat, Armoured Force, and Aftermath. Traditionally my tastes in science fiction would generally have followed this order if I had to state my preferences for sub-themes.
It was therefore somewhat surprising and to discover the first story in the Aftermath section, "War Dog". This story is simply amazing, with the reader discovering on every page a change in direction and theme, until the final, sorrowful yet strangely beautiful, ending. It is a story that should be approached with an open mind, and no preconceived hint of its content.
Also of note are "Suits", "In Loco", "Black Butterflies", and the story which serves as an introduction to the book, "Graves" by Joe Haldeman.
The overall theme? War is us, and we are all scarred by it.
It has long been my contention that writing a "good" short story is harder than writing a "good" book. In a short story you cannot "waste" pages supplying a back story,
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explaining the motives of the major characters, or, in science fiction and fantasy stories, describing the universe.As a result, many anthologies are rather a hit and miss affair. And so is this collection, but thankfully not only are there more hits than misses, but the number of stories contained in it (23) means that once you have finished all the stories the misses tend to be swept under the carpet by better stories.
The stories are divided into four grouped themes: Wartime Systems, Combat, Armoured Force, and Aftermath. Traditionally my tastes in science fiction would generally have followed this order if I had to state my preferences for sub-themes.
It was therefore somewhat surprising and to discover the first story in the Aftermath section, "War Dog". This story is simply amazing, with the reader discovering on every page a change in direction and theme, until the final, sorrowful yet strangely beautiful, ending. It is a story that should be approached with an open mind, and no preconceived hint of its content.
Also of note are "Suits", "In Loco", "Black Butterflies", and the story which serves as an introduction to the book, "Graves" by Joe Haldeman.
The overall theme? War is us, and we are all scarred by it.
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LibraryThing member Sturgeon
War Stories, by various authors is a compilation of war stories (no surprise there), mostly science fiction, and all focusing on the characters more so than the battles. I admit to being unsure about this novel, but after ignoring it for far too long, I finally dove in and was immediately surprised
You will run the gambit of emotions with this one, and after finishing one short story, you want to immediately tear into the next one as there are no dogs here. Each author, in their own unique way, kidnaps your attention.
This is an easy five star in my mind – something I never do lightly. Just buy the book. You won’t regret it.
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by the character depth and realism these writers display.You will run the gambit of emotions with this one, and after finishing one short story, you want to immediately tear into the next one as there are no dogs here. Each author, in their own unique way, kidnaps your attention.
This is an easy five star in my mind – something I never do lightly. Just buy the book. You won’t regret it.
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
I wanted to like this collection more than I did. I finished it with the feeling that if this was the best that science fiction can do with the concept of war, it was perhaps best left alone. The stories range from near future stories of drone warfare to more fanciful tales of cyborgs and such,
Too many of the stories strained my credulity, with military technology I had a hard time believing in. I guess this is a difficult in general of military sf, as contemporary warfare moves increasingly toward drones-- how do we maintain the human element necessary for storytelling? Many stories accomplishes this by having the combat drones used human bodies and/or human minds in some integral way, but I often found this hard to buy. The AI in Susan Jane Bigelow's "The Radio," for example, had implausibly few instructions on what to do if separated from her unit. "Invincible" by Jay Posey had the typical armored suits that go back to Starship Troopers, I guess, which felt a little trite. A few stories used these, so many that the book actually has a section devoted to them, but they began to blend together after a while. Some authors gamely tried to come up with new spins on them, like Carlos Orsi's "In Loco," but I found that story somewhat contrived, to be honest.
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some set during conflict, and some dealing with its aftereffects, but I found little here that grabbed my attention. Ken Liu's "In the Loop" was an interesting take on the automation of warfare (if a trifle conservative). I did like the monitoring wasps of Mark Jacobsen's "The Wasp Keepers," a plausible enough take on how Middle Eastern "peace-keeping" might go someday. The most best story in the book was Karin Lowachee's "Enemy State," about the lover of a combat-augmented cyborg dealing with posttraumatic stress. Like, say, Cordwainer's Smith "Scanners Live in Vain," it uses bodily alteration partially as a stand-in for the mental alteration war inflicts on those who fight it, and I found it moving in parts.Too many of the stories strained my credulity, with military technology I had a hard time believing in. I guess this is a difficult in general of military sf, as contemporary warfare moves increasingly toward drones-- how do we maintain the human element necessary for storytelling? Many stories accomplishes this by having the combat drones used human bodies and/or human minds in some integral way, but I often found this hard to buy. The AI in Susan Jane Bigelow's "The Radio," for example, had implausibly few instructions on what to do if separated from her unit. "Invincible" by Jay Posey had the typical armored suits that go back to Starship Troopers, I guess, which felt a little trite. A few stories used these, so many that the book actually has a section devoted to them, but they began to blend together after a while. Some authors gamely tried to come up with new spins on them, like Carlos Orsi's "In Loco," but I found that story somewhat contrived, to be honest.
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Language
Original publication date
2014-10
Physical description
294 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
1937009262 / 9781937009267