Call number
Genres
Publication
Urbana: Golden Gryphon Press, 2004, c2002
Pages
288
Description
Is it possible to interfere with history in a moral way, especially if profit is the primary motivation for doing so? Is it possible to sustain any ethical standards at all when handed what amounts to unlimited power? These and other shadowy questions are raised in this book, the unofficial history of Dr Zeus, Inc -- known to its employees simply as the Company. This collection brings together the early Company stories in one volume for the first time. Also included are new stories, three previously unpublished, and one, 'The Queen in Yellow' written exclusively for this book. Science-fiction fans will follow the secret activities of the Company's field agents -- once human, now centuries-old time-travelling immortal cyborgs: Botanist Mendoza's search for the rare hallucinogenic Black Elysium grape in 1844 Spanish-held Santa Barbara, California; Facilitator Joseph's dreamlike solicitation of the ailing Robert Louis Stevenson in 1879; Marine Salvage Specialist Kalugin's recovering of an invaluable Eug#65533;ne Delacroix painting from a sunken yacht off the coast of Los Angeles in 1894; and Literature Preservationist Lewis's retrieval of priceless literary artefacts, in 1914 Egypt, from the mummy case of Princess Sit-Hathor-Yunet.… (more)
Awards
Locus Recommended Reading (Collection — 2002)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2004-10
Physical description
288 p.; 8.36 inches
ISBN
1930846304 / 9781930846302
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User reviews
LibraryThing member wizardsheart
This short story collection is great for anyone who enjoys the Company series. I haven't read that far into the series, so was very glad to pick this up and get some more tidbits into The Company and the operatives. I read all the stories and though there were one or two that I didnt care that much
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for...all in all it was a great compilation with some very interesting stories. If you enjoy Baker's Company series, then this is highly recommended! Show Less
LibraryThing member SithCrow
i think this was the first of the "company" books that i actually read -- which doesn't really count since it's a short story collection. if nothing else, i love baker's comments on her stories -- the little anecdote she tells about "the first ever company story" brought me nearly to tears in the
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middle of borders. Show Less
LibraryThing member PuddinTame
I have very mixed feelings about these stories. I don't know how comprehensible they would be to someone who hasn't had Baker's universe explained to them, but the stories are enthralling, wise and witty. One might want to first read at least the beginning of In the Garden of Iden (The Company)
The Company novels are based on the premise that written history cannot be altered, but unrecorded history can. This is apparently "cannot" in the strict sense of the word, as in not possible, not "cannot" in the sense of forbidden or imprudent. This is a pretty weak premise: how can being recorded fix history, especially given that historical accounts are often contradictory? If the only account is actually inaccurate, does that alter history? What happens when the accepted account is altered by new material or archeological evidence? However, I am generally willing to allow one weak premise to get a good story going.
There is a distinction here: there are anomolies that the characters notice, and which supply part of the plot. I am referring here to oddities that none of them seem to see.
Reading these short stories seriously strains the premise: in one story, an operative saves a doomed infant - are we to understand that this must mean that the infant's society wouldn't have recorded his early death? Or that at no time in his life will his existence be noted, he won't have children? Would the medical procedures would have mysteriously failed if he belonged to a society that kept detailed records, or if his mother kept a diary or if he had descendents who would one day enter the written record?
Much of the activity of the Company agents is recovering and secreting items that were historically lost. Logically, however, the items could not be found before the order went out to rescue them (in the 24th century) or written history would be altered if the rediscovery of the artifact is noted. The recovery is often the focus of the plot in these stories: in one of the short stories, papers are taken out of an Egyptian tomb opened in 1914; at least one of them shows up in the 22d century and thereafter dramatically affects history. The story is gripping and hysterically funny, but this violation of the logic of Baker's universe bothers me.
I found the story "The Hotel at Harlan's Landing" haunting and reminiscent of the Twilight Zone. I was spellbound while reading it, but later I couldn't help wondering why the Courier cyborg in "Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kulagin" has a locater beacon that goes off when it is damaged and the damaged cyborg in this story doesn't. And why would someone unnecessarily force a physical confrontation when at a numerical disadvantage?
Several of the stories are about Alex, who I suspect is connected with Nicholas and Edward, featured in the novels. I enjoyed the stories as a comment on overly-organized and protective societies, but his sidekick "Captain Henry Morgan" is a bit too twee for me. I have this horrible feeling that Alex will be appearing in a swooning novel in the future.
Readers presumably know their own tastes. The reader that doesn't avoid science fiction, or who isn't bothered by logical inconsistencies will have some wonderful writing to enjoy.
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where the premise is explained. I thoroughly enjoyed reading most of them. They just aren't very good science fiction - Baker's universe is losing the integrity that separates science fiction from fiction with fantastic touches. The Company novels are based on the premise that written history cannot be altered, but unrecorded history can. This is apparently "cannot" in the strict sense of the word, as in not possible, not "cannot" in the sense of forbidden or imprudent. This is a pretty weak premise: how can being recorded fix history, especially given that historical accounts are often contradictory? If the only account is actually inaccurate, does that alter history? What happens when the accepted account is altered by new material or archeological evidence? However, I am generally willing to allow one weak premise to get a good story going.
There is a distinction here: there are anomolies that the characters notice, and which supply part of the plot. I am referring here to oddities that none of them seem to see.
Reading these short stories seriously strains the premise: in one story, an operative saves a doomed infant - are we to understand that this must mean that the infant's society wouldn't have recorded his early death? Or that at no time in his life will his existence be noted, he won't have children? Would the medical procedures would have mysteriously failed if he belonged to a society that kept detailed records, or if his mother kept a diary or if he had descendents who would one day enter the written record?
Much of the activity of the Company agents is recovering and secreting items that were historically lost. Logically, however, the items could not be found before the order went out to rescue them (in the 24th century) or written history would be altered if the rediscovery of the artifact is noted. The recovery is often the focus of the plot in these stories: in one of the short stories, papers are taken out of an Egyptian tomb opened in 1914; at least one of them shows up in the 22d century and thereafter dramatically affects history. The story is gripping and hysterically funny, but this violation of the logic of Baker's universe bothers me.
I found the story "The Hotel at Harlan's Landing" haunting and reminiscent of the Twilight Zone. I was spellbound while reading it, but later I couldn't help wondering why the Courier cyborg in "Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kulagin" has a locater beacon that goes off when it is damaged and the damaged cyborg in this story doesn't. And why would someone unnecessarily force a physical confrontation when at a numerical disadvantage?
Several of the stories are about Alex, who I suspect is connected with Nicholas and Edward, featured in the novels. I enjoyed the stories as a comment on overly-organized and protective societies, but his sidekick "Captain Henry Morgan" is a bit too twee for me. I have this horrible feeling that Alex will be appearing in a swooning novel in the future.
Readers presumably know their own tastes. The reader that doesn't avoid science fiction, or who isn't bothered by logical inconsistencies will have some wonderful writing to enjoy.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jeanned
These stories rehash some story lines included in previous books about The Company and fills in some gaps, particulary about the time Mendoza spent roaming about California all by herself. Having said that, there are tidbits scattered throughout these stories that are pertinent to the culmination
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of The Company series, "The Sons of Heaven." I particularly enjoyed Alec's diddling with the programming of the holographic Shakespeare in "The Dust Enclosed Here." Although I usually don't enjoy the Mendoza character, there are two stories here in which she is the primary cyborg that I did find interesting: "Lemuria Will Rise," in which she encounters a Crome-generating hermit, and "Hanuman," in which she makes the acquaintance of an enhanced early hominid. Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
Various short stories about the cast of the The Company series. Read it somewhere in the middle of the novels.
LibraryThing member mamajoan
This is a collection of short stories set in the "Company" universe. Each story serves to flesh out one (or more) of the recurring characters, and fill in some gaps. If you're reading the Company series you will want to read these stories at some point, especially if you find yourself going "who is
The stories themselves are a bit uneven in terms of quality, but all are interesting in the sense of giving a glimpse into how the series evolved in the author's mind.
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this guy again?" or "what's that plot point they're alluding to?" I would suggest reading these stories after you've read the first 3 or 4 Company novels.The stories themselves are a bit uneven in terms of quality, but all are interesting in the sense of giving a glimpse into how the series evolved in the author's mind.
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LibraryThing member Honeysucklepie
This is a great collection. It kind of fills in some of the blanks of the company and some of characters from the series--it is a short story collection with a short intro by Baker. At first I hated The Machine's Child--what was this hokey pirate theme, well you'll find the answer here...
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
An extremely excellent colletion of Kage Baker's short stories regarding 'The Company.' Three of these were not published previously, and all of them include essential(?) clues and backstory regarding the Company and its mysterious, shadowy projects which interweave the entirety of human
Absolutely a must-read for anyone who's read any of the Company books - or a good introduction to the series.
I'm quoting Wikipedia for the contents summary, cause I'm lazy:
"Contents
The stories in this volume are:
Introduction: The Hounds of Zeus: A brief introduction to the world of The Company.
Noble Mold: Mendoza and Joseph attempt to secure a special plant from a Native American family living in 19th century Mission California.
Smart Alec: On the origins of the mysteriously talented Alec Checkerfield.
Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kalugin: Vasilii Kalugin has a bad week in the company of a very old Company operative.
Old Flat Top: A young Cro-Magnon learns some facts about how his valley came to be settled from the Enforcer Joshua.
The Dust Enclosed Here: A simulacrum of William Shakespeare encounters Alec Checkerfield and comes out of the experience changed.
The Literary Agent: Robert Louis Stevenson hallucinates a strangely contemporary encounter with a Mephistophelean figure who helps him rediscover his inspiration.
Lemuria Will Rise: Mendoza encounters an eccentric hermit in 19th century Pismo Beach.
The Wreck of the Gladstone: Victor and Kalugin have to recover Company property from a wreck off the coast of Los Angeles without damaging the local mortals too badly.
Monster Story: Young Alec Checkerfield goes to take his exams.
Hanuman: Mendoza gets hit on by an augmented australopithecine with a story to tell about his tragic upbringing.
Studio Dick Drowns Near Malibu: Joseph goes to shed one mortal identity and assume a new one, but first he has to resolve a complication.
The Likely Lad: Alec Checkerfield and his amoral pet artificial intelligence take to the high seas.
The Queen in Yellow: Literature Preservation Specialist Lewis is given a job on a dig in Egypt for which he is poorly suited.
The Hotel at Harlan's Landing: A storm on the coast of California during the Great Depression where Company secrets are revealed, and more questions posed.
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history.Absolutely a must-read for anyone who's read any of the Company books - or a good introduction to the series.
I'm quoting Wikipedia for the contents summary, cause I'm lazy:
"Contents
The stories in this volume are:
Introduction: The Hounds of Zeus: A brief introduction to the world of The Company.
Noble Mold: Mendoza and Joseph attempt to secure a special plant from a Native American family living in 19th century Mission California.
Smart Alec: On the origins of the mysteriously talented Alec Checkerfield.
Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kalugin: Vasilii Kalugin has a bad week in the company of a very old Company operative.
Old Flat Top: A young Cro-Magnon learns some facts about how his valley came to be settled from the Enforcer Joshua.
The Dust Enclosed Here: A simulacrum of William Shakespeare encounters Alec Checkerfield and comes out of the experience changed.
The Literary Agent: Robert Louis Stevenson hallucinates a strangely contemporary encounter with a Mephistophelean figure who helps him rediscover his inspiration.
Lemuria Will Rise: Mendoza encounters an eccentric hermit in 19th century Pismo Beach.
The Wreck of the Gladstone: Victor and Kalugin have to recover Company property from a wreck off the coast of Los Angeles without damaging the local mortals too badly.
Monster Story: Young Alec Checkerfield goes to take his exams.
Hanuman: Mendoza gets hit on by an augmented australopithecine with a story to tell about his tragic upbringing.
Studio Dick Drowns Near Malibu: Joseph goes to shed one mortal identity and assume a new one, but first he has to resolve a complication.
The Likely Lad: Alec Checkerfield and his amoral pet artificial intelligence take to the high seas.
The Queen in Yellow: Literature Preservation Specialist Lewis is given a job on a dig in Egypt for which he is poorly suited.
The Hotel at Harlan's Landing: A storm on the coast of California during the Great Depression where Company secrets are revealed, and more questions posed.
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LibraryThing member DLMorrese
This collection contains fourteen short stories set in Kage Baker’s world of time traveling cyborgs and the mysterious Company. I can add little to previous reviews other than to say that these tales provide additional detail into some of the cyborg characters from her other books. It also
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introduces young Alec Checkerfield, who bears a striking resemblance to two human men the Cyborg Mendoza was well acquainted with in previous novels. Alec is a tall lad of remarkable capabilities who hangs out with an AI pirate. He’d make a great character for his own YA series but as to what he might really be, and whether he is a clone of the men he resembles remains unknown. I recommend this collection for all established Kage Baker fans. Show Less
LibraryThing member rocalisa
Black Projects, White Knights (9/10)
As I said in my review of "Dreams Made Flesh", I'm not really much of a reader of short stories. However, I do enjoy them when they tell tales in a universe with which I am familiar. The author doesn't need to spend time on set up and being clever and can just
As I said in my review of "Dreams Made Flesh", I'm not really much of a reader of short stories. However, I do enjoy them when they tell tales in a universe with which I am familiar. The author doesn't need to spend time on set up and being clever and can just
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get on with telling the tale. This is a most enjoyable collection of Company stories that I read through in three days - an indication of quality indeed for me. It fills in a lot of interesting bits and pieces and gives the whole universe Baker has created a deeper flavour. Show Less