Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
San Francisco : Night Shade Books, c2007.
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:An eclipse is a rare and unusual event, when the world is transformed and the sky becomes a dark eldritch thing. It's a time when anything could happen, when any kind of story just might be true. That sense of the strange and wonderful guides Eclipse: New Science Fiction and Fantasy, the first volume in an exciting new annual anthology series edited by acclaimed anthologist Jonathan Strahan. Set to become a major event on the science fiction and fantasy calendar,Eclipse: New Science Fiction and Fantasy gathers together new science fiction and fantasy stories by the best writers working today. You can see that in Eclipse 1, which features extraordinary tales by Peter S. Beagle, Jack Dann & Paul Brandon, Terry Dowling, Andy Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Eileen Gunn, Gwyneth Jones, Ellen Klages, Maureen F. McHugh, Garth Nix, Lucius Shepard, Bruce Sterling and Ysabeau S. Wilce.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member psybre
This anthology consists of 12 stories of fantasy and just 3 that I would term science fiction. They include:
"Unique Chicken Goes In Reverse" by Andy Duncan (**)
"Bad Luck, Trouble Death & Vampire Sex" by Garth Nix (*** 1/2)
"The Last and Only or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French" by Peter S. Beagle (***)
"The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large" by Maureen McHugh (****) A refreshing, unique voice.
"The Drowned Life" by Jeffrey Ford (*** 1/2) A typical Ford blend of urban fantasy and horror.
"Toother" by Terry Dowling (***) Interesting.
"Up the Fire Road" by Eileen Gunn (****) I like the originality in this story the more I think about it.
"In the Forest of the Queen" by Gwyneth Jones (*** 1/2) Cute.
"Quartermaster Returns" by Ysabeau S. Wilce (***)
"Electric Rains" by Kathleen Ann Goonan (****) Post-apocalyptic cyberpunk reminding me some of Butler's "Parables".
"She Creatures" by Margo Lanagan (** 1/2)
"The Transformation of Targ" by Paul Brandon and Jack Dunn (* 1/2) Boring attempt at satire.
"Mrs. Zeno's Paradox" by Ellen Klages (***)
"The Lustration" by Bruce Sterling (**** 1/2) Magnificent prose and idea, if a bit wordy.
"Larissa Miusov" by Lucius Shephard (*** 1/2 to ****) First rate characters that stay with me.
"Unique Chicken Goes In Reverse" by Andy Duncan (**)
"Bad Luck, Trouble Death & Vampire Sex" by Garth Nix (*** 1/2)
"The Last and Only or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French" by Peter S. Beagle (***)
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Interesting."The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large" by Maureen McHugh (****) A refreshing, unique voice.
"The Drowned Life" by Jeffrey Ford (*** 1/2) A typical Ford blend of urban fantasy and horror.
"Toother" by Terry Dowling (***) Interesting.
"Up the Fire Road" by Eileen Gunn (****) I like the originality in this story the more I think about it.
"In the Forest of the Queen" by Gwyneth Jones (*** 1/2) Cute.
"Quartermaster Returns" by Ysabeau S. Wilce (***)
"Electric Rains" by Kathleen Ann Goonan (****) Post-apocalyptic cyberpunk reminding me some of Butler's "Parables".
"She Creatures" by Margo Lanagan (** 1/2)
"The Transformation of Targ" by Paul Brandon and Jack Dunn (* 1/2) Boring attempt at satire.
"Mrs. Zeno's Paradox" by Ellen Klages (***)
"The Lustration" by Bruce Sterling (**** 1/2) Magnificent prose and idea, if a bit wordy.
"Larissa Miusov" by Lucius Shephard (*** 1/2 to ****) First rate characters that stay with me.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
A collection of fifteen original short stories.
I sought out this collection solely for Ysabeau S. Wilce's story, but figured I might as well read the rest while I had the book. I love short fiction, and I've found it to be a good way of discovering new authors.
Some of the stories were very good. I
I did enjoy Peter S. Beagle's "The Last and Only or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French" for the elegance of the language, but it's already fading. I doubt it'll stay with me for long.
Unfortunately, I disliked or was pretty indifferent to the rest of the stories - and they account for about 2/3 of the collection. The writing was decent, in most cases, but the stories never grabbed me. Most were evidently written in the vintage mode, designed to convey a particular effect right near the end. This can be very effective if done right, but I felt that it fell flat with most of them. I'll admit, also, that I skimmed a couple. They instantly put me off, and I just couldn't get into them.
So as a whole, I'd say this is far from essential reading. I doubt I'll seek out any future volumes of the series, and I'll be leery of anything else Strahan has edited/selected. His tastes just don't jive with my own.
I sought out this collection solely for Ysabeau S. Wilce's story, but figured I might as well read the rest while I had the book. I love short fiction, and I've found it to be a good way of discovering new authors.
Some of the stories were very good. I
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enjoyed the Wilce's "Quartermaster Returns" very much; I continue to find her style just delightful, and her worldbuilding is tops. Maureen F. McHugh's "The Lost Boy: A Reporter at Large" was very interesting in its journalistic approach to fiction. "Toother" by Terry Dowling was suitably creepy. "Electric Rains" by Kathleen Ann Goonan was engaging, drawing me into this twisted world and giving me all the information I needed to understand it without ever going overboard. "Larissa Miusov" by Lucius Shepard reminded me very much of Neil Gaiman's work, so far as style and tone go; I found it very readable.I did enjoy Peter S. Beagle's "The Last and Only or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French" for the elegance of the language, but it's already fading. I doubt it'll stay with me for long.
Unfortunately, I disliked or was pretty indifferent to the rest of the stories - and they account for about 2/3 of the collection. The writing was decent, in most cases, but the stories never grabbed me. Most were evidently written in the vintage mode, designed to convey a particular effect right near the end. This can be very effective if done right, but I felt that it fell flat with most of them. I'll admit, also, that I skimmed a couple. They instantly put me off, and I just couldn't get into them.
So as a whole, I'd say this is far from essential reading. I doubt I'll seek out any future volumes of the series, and I'll be leery of anything else Strahan has edited/selected. His tastes just don't jive with my own.
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LibraryThing member RBeffa
"New Science Fiction and Fantasy Eclipse One" was a disappointing anthology of 15 original stories, and as it turned out, primarily darkish fantasy, freakish, creepy, mostly forgettable. Science Fiction? hmmm, a dribble. I wanted to read this collection because there were a couple authors in here
Something that I found missing, and which I think was especially needed for an anthology like this, was an introduction to each story by the editor. There is an "about the authors" section at the end of the collection, but there is nothing in here to tell me why each individual story was chosen. Why did Strahan think each was special? What piqued his interest? What idea grabbed him? Not all anthologies include this, but I think the best do, and it was sorely needed here.
There is by intention no overarching theme to this collection of stories, for better or worse. In the introduction by Strahan he explains why he wanted to start a new anthology series, but as I read through these stories he utterly failed to convince me he was the person for the job. I ended up quite disappointed with this, but other readers might not be. A couple of the stories I really didn't like such as the entries by Jeffrey Ford, Bruce Sterling and Garth Nix. In fact, I disliked the Nix piece so much I didn't even finish it. Halfway was more than enough. The Eileen Gunn piece was very strange. Several good stories balance the really bad, and most are just in the "so-so" area. I found Peter Beagle's well written funny/sad piece offbeat and rather good. Terry Dowling's "Toother" was pretty good, maybe my favorite in here, but it was a horror story. "Electric Rains" by Kathleen Ann Goonan I also thought was one of the better ones. I liked Lucius Shepard's "Larissa Miusov", the last of the stories, although I thought it too short. Not among Shepard's best work but worth the quick read. I doubt I would put a single story from this in any "Best of the Year" type collection. OK, perhaps that is a little too harsh. I think it is safe to say that Strahan's taste in new fiction does not match mine. I have another in this series waiting to be read (Eclipse 3). I really hope it is better than this collection, which I would recommend avoiding. This is a "miss" for me.
The stories are:
Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse by Andy Duncan
Bad Luck, Trouble, Death, and Vampire Sex by Garth Nix
The Last and Only or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French by Peter S. Beagle
The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large by Maureen F. McHugh
The Drowned Life by Jeffrey Ford
Toother by Terry Dowling
Up the Fire Road by Eileen Gunn
In the Forest of the Queen by Gwyneth Jones
Quartermaster Returns by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Electric Rains by Kathleen Ann Goonan
She-Creatures by Margo Lanagan
The Transformation of Targ by Jack Dann and Paul Brandon
Mrs. Zeno's Paradox by Ellen Klages
The Lustration by Bruce Sterling
Larissa Miusov by Lucius Shepard
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that I really like, such as Lucius Shepard, mixed with a large number of authors whose work I find rarely, such as Terry Dowling or was unfamiliar with. The idea of a new anthology series sounded great.Something that I found missing, and which I think was especially needed for an anthology like this, was an introduction to each story by the editor. There is an "about the authors" section at the end of the collection, but there is nothing in here to tell me why each individual story was chosen. Why did Strahan think each was special? What piqued his interest? What idea grabbed him? Not all anthologies include this, but I think the best do, and it was sorely needed here.
There is by intention no overarching theme to this collection of stories, for better or worse. In the introduction by Strahan he explains why he wanted to start a new anthology series, but as I read through these stories he utterly failed to convince me he was the person for the job. I ended up quite disappointed with this, but other readers might not be. A couple of the stories I really didn't like such as the entries by Jeffrey Ford, Bruce Sterling and Garth Nix. In fact, I disliked the Nix piece so much I didn't even finish it. Halfway was more than enough. The Eileen Gunn piece was very strange. Several good stories balance the really bad, and most are just in the "so-so" area. I found Peter Beagle's well written funny/sad piece offbeat and rather good. Terry Dowling's "Toother" was pretty good, maybe my favorite in here, but it was a horror story. "Electric Rains" by Kathleen Ann Goonan I also thought was one of the better ones. I liked Lucius Shepard's "Larissa Miusov", the last of the stories, although I thought it too short. Not among Shepard's best work but worth the quick read. I doubt I would put a single story from this in any "Best of the Year" type collection. OK, perhaps that is a little too harsh. I think it is safe to say that Strahan's taste in new fiction does not match mine. I have another in this series waiting to be read (Eclipse 3). I really hope it is better than this collection, which I would recommend avoiding. This is a "miss" for me.
The stories are:
Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse by Andy Duncan
Bad Luck, Trouble, Death, and Vampire Sex by Garth Nix
The Last and Only or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French by Peter S. Beagle
The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large by Maureen F. McHugh
The Drowned Life by Jeffrey Ford
Toother by Terry Dowling
Up the Fire Road by Eileen Gunn
In the Forest of the Queen by Gwyneth Jones
Quartermaster Returns by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Electric Rains by Kathleen Ann Goonan
She-Creatures by Margo Lanagan
The Transformation of Targ by Jack Dann and Paul Brandon
Mrs. Zeno's Paradox by Ellen Klages
The Lustration by Bruce Sterling
Larissa Miusov by Lucius Shepard
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LibraryThing member SChant
A very mixed bag - many poor/dull, a few quite good, but overall disappointing.
Contents:
Andy Duncan - Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse - dull
Garth Nix - Bad luck, Trouble, Death, and Vampire Sex - tried too hard to be quirky
Peter S Beagel - The Last and Only, or Mr Moscowitz Becomes French -
Maureen f. McHugh - The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large - dull
Jeffrey Ford - The Drowned Life - OK
Terry Dowling - Toother - unpleasant
Eileen Gunn - Up The Fire Road - quite good
Gwyneth Jones - In the Forest of the Queen - good
Ysabeau S. Wilce - The Quartermaster Returns - good
Kathleen Ann Goonan - Electric Rains - ok
Margo Lanagan - She-Creatures - good
Paul Brandon and Jack Dann - The Transformation of Targ - poor
Ellen Klages - Mrs Zeno's Paradox - excellent
Bruce Sterling - The Lustration - ok
Lucius Shepard - Larissa Miusov ok
Contents:
Andy Duncan - Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse - dull
Garth Nix - Bad luck, Trouble, Death, and Vampire Sex - tried too hard to be quirky
Peter S Beagel - The Last and Only, or Mr Moscowitz Becomes French -
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dullMaureen f. McHugh - The Lost Boy: A Reporter At Large - dull
Jeffrey Ford - The Drowned Life - OK
Terry Dowling - Toother - unpleasant
Eileen Gunn - Up The Fire Road - quite good
Gwyneth Jones - In the Forest of the Queen - good
Ysabeau S. Wilce - The Quartermaster Returns - good
Kathleen Ann Goonan - Electric Rains - ok
Margo Lanagan - She-Creatures - good
Paul Brandon and Jack Dann - The Transformation of Targ - poor
Ellen Klages - Mrs Zeno's Paradox - excellent
Bruce Sterling - The Lustration - ok
Lucius Shepard - Larissa Miusov ok
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LibraryThing member zot79
I wasn't as impressed as I was supposed to be. I think I read a recommendation for this on someone's blog and figured it was time to be up-to-date in my short story reading. But this can't really be the good stuff, could it? I can't say I read a single story that really knocked my socks off. There
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was one about a hermaphrodite bigfoot that captured my attention and then lost my respect when the ending imploded. To top it off, I wasn't that impressed with the binding. This one gets two stars for trying, but I'm sure there are better collections out there. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2007-10-01
Physical description
359 p.; 22 inches
ISBN
1597801178 / 9781597801171