Carmen Miranda's Ghost is Haunting Space Station Three

This is one of those books that is chiefly written for SF & Fantasy fandom by the SF & Fantasy fandom. As such, readers new to the genre may find it puzzling why anyone would love a book with such a strange title and theme chosen for its short stories. The origin of this anthology is a song written by famous filk (SF music, for those who are unfamiliar with the term) singer Leslie Fish. Apparently the song came about after "too much turkey and eggnog . . . and a table centerpiece decoration . . . and space age music on the hi-fi that just happened to swing into a rhumba". To get the full story, you'll have to read the Afterword in this anthology.It's an unexpected anthology, with a wide range of tones and styles. "Provisional Solution" by B.W. Clough is a very light toned, lively take on the manifestation of Carmen and her trademark fruits. "Basket Case: Or:The Grapes of Wrath" by Bruce B. Barnett interprets the themes into a hard SF detective story with delightful success. Don Sakers, the editor of this anthology, has two short stories in this collection. The first is "The Man Who Travelled in Rocketships" a touching story that's meant as a memorial to Heinlen. The second is "Tarawa Rising" about an aging drag queen coming to terms with themselves with a little ghostly help. Other authors include, Anne McCaffrey, Esthner Friesner, C. J. Cherryh and, of course, the woman who started it all, Leslie Fish.Why would anyone have 19 stories and a song about Carmen Miranda's ghost on a space station? SF writers having fun would have to be my main interpretation. And that's no bad thing, there are some brilliant stories within this anthology, some hysterical giggles, some thought provoking moments, and even some bittersweet memories. For the filksong fans, the sheet music for the song that Leslie Fish wrote is included at the end of the anthology. In some ways, I guess I'd say that this is sort of an in-joke anthology, since the folks most likely to pick it up are fans, but I highly reccomend it to any SF or Fantasy reader! Here's just a bit of Leslie's song:"Carmen Miranda's Ghost is haunting Space Station Three.Half the staff has seen her, plus the Portmaster and me.And if you think we've had too muchOf Cookie's homemade rum,Just tell me where these basket hats of fruit keep coming from!"Happy reading! ^_^ shanshad