Empire of Dreams and Miracles: The Phobos Science Fiction Anthology

I must say that each one of these twelve science fiction stories is truly a winner. I can hardly pick which one I liked best, which is unusual for an anthology; most of the time, for me, only one or two short stories will stand out from the rest. Here, Card and the judges who picked these have collected the best of the best. In particular, I liked "They Go Bump", a story about invisible soldiers (being invisible is not as much of an advantage as one would suppose) and "22 Buttons"--a futuristic tale about social mores and isolation. I read every one work in this book with total amazement at the writing skill. If you want to try your hand at writing science fiction, these wonderful examples can inspire (or discourage) you.My only complaint is that the book was not what I would consider a good value, even with the excellence of each of the works in this anthology. I expected more than twelve stories--twenty would be more like it. I hope future volumes of this series will be bigger books.

A friend of mine suggested I check out this anthology saying he'd liked almost every story in it. Now that I've read it, wow, was he right! Lots of anthologies I've read will have one or two strong stories plus a lot of filler. This one was all winners. The anthology gets off to a great start with "They Go Bump" by David Barr Kirtley. In this story a squad of soldiers are sent on a mission to test alien equipment that renders them invisible. It's a marvelous study in paranoia as one soldier grows increasingly convinced that his invisible friends are one by one being replaced by aliens. Other highlights: "Great Theme Prisons of the World," one of the freshest ideas I've seen in science fiction in years. In it, people can choose to alter their sentences by choosing their prisons. Choose to serve your time beachfront in the Bahamas and you triple your sentence. Serve your time in a dank medieval dungeun and cut your time in half. "Who Lived in a Shoe" is the funniest story in the book, a tale of a couple househunting on an alien planet. The alien real estate agent is increasingly bewildered by the human's reactions as he shows them houses made of goo, houses underwater, etc. The title story also deserves special mention. It's set in a future Atlantis where people are immortal and to pass the time they hunt each other for sport. It's the most atmospheric and sensual of the stories, but sometimes a little jokey. Many of the stories do remind me of my favorite stories from years ago, but not because they are based on the same ideas. These stories are just told well, with strong beginnings, middles, and satisfying conclusions. The craft of storytelling is alive and well in these pages.

Like many other people I bought this book just because of Orson Scott Card. Even though he didn't write much more than the forward and intro's to every story, I am really glad I got this. I think that anthologies exist to introduce readers to new writers, new ideas, and new ways of telling a story. I had gotten so sick of reading the same sci-fi stories over and over again that "Empire" was a welcome change. Of course I liked some stories more than others, but I thought that they were all well executed and all trying to bring out new ideas. I think that even non-sci-fi readers will like a lot of these, especially "22 Buttons" and "Great Theme Prisions". I hope that this is just the first of many new anthologies and I look forward to hearing from many of these new authors again.

some of these stories were truly excellent. looking forward to their next book. maybe i will even submit to the fiction contest, and get in one of these myself.

This book is filled with ideas that have been blossoming in my head since I read it a month ago. Science fiction, at its best, exposes the vulnerability of human ego while at the same time offering possibilities beyond our present way of being or thinking. Most of the stories did this, each through a unique setting or emotional perspective. The title story is so dark and sexy it deserves a soundtrack, and proposes a form of human gaming that seems allegorical to the relentless pursuit of image that actually goes on in popular culture. Even if you don't usually read short stories (which I don't), do not miss this anthology. It flows, and the subtle layers of the worlds it describes will inspire curiosity, and maybe optimism, about the one in which we live.