Traces

by Stephen Baxter

Feeling secure in our everyday here-and-now? Then let Stephen Baxter reveal to you disturbing traces of other traces of other pasts, other presents, other futures. Here are vestiges of civilizations lost, long-gone, footprints of passing life-forms, visions of histories that differ from our own, some in small ways, some through a fundamental difference in physical laws. Here are twenty-one extraordinary stories from the best science fiction writer of his generation.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections, Short Story Collection

359 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Stephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England.

Reviews

[Stuart Smith]

Middling collection of short stories that failed to ignite my imagination. Mostly set in alternate realities where history has followed a different path.
MOON 6 was the highlight and worth the entrance price. Not a collection I will revisit.

[Chris]

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but if you're curious about reading Stephen Baxter this is a good place to start. You get an idea of the kind of writer he is and the sort of science fiction that he's interested in.

Baxter's interest in 19th Century science fiction, alternate histories and the end of the world are all topics he later visited in complete novels, so I enjoyed seeing the beginning of those ideas.

I prefer Baxter's complete novels, as they give him more time to flesh out his characters and ideas, but there were some really great ideas here.

[Zoe Radley]

Wow what fun.... this took me to new places and old and familiar times but not so familiar. This is what’s so great about fiction and science fiction too, takes you to worlds you might never see, but in your minds eye can experience again and again, without any cost. My imagination is my passport to another world and my books I read are my transport that guide me there.

[Luke Stonestreet]

This is the first book by Baxter that i have not enjoyed. Just didn't feel any excitement in any of these stories.

[James]

Less than mediocre.

[Sharon C]

A few of the stories were cool, but over all I just didn't feel like any of them grabbed me the way sci-fi normally does.

[Mark]

I'm not a huge fan of short stories and although Baxter is one of the few writers whose collections I do buy, this one was very much hit and miss.

Unlike the previous collections of his I have read (Vacuum Diagrams, Resplendent) this one doesn't have the future history of Xeelee stories to hang it on.

Some of them are great (Moon Six is a highlight, as is Journey to the King Planet), some don't hit the mark and some are sadly quite dull (Downstream, Inherit the Earth).

Overall it's probably a 50/50 split between those stories that work and those that I didn't enjoy.

[Ray Smillie]

Stephen Baxter is renowned for his imaginative novels but maybe not so much short stories. This feels like ideas of which some were bettered and expanded into full length stories and others put in the waste bin. Some authors shine in the novel writing and others in the short story format. In my opinion, very few shine in both fields. Baxter is very much better in the longer tales.

[Carl]

Great collection of short stories

[Roger Ley]

A well written, imaginative and satisfying collection of stories from one of the UK's best hard science fiction authors. As you'd expecet from an author of Baxter's standing.

[Danielle Mitchell]

A must read for any sci-fi lover. Short and succinct, Baxter creates whole worlds in these stories.

[Nathalie]

Some very enjoyable short stories from a writer I came across by chance.

[Tilly Jones]

Great collection of sci-fi short stories. A handful of weaker stories in there but many that I would love to see expanded on.

[Sean Lee]

Making the fantastical seem plausible...as you would expect from Stephen Baxter. A grab bag of scientific imagination.

[John]

Interesting stories around events and timelines, some which have passed.

[Leslie]

Baxter explores multiple ways humanity could adapt to extreme environments, offers several alternate histories, and one story touching on the nature of religious faith (best of this collection, IMO). But overall, not one of my favorites.

[John]

I generally love Stephen Baxter's work, but I'm of the opinion that his novels are stronger than his short stories. Which is not to say that this collection is a dud, but it is a bit of a mixed bag. In addition, Baxter's more purely speculative works appeal to me more than his alternate histories, and his forays into steam punk -- a genre which I find singularly grating -- do not represent his best work by a long shot. When he does hit the mark (e.g., his alien landscapes) he can be startlingly compelling, and nothing in this collection is truly bad. But when placed beside his grander works, these lesser efforts pale by comparison.

[Jeff Koeppen]

Solid collection of short stories from my favorite hard science fiction writer. Most good, some great. I wish some of the stories were fleshed out more and made in to novels or novellas. Stand outs were Columbiad, a Verne-like story about a Victorian trip in to space: and Moon Six, an alternate reality moon exploration story.

[Conservativedinosaur Gee]

So far so good...

[Jirnsum]

Some stories are very good. others I skipped. Must be something for anyone in here though

[Carol Gleason-Rechner]

Science Fiction!! Yeah!!!

[Chuck McKenzie]

An engaging, fun, and occasionally unsettling collection of tales from one of the modern masters of hard SF. Highly recommended.