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Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2012 edition
A collection of some of the best original short fiction published on
Tor.com
in 2012.
The stories included in this book are:
Dormanna by Gene Wolfe
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross
The Ghosts of Christmas by Paul Cornell
The Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo
Am I Free To Go? by Kathryn Cramer
About Fairies by Pat Murphy
Our Human by Adam Troy Castro
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear
The stories included in this book are:
Dormanna by Gene Wolfe
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross
The Ghosts of Christmas by Paul Cornell
The Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo
Am I Free To Go? by Kathryn Cramer
About Fairies by Pat Murphy
Our Human by Adam Troy Castro
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2013
60 people are currently reading
571 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
18 books12 followersPatrick James Nielsen Hayden, often abbreviated as PNH, is an American science fiction editor, fan, fanzine publisher, essayist, reviewer, anthologist, teacher and blogger. He is a World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award winner (with nine nominations for the latter award), and is a Senior Editor and the Manager of Science Fiction at Tor Books. He changed his last name to "Nielsen Hayden" on his marriage to Teresa Nielsen (now Teresa Nielsen Hayden) in 1979.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 15, 2015
Brainycat's 5 "B"s:
blood: 3
boobs: 2
bombs: 1
bondage: 3
blasphemy: 3
Bechdel Test: PASS
Deggan's Rule: PASS
Gay Bechdel Test: PASS
Every collection of shorts always has that one story that surprises me with how much it sticks with me. I liked Pat Murphy's About Fairies for it's imagination and it's dark undertone that rose up in unexpected places. I didn't like the pace at all; it veered dangerously close to some allegorical, introspective soliliquies in a couple of places but managed to pull itself back from the brink. It seems a lot of words were spent in the interstitial places between realms, and I think I would have liked to see a more intricate plot that wove the different realms together in a more symbolic manner. Despite this, it is a story that has stayed with me and I appreciate that.
[1]
"I saw a brontosaurus by the Thames this morning."
"Oh, lovely! It's been a warm winter, I suspect that's why they've come out so early"
blood: 3
boobs: 2
bombs: 1
bondage: 3
blasphemy: 3
Bechdel Test: PASS
Deggan's Rule: PASS
Gay Bechdel Test: PASS
Please note: I don't review to provide synopses, I review to share a purely visceral reaction to books and perhaps answer some of the questions I ask when I'm contemplating investing time and money into a book.
A list of shorts with the likes of Swanwick, Stross, and Bear? Yes Please! This was one of those "you might also like..." suggestions from That Monolithic Online Retailer. It showed up while I was filling in my Laundry Files collection, and on a whim and without even looking at any reviews I bought it. Say what you like about the way Mr. Bezos runs his business, but the boffins who write the code that glues purchasing patterns to the inventory are doing some good work - I really liked this collection. All of the stories are strong enough that I feel no ambiguity; the stories I like I like a lot, the stories I don't like I really don't like.
Unfortunately, demands on my time dictate that I can only reliably allocate the time between getting in bed and falling asleep for reading every day. The stories in this collection were exactly the right length for this interval. I doubt this was intentional on Tor's part but it was nice for once to be able to pick up my reader and start at the beginning of a new story for a few nights in a row. The volume appears to be an amalgamation of complete ebook files from each story; there's an overall cover and title page, then each story has it's own cover and title page. This is no doubt the result of some laziness on Tor's part, as combining small standalone files into a single compendium only takes a few keystrokes, but I didn't mind at all. As we'd expect from a large publisher like Tor, all the mechanics of a proper book like formatting, spelling and grammar were spot on.
Dormanna, by Gene Wolfe, is yet another reinterpretation of the childhood imaginary friend. I'm not sure it really added much to the genre to be honest. As I was reading the story, I kept hoping something horrible and twisted was going to happen. The ending is ambiguous enough to let each to let the reader decide the fate of humanity but I never got the dark twist I was hoping for. This is a story I didn't like. The whole tone was all sweetness and bubbles, and the dark forces that were hinted at never materialized enough to provide a meaningful (or entertaining) counterpoint.
The second story in the collection is Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky. This is the only story I didn't finish. I just couldn't get into the first person POV; I feel like the characterization didn't put enough hooks into the protagonist to make learning about the world (and therefore deciphering what's happening) worthwhile. I think a more dedicated reader, who is more appreciative of intensely allegorical introspective relationship studies would do much better with this than I did. I have nothing bad to say about the quality of Ms. Swirsky's writing, but unfortunately the POV and conflict push all my DNF buttons.
Michael Swanwick has created some of the most engaging worlds I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. I remember reading Vacuum Flowers in highschool; his use of dialogue to bring the world to life still sticks in my brain today[1]. The Mongolian Wizard, like all of his works I've read since, does the same and breathes some sophistication into what would otherwise be a straightforward steampunks and wizards jaunt through a quasi Hapsburgian Europe. This would be an example of story that didn't rely on depth, sex, violence or gimmicks to keep me involved, but instead was so expertly crafted it was just a pleasure to take it in.
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross would be a great introduction to Stross for the uninitiated. Mr. Stross knows engineers; he gets us folk with an affectionate sarcasm that can only come from being and accomplished engineer himself. This little story has accurate science, caricatures of people you know, a bit of cloak and dagger conspiracy and more than a few good jokes. Again, not a story that's going to echo through your worldview and knock the cobwebs down, but a great way to spend a few minutes and learn a little about rocket propulsion.
Time travel is very difficult to do well; all too often we see it used as a gimmick to artificially create resonance between elements on different arcs. The Ghosts of Christmas by Paul Cornell neatly avoids this trap by making the entire arc of the story a fractal exploration of itself. It's elegant, it's engaging and it kept me interested with a believable protagonist and multi-dimensional supporting characters. Kudos to Mr. Cornell, and I'm looking forward to read more of his work.
Brit Mandelo's The Finite Canvas follows a well worn path to redemption through all our favorite cyberpunk tropes, but it did keep me engaged up until the end - the protagonist has a choice to make, and her character is layered deep enough it's not clear what she'll do until the end of the story. After that, the inevitable gracefully concludes itself with a minimum of chatter which I appreciate. Ms. Mandelo is also on my "authors to look for" list.
Am I Free To Go? is Kathryn Cramer's dystopia about the police state encroaching on american liberal-centrist middle class sensibilities. It feels quite preachy; Kathryn has a Point to make so she Wrote A Story to illustrate her Point. I think it didn't cover enough nuance to justify the word count, and the plot was too disjointed and the characterization too thin to feel engaged with the protagonist. Everything Kathryn is warning us about has been covered at nymag, hufpo, theatlantic, etc ad nauseum. I'm not at all opposed to politics in my scifi - it's what scifi is supposed to be about IMHO - but this attempt feels like a miss for me.
Every collection of shorts always has that one story that surprises me with how much it sticks with me. I liked Pat Murphy's About Fairies for it's imagination and it's dark undertone that rose up in unexpected places. I didn't like the pace at all; it veered dangerously close to some allegorical, introspective soliliquies in a couple of places but managed to pull itself back from the brink. It seems a lot of words were spent in the interstitial places between realms, and I think I would have liked to see a more intricate plot that wove the different realms together in a more symbolic manner. Despite this, it is a story that has stayed with me and I appreciate that.
Our Human by Adam-Troy Castro wasn't poorly written, but it did bore me. I had the "surprise" worked out about seven paragraphs into the story. This is NOT to say I'm a sophisticated reader; instead, I'm a voracious reader of the sorts of stories that use all these tropes so I knew what to expect right away. That being said, I played Jane's Addiction in my head and it was an easy enough way to spend a few minutes before drifting off to sleep. Not a story brimming with originality, but the author showed skill and confidence and I felt it worthwhile to finish it.
Elizabeth Bear's contribution Faster Gun ticks all the boxes to squeeze my DNF gland dry: alternate history, the wild west, steampunky time travel and little green men who come in peace. On paper, this looks like a story I'd avoid at any cost. Quite to the contrary, I enjoyed the heck out of it. The whole story had a self-deprecating, tongue in cheek quality that gave a dimension to the tropes I hadn't seen before. Because of the way it was handled, what could have been a vile dud is actually one of the three best stories in the collection.
I paid about two quid for this, and I feel like I got my money's worth. I don't know if I'll ever come back to reread any of it, but it satisfies my criteria for a good collection: the majority of the stories were good and I found some new authors to look for. This would be a good survey of contemporary scifi; there's a variety of settings, plots and tropes to select from that illustrate where the "mainstream" is at these days.
[1]
"I saw a brontosaurus by the Thames this morning."
"Oh, lovely! It's been a warm winter, I suspect that's why they've come out so early"
January 1, 2014
I like short stories. I also like to explore new sci-fi and fantasy authors. Reading anthologies is a win-win for me as I can do both at the same time. The fact that this particular anthology is also available for free on Kindle is an icing on the cake. I will update this review as I finish each of the short stories.
Dormanna by Gene Wolfe: I’m not sure if what I took from the story is what the author wanted to convey, but it was a good story and written well. 3/5 stars.
The Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky: The author paints a beautiful tale with great characters and an enticing story. I loved the way the author describes a person, city and buildings through the eyes of a painter. This is definitely 5/5 stars.
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick: The author has won 5 Hugo’s in a span of 6 years. I can see why. Exciting blend of magic, mystery and 18th century politics. 4/5 stars
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross: Great combination of science and fiction. Lot of details about rocket science which leads to a surprising conclusion.4/5 stars
Ghosts of Christmas Past by Paul Cornell: Interesting concept about communicating with your past and future self, but takes too long to deliver the message. The length of the story can potentially distort the message. 3/5 stars.
Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo: A story of 2 women, an assassin and a nurse, set in a sci-fi background. Although the story is a bit clichéd, it is still pretty moving. 3.5/5 stars.
Am I Free to Go? By Katherine Kramer: I didn’t 'get' this story. I didn’t understand why this story was written or what the author wanted to say. The best that can be said about this story is that it’s written like Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions and made me laugh once or twice. The first disappointing story in this collection. 1/5 stars
About Fairies by Pat Murphy: A nice story about coming to terms with death in our own way. Interesting take on fairies and Peter Pan. 4/5 stars
Our Human by Adam-Troy Castro: It was interesting to read about ‘humans’ from the perspective of aliens. The story had one flaw though: The Trivids never come out of their forest and have had very little contact with other races, yet they think of themselves as poor and with few resources. In my opinion, primitive races are usually content with their lot. That aside, it was a fine story. 3/5 stars.
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear: A strange tale of time travel in a Western Cowboy setting. The writing is tight and the main character Doctor Holliday is likable. I googled him and turns out he is an actual person. I wish this were a full length novel instead of a short story. 4/5 stars
Dormanna by Gene Wolfe: I’m not sure if what I took from the story is what the author wanted to convey, but it was a good story and written well. 3/5 stars.
The Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky: The author paints a beautiful tale with great characters and an enticing story. I loved the way the author describes a person, city and buildings through the eyes of a painter. This is definitely 5/5 stars.
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick: The author has won 5 Hugo’s in a span of 6 years. I can see why. Exciting blend of magic, mystery and 18th century politics. 4/5 stars
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross: Great combination of science and fiction. Lot of details about rocket science which leads to a surprising conclusion.4/5 stars
Ghosts of Christmas Past by Paul Cornell: Interesting concept about communicating with your past and future self, but takes too long to deliver the message. The length of the story can potentially distort the message. 3/5 stars.
Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo: A story of 2 women, an assassin and a nurse, set in a sci-fi background. Although the story is a bit clichéd, it is still pretty moving. 3.5/5 stars.
Am I Free to Go? By Katherine Kramer: I didn’t 'get' this story. I didn’t understand why this story was written or what the author wanted to say. The best that can be said about this story is that it’s written like Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions and made me laugh once or twice. The first disappointing story in this collection. 1/5 stars
About Fairies by Pat Murphy: A nice story about coming to terms with death in our own way. Interesting take on fairies and Peter Pan. 4/5 stars
Our Human by Adam-Troy Castro: It was interesting to read about ‘humans’ from the perspective of aliens. The story had one flaw though: The Trivids never come out of their forest and have had very little contact with other races, yet they think of themselves as poor and with few resources. In my opinion, primitive races are usually content with their lot. That aside, it was a fine story. 3/5 stars.
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear: A strange tale of time travel in a Western Cowboy setting. The writing is tight and the main character Doctor Holliday is likable. I googled him and turns out he is an actual person. I wish this were a full length novel instead of a short story. 4/5 stars
September 25, 2013
Dormanna by Gene Wolfe
Beautiful, quiet portrait of alien, or perhaps fairy visitation, and how even the smallest of things can have profound effects in our lives. 5/5
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky
The vividness with which this story was written stayed with me long after the actual story did; Rachel Swirsky wrote as if she were painting, and created a layered, delicate, intricate story of love and death. 5/5
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick
Where do I get more of this? This blend of magic and 19th century Prussian militarism was just fun. 5/5
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross
I'm a huge fan of Stross in general, so this story of the Space Race and the Cold War with just a bit of maybe-if physics and alternate history was right up my alley. Lots of fun. 5/5
The Ghosts of Christmas by Scott Bakal
Although I'm not sure it was intentional, this story read like a horror story to me. It was difficult to get through due to the uncomfortable ideas presented. Well written, but hard to read. 4/5
The Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo
This was an amazing story. Everything from the setting to the characters to the inevitableness of the conclusion just got to me. Fantastic. 5/5
Am I Free to Go? by Kathryn Cramer
Although the method used to tell the story was a bit unconventional, I still really enjoyed it. Although the ending did seem to come a little bit out of left field, it was still fun. 4/5
About Fairies by Pat Murphy
This story is really about death and Peter Pan and the meaning we assign to the things in our lives. It's also really, really good. 5/5
Our Human by Adam-Troy Castro
Writing from an alien perspective can be very tricky, and this story, while it ranks as a good attempt, really didn't do much for me. 2/5
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear
Doc Holiday leading time traveling investigators to a wrecked, alien, spacecraft in the old west, all the while fighting off the foul John Ringo? Excellent. 4/5
Beautiful, quiet portrait of alien, or perhaps fairy visitation, and how even the smallest of things can have profound effects in our lives. 5/5
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky
The vividness with which this story was written stayed with me long after the actual story did; Rachel Swirsky wrote as if she were painting, and created a layered, delicate, intricate story of love and death. 5/5
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick
Where do I get more of this? This blend of magic and 19th century Prussian militarism was just fun. 5/5
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross
I'm a huge fan of Stross in general, so this story of the Space Race and the Cold War with just a bit of maybe-if physics and alternate history was right up my alley. Lots of fun. 5/5
The Ghosts of Christmas by Scott Bakal
Although I'm not sure it was intentional, this story read like a horror story to me. It was difficult to get through due to the uncomfortable ideas presented. Well written, but hard to read. 4/5
The Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo
This was an amazing story. Everything from the setting to the characters to the inevitableness of the conclusion just got to me. Fantastic. 5/5
Am I Free to Go? by Kathryn Cramer
Although the method used to tell the story was a bit unconventional, I still really enjoyed it. Although the ending did seem to come a little bit out of left field, it was still fun. 4/5
About Fairies by Pat Murphy
This story is really about death and Peter Pan and the meaning we assign to the things in our lives. It's also really, really good. 5/5
Our Human by Adam-Troy Castro
Writing from an alien perspective can be very tricky, and this story, while it ranks as a good attempt, really didn't do much for me. 2/5
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear
Doc Holiday leading time traveling investigators to a wrecked, alien, spacecraft in the old west, all the while fighting off the foul John Ringo? Excellent. 4/5
Currently reading
August 12, 2017"Dormanna" by Gene Wolfe - I think this one was OK. "Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia" by Rachel Swirsky & "The Mongolian Wizard" by Michael Swanwick - fantasy seems just not to work as a short story for me.
....
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross
The Ghosts of Christmas by Paul Cornell
The Finite Canvas by Brett Mandelo
Am I Free To Go? by Kathryn Cramer
About Fairies by Pat Murphy
Our Human by Adam Troy Castro
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear
....
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross
The Ghosts of Christmas by Paul Cornell
The Finite Canvas by Brett Mandelo
Am I Free To Go? by Kathryn Cramer
About Fairies by Pat Murphy
Our Human by Adam Troy Castro
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear
November 10, 2013
This is a stronger collection than the 2011 edition, perhaps because it was less self-consciously global - the stories were better, but had a narrower reach. There were no weak stories here. Some were no more than adequate, but a number were quite strong. The anthology came closer than 2011's to fulfilling the goal of a simple collection of good stories.
In particular, I enjoyed:
"Portrait of Lisane de Patagna", by Rachel Swirsky, about a painter, her instructor, and magic. The ending could have been stronger, but the body of the story was well done.
"The Mongolian Wizard", by Michael Swanwick, about a steampunkish alternate Earth of wizards and espionage. I've not been taken with Mr. Swanwick's other work, but I found this very enjoyable. It suffers from giving a strong feeling of excerpt or prologue, but it does stand alone reasonably well.
All in all, a good collection, and worth picking up (it's free).
PS the information about the generic ebook edition is both wrong (pagination) and less full (contents) than the info for the Kindle edition.
In particular, I enjoyed:
"Portrait of Lisane de Patagna", by Rachel Swirsky, about a painter, her instructor, and magic. The ending could have been stronger, but the body of the story was well done.
"The Mongolian Wizard", by Michael Swanwick, about a steampunkish alternate Earth of wizards and espionage. I've not been taken with Mr. Swanwick's other work, but I found this very enjoyable. It suffers from giving a strong feeling of excerpt or prologue, but it does stand alone reasonably well.
All in all, a good collection, and worth picking up (it's free).
PS the information about the generic ebook edition is both wrong (pagination) and less full (contents) than the info for the Kindle edition.
January 26, 2024
Li inteiro online.
"Dormanna", Gene Wolfe.
"Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia", Rachel Swirsky.
"The Mongolian Wizard", Michael Swanwick.
"A Tall Tail", Charles Stross.
"The Ghosts of Christmas", Paul Cornell.
"The Finite Canvas", Lee Mandelo.
"Am I Free To Go?", Kathryn Cramer.
"About Fairies", Pat Murphy.
"Our Human", Adam Troy Castro.
"Faster Gun", Elizabeth Bear.
"Dormanna", Gene Wolfe.
"Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia", Rachel Swirsky.
"The Mongolian Wizard", Michael Swanwick.
"A Tall Tail", Charles Stross.
"The Ghosts of Christmas", Paul Cornell.
"The Finite Canvas", Lee Mandelo.
"Am I Free To Go?", Kathryn Cramer.
"About Fairies", Pat Murphy.
"Our Human", Adam Troy Castro.
"Faster Gun", Elizabeth Bear.
January 22, 2013
I am completely hooked to the anthologies that Tor has been releasing - and for free, no less! This was a strong anthology that contained stories ranging across a variety of topics - everything from a young girl with an imaginary friend and a trip to the Wild West to war, magic, art, and time travel. A very enjoyable collection.
February 8, 2022
SOME OF THE BEST FROM TOR.COM: 2012 EDITION
RATED 90% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 4.10 OUT OF 5
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Doc Holliday leads a group of women into a spaceship that crashed in the desert. A young girl takes her imaginary friend to school. Werewolves hunt terrorists in a far away land. A pregnant scientist jump in and out of her past and future, but only on Christmas. One painter destroys what she paints. A doctor carves the memory of murder into the killer’s flesh as a design.
There are lots to enjoy in the brief anthology from Tor.com, a superb online magazine. All of the stories in this anthology can be read for free online.
THERE WERE THREE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE GREAT STORIES LIST.
See the whole list here: https://www.shortsf.com/beststories
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien. One of the few stories of Wolfe’s that are not only elegantly profound, but are easily understood on the first read.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
***
SOME OF THE BEST FROM TOR.COM: 2012 EDITION IS RATED 90% POSITIVE.
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe
Great. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien.
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia • novelette by Rachel Swirsky
Good. Fantasy. A painter who destroys the things she paints, while also immortalizing them on canvas, is summoned to paint her abusive mentor on her deathbed.
The Mongolian Wizard • short story by Michael Swanwick
Good. Fast-paced and fun fantasy with wizards, very small soldiers, and werewolf guards. There is a grand meeting of powerful people, but one of them is a spy for the feared (but distant) Mongolian Wizard.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross
Great. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell
Great. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
The Finite Canvas • novelette by Brit Mandelo
Good. A doctor in a clinic in what used be India, in the slums of Earth, is thrust into a situation where she has to creatively scar a Syndicate Assassin has a commemoration for the assassins most recent murder.
Am I Free to Go? • novelette by Kathryn Cramer
Average. Slightly convoluted story about private prisons, police overreach, and the power to strike back using computers.
About Fairies • short story by Pat Murphy
Good. Perhaps fantasy, perhaps not. A woman works at a tech company on a fairy design project while her Father is dying.
Our Human • novelette by Adam-Troy Castro
Average. Four beings with monstrous histories explore a dangerous and primitive planet to attempt to capture an even bigger monster known as the Beast Magrison.
Faster Gun • novelette by Elizabeth Bear
Good. Doc Holliday escorts some women from the future to explore a spaceship that crashed in the desert. Lots of fun.
RATED 90% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 4.10 OUT OF 5
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Doc Holliday leads a group of women into a spaceship that crashed in the desert. A young girl takes her imaginary friend to school. Werewolves hunt terrorists in a far away land. A pregnant scientist jump in and out of her past and future, but only on Christmas. One painter destroys what she paints. A doctor carves the memory of murder into the killer’s flesh as a design.
There are lots to enjoy in the brief anthology from Tor.com, a superb online magazine. All of the stories in this anthology can be read for free online.
THERE WERE THREE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE GREAT STORIES LIST.
See the whole list here: https://www.shortsf.com/beststories
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien. One of the few stories of Wolfe’s that are not only elegantly profound, but are easily understood on the first read.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
***
SOME OF THE BEST FROM TOR.COM: 2012 EDITION IS RATED 90% POSITIVE.
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe
Great. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien.
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia • novelette by Rachel Swirsky
Good. Fantasy. A painter who destroys the things she paints, while also immortalizing them on canvas, is summoned to paint her abusive mentor on her deathbed.
The Mongolian Wizard • short story by Michael Swanwick
Good. Fast-paced and fun fantasy with wizards, very small soldiers, and werewolf guards. There is a grand meeting of powerful people, but one of them is a spy for the feared (but distant) Mongolian Wizard.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross
Great. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell
Great. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
The Finite Canvas • novelette by Brit Mandelo
Good. A doctor in a clinic in what used be India, in the slums of Earth, is thrust into a situation where she has to creatively scar a Syndicate Assassin has a commemoration for the assassins most recent murder.
Am I Free to Go? • novelette by Kathryn Cramer
Average. Slightly convoluted story about private prisons, police overreach, and the power to strike back using computers.
About Fairies • short story by Pat Murphy
Good. Perhaps fantasy, perhaps not. A woman works at a tech company on a fairy design project while her Father is dying.
Our Human • novelette by Adam-Troy Castro
Average. Four beings with monstrous histories explore a dangerous and primitive planet to attempt to capture an even bigger monster known as the Beast Magrison.
Faster Gun • novelette by Elizabeth Bear
Good. Doc Holliday escorts some women from the future to explore a spaceship that crashed in the desert. Lots of fun.
September 14, 2019
“Some of the best from tor.com”, yep, they weren’t THE best, they were mostly ok, with some better.
Doc Holliday finds a wrecked space ship in ‘Faster Gun’, an old human is held by an odd race ‘Our Human’ and ‘The Finite Canvas’ where a tale is told to a tattoo artist as she works are the highlights. Good stories 3/5
Doc Holliday finds a wrecked space ship in ‘Faster Gun’, an old human is held by an odd race ‘Our Human’ and ‘The Finite Canvas’ where a tale is told to a tattoo artist as she works are the highlights. Good stories 3/5
March 27, 2020
One cool story.
April 5, 2020
a decent collection. skimmed through a couple.
May 12, 2014
I enjoyed almost all of the short stories in this collection.
Dormana - Gene Wolfe. 4 STARS. So simple, so sweet.
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia - Rachel Swirsky. 3.5 STARS. In an alternate Renaissance Italy, art is combination of paint and magic. To paint something with magic is to destroy it. Lisane was famous for her painting and bed-hopping, as she taught and slept with most of her pupils then discarded them when they proved mediocre. The magic itself is interesting, but this is mostly a vivid analogy of what it takes to get over an intensely painful love.
The Mongolian Wizard - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Very enjoyable alternative fin-de-siecle world in which the aristocracy were all wizards. War is looming on the horizon, yet
A Tall Tail - Charles Stross. Found this one boring.
The Ghosts of Christmas - Paul Cornell. 3.5 STARS
The Finite Canvas - Brit Mandelo. 3 STARS Straight-forward story. A syndicate killer woman requests scar flowers be carved into her arm, to commemorate the death of her lover, whom she killed.
Am I Free to Go? - Kathryn Cramer. 4 STARS. A neuro-atypical mind hides in plain sight, fighting attempts to make her neurotypical.
About Fairies - Pat Murphy. 4 STARS. Almost no magic in this one. Fairy myth and lore, speculation, musing interweaves normal life. A woman finds a mirror in the woods and imagines it is gateway to fairyland.
Our Human - Adam-Troy Castro. 4 STARS. As always with this writer, amazingly conceived, truly inhuman aliens. As well, sordid sexuality, and horrific ways to die. Entertaining read.
Faster Gun - Elizabeth Bear. 3 STARS
Dormana - Gene Wolfe. 4 STARS. So simple, so sweet.
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia - Rachel Swirsky. 3.5 STARS. In an alternate Renaissance Italy, art is combination of paint and magic. To paint something with magic is to destroy it. Lisane was famous for her painting and bed-hopping, as she taught and slept with most of her pupils then discarded them when they proved mediocre. The magic itself is interesting, but this is mostly a vivid analogy of what it takes to get over an intensely painful love.
The Mongolian Wizard - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Very enjoyable alternative fin-de-siecle world in which the aristocracy were all wizards. War is looming on the horizon, yet
A Tall Tail - Charles Stross. Found this one boring.
The Ghosts of Christmas - Paul Cornell. 3.5 STARS
The Finite Canvas - Brit Mandelo. 3 STARS Straight-forward story. A syndicate killer woman requests scar flowers be carved into her arm, to commemorate the death of her lover, whom she killed.
Am I Free to Go? - Kathryn Cramer. 4 STARS. A neuro-atypical mind hides in plain sight, fighting attempts to make her neurotypical.
About Fairies - Pat Murphy. 4 STARS. Almost no magic in this one. Fairy myth and lore, speculation, musing interweaves normal life. A woman finds a mirror in the woods and imagines it is gateway to fairyland.
Our Human - Adam-Troy Castro. 4 STARS. As always with this writer, amazingly conceived, truly inhuman aliens. As well, sordid sexuality, and horrific ways to die. Entertaining read.
Faster Gun - Elizabeth Bear. 3 STARS
February 7, 2013
This is a free anthology of 10 stories from the tor.com website. (Somehow the abundance of free online content by famous genre authors makes me feel vaguely guilty for not reading more of it. Maybe people born into the internet world have a more healthy relationship with it than older folks like me. I tend to snap up free or cheap, even vaguely interesting ebooks left and right and then feel bad because I don't have the time to read them all. Or when faced with the viewing choices at Netflix I spend more time browsing the listings and trying to decide which movie or TV show to pick than actually watching the content.)
Anyway, as with all anthologies, I liked some of the stories more than others. I would say that Pat Murphy's "About Fairies" made me want to read Peter Pan, even though I am not so sure about the story itself. I liked Charles Stross's hard science tall tale, and Michael Swanwick's alternate history with magic in "The Mongolian Wizard." Then again, the Gene Wolfe story seemed nice but a bit fluffy (although surfing the tor.com site I now see there is an interesting story behind it).
The last story, "Faster Gun" by Elizabeth Bear, left me somewhat confused. At the surface it seemed like a Wild West alien contact/time travel story with the real-life gunslingers Doc Holliday and John Ringo. Except that it did not seem to have a conclusion of any kind. I think the problem was that I was still stuck in the many worlds time travel paradigm of David Gerrold's The Man Who Folded Himself, which I read recently. To make sense of the story I googled the literary quote near the beginning, which did not help me, unless the name of the play was supposed to be significant (which it may well be, in hindsight). Then I found the story as posted on the Tor website, and some commenters had a different interpretation of the ending, which did make sense -- but on the other hand it turned the story into something I did not like at all. (I guess I felt cheated, like I felt with the ending of Lost, although that was a different beast altogether.)
Anyway, as with all anthologies, I liked some of the stories more than others. I would say that Pat Murphy's "About Fairies" made me want to read Peter Pan, even though I am not so sure about the story itself. I liked Charles Stross's hard science tall tale, and Michael Swanwick's alternate history with magic in "The Mongolian Wizard." Then again, the Gene Wolfe story seemed nice but a bit fluffy (although surfing the tor.com site I now see there is an interesting story behind it).
The last story, "Faster Gun" by Elizabeth Bear, left me somewhat confused. At the surface it seemed like a Wild West alien contact/time travel story with the real-life gunslingers Doc Holliday and John Ringo. Except that it did not seem to have a conclusion of any kind. I think the problem was that I was still stuck in the many worlds time travel paradigm of David Gerrold's The Man Who Folded Himself, which I read recently. To make sense of the story I googled the literary quote near the beginning, which did not help me, unless the name of the play was supposed to be significant (which it may well be, in hindsight). Then I found the story as posted on the Tor website, and some commenters had a different interpretation of the ending, which did make sense -- but on the other hand it turned the story into something I did not like at all. (I guess I felt cheated, like I felt with the ending of Lost, although that was a different beast altogether.)
February 25, 2013
I am going to write a little of what I thought about each story. Oh and this is a free e-book, so go grab it!
Dormanna: My note says "such a cute story", lets see if I can say bit more shall we ;) This is a adorable story about a girl befriending a little speck of something. The story is adorable, and by fare the lightest in the collection.
Lortrait of Lisane de Patagnia: Really good gothic story. Full of melloncoly and wishing for a past that never were. Beautiful and dark!
The Mongolian Wizard: A very nice alternative world story - quite enjoable and set in a world I would not mind more of. Great steampunk-ish story!
A Tall Tail: The only story I didn't read, it read too much like non-fiction for my taste.
The Finate Canvas: This was so powerful! Oh my that was beautiful and horrible at the same time but I think I can take that then it is this sort. This was a Sci-fi story but why I was reading it, it hit me, that it might no needed to have been a sci-fi to have worked. I am not quite sure why it is is a sci-fi story. But anyway, it is beautiful!
Am I free to go? Wow that was powerful and though provoking. "Would you rather wake up and find the police or robbers invading your bedroom at the am?"
About Faries Such a touching story about lose and the magical world around us and cats. It is one of the better stories I have read about parents growing old and during and dealing with that.
Our Human
Faster Gun like others I am not quite sure what to think of this story. Its not bad but I am not sure it is good either.
Dormanna: My note says "such a cute story", lets see if I can say bit more shall we ;) This is a adorable story about a girl befriending a little speck of something. The story is adorable, and by fare the lightest in the collection.
Lortrait of Lisane de Patagnia: Really good gothic story. Full of melloncoly and wishing for a past that never were. Beautiful and dark!
The Mongolian Wizard: A very nice alternative world story - quite enjoable and set in a world I would not mind more of. Great steampunk-ish story!
A Tall Tail: The only story I didn't read, it read too much like non-fiction for my taste.
The Finate Canvas: This was so powerful! Oh my that was beautiful and horrible at the same time but I think I can take that then it is this sort. This was a Sci-fi story but why I was reading it, it hit me, that it might no needed to have been a sci-fi to have worked. I am not quite sure why it is is a sci-fi story. But anyway, it is beautiful!
Am I free to go? Wow that was powerful and though provoking. "Would you rather wake up and find the police or robbers invading your bedroom at the am?"
About Faries Such a touching story about lose and the magical world around us and cats. It is one of the better stories I have read about parents growing old and during and dealing with that.
Our Human
Faster Gun like others I am not quite sure what to think of this story. Its not bad but I am not sure it is good either.
November 17, 2014
The title gives a decent clue about what this is. Tor.com publishes a new short story every week. The editors collected the best stories from 2012 into this volume.
All of these stories are worth reading. I had a few particular favorites.
* "The Mongolian Wizard" by Michael Swanwick. A young soldier and his wolf stop a plot by a power hungry wizard. Or do they? And what are the consequences of succeeding?
* "A Tall Tail" by Charlie Stross. As you read this story, it helps to have a basic familiarity with chemistry. A tale of the space race and international intrigue that's just plausible enough to make it a true tall tale.
* "The Ghosts of Christmas" by Scott Bakal. A women creates an experimental treatment for schizophrenia and then uses it to affect her own past and her own present—and not always for the better.
* "The Finite Canvas" by Brit Mandelo. A country doctor on an ecologically devastated Earth does a small job for an assassin. As she works, she listens to the assassin's story.
* "About Faeries" by Pat Murphy. A woman mulls over the true nature of faeries, while dealing with her father's Alzheimer's and approaching death.
* "Our Human" by Adam-Troy Castro. How might societies be affected by dealing with aliens who live far longer than they do?
These stories are definitely worth reading. The book itself is free on Kindle, so you have no excuse not to.
All of these stories are worth reading. I had a few particular favorites.
* "The Mongolian Wizard" by Michael Swanwick. A young soldier and his wolf stop a plot by a power hungry wizard. Or do they? And what are the consequences of succeeding?
* "A Tall Tail" by Charlie Stross. As you read this story, it helps to have a basic familiarity with chemistry. A tale of the space race and international intrigue that's just plausible enough to make it a true tall tale.
* "The Ghosts of Christmas" by Scott Bakal. A women creates an experimental treatment for schizophrenia and then uses it to affect her own past and her own present—and not always for the better.
* "The Finite Canvas" by Brit Mandelo. A country doctor on an ecologically devastated Earth does a small job for an assassin. As she works, she listens to the assassin's story.
* "About Faeries" by Pat Murphy. A woman mulls over the true nature of faeries, while dealing with her father's Alzheimer's and approaching death.
* "Our Human" by Adam-Troy Castro. How might societies be affected by dealing with aliens who live far longer than they do?
These stories are definitely worth reading. The book itself is free on Kindle, so you have no excuse not to.
August 16, 2020
This totally free e-anthology of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novellas was from Tor.com, available through Amazon.com. I don't think a paper edition is available. The quality of the stories varies, but it does include some well-known writers, Nebula nominated works, and Locus Recommended Reading List works. I think it is very interesting that the economy of publishing science fiction has evolved to the point where quality work is distributed this way, not just fanfic. The table of contents is a little hard to parse out, as the volume seems to be a simple concatenation of ten short e-books.
Dormanna, by Gene Wolfe
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia, by Rachel Swirsky (Nebula nomination)
The Mongolian Wizard, Michael Swanwick (turkey)
A Tall Tail, by Charles Stross
The Ghosts of Christmas, by Paul Cornell (Locus Recommended Reading List)
The Finite Canvas, by Brit Mandelo (Nebula nomination)
Am I Free To Go?, by Kathryn Cramer
About Fairies, by Pat Murphy (Locus Recommended Reading List)
Our Human, Adam Troy Castro (turkey)
Faster Gun, by Elizabeth Bear (Locus Recommended Reading List)
I have to say the price is right, and the good stories outweigh the couple of turkeys, so go for it!
Dormanna, by Gene Wolfe
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia, by Rachel Swirsky (Nebula nomination)
The Mongolian Wizard, Michael Swanwick (turkey)
A Tall Tail, by Charles Stross
The Ghosts of Christmas, by Paul Cornell (Locus Recommended Reading List)
The Finite Canvas, by Brit Mandelo (Nebula nomination)
Am I Free To Go?, by Kathryn Cramer
About Fairies, by Pat Murphy (Locus Recommended Reading List)
Our Human, Adam Troy Castro (turkey)
Faster Gun, by Elizabeth Bear (Locus Recommended Reading List)
I have to say the price is right, and the good stories outweigh the couple of turkeys, so go for it!
April 1, 2013
A completely free collection of fiction from one the top markets of Science Fiction and Fantasy? Why are you still reading this review instead of the collection itself?
With all collections, you like some stories, but hardly all. The same is true here. I always love a Gene Wolfe story, though this was not one of his best. I had heard of Michael Swanwick, but after reading his story here, I plan on picking up his novels if I can. That's the best thing about these collections; you try out authors you've heard about but never read, and can keep reading the ones you like. The Finite Canvas and Our Human were memorable. Really though, anything I tell you is of little use. You'll like different ones than I did for different reasons. But pick up this free collection and enjoy some fresh, quality writing from top authors of today. I can't think of a single reason not to.
With all collections, you like some stories, but hardly all. The same is true here. I always love a Gene Wolfe story, though this was not one of his best. I had heard of Michael Swanwick, but after reading his story here, I plan on picking up his novels if I can. That's the best thing about these collections; you try out authors you've heard about but never read, and can keep reading the ones you like. The Finite Canvas and Our Human were memorable. Really though, anything I tell you is of little use. You'll like different ones than I did for different reasons. But pick up this free collection and enjoy some fresh, quality writing from top authors of today. I can't think of a single reason not to.
July 1, 2014
The inevitable problem with short story anthologies is that one likes some of the stories better than others. And although there were gems in this collection, how much I disliked the ones that didn't do it for me far far outweighed how much I liked the ones that did.
Dormanna by Gene Wolfe: 2/5
The Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky: 4/5
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick: 4/5
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross: 2.5/5
Ghosts of Christmas Past by Paul Cornell: 3/5
Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo: 3.5/5
Am I Free to Go? By Katherine Kramer: 1/5
About Fairies by Pat Murphy: 3.5/5
Our Human by Adam-Troy Castro: 0/5 (I really, really disliked this one)
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear: 2/5
Dormanna by Gene Wolfe: 2/5
The Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky: 4/5
The Mongolian Wizard by Michael Swanwick: 4/5
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross: 2.5/5
Ghosts of Christmas Past by Paul Cornell: 3/5
Finite Canvas by Brit Mandelo: 3.5/5
Am I Free to Go? By Katherine Kramer: 1/5
About Fairies by Pat Murphy: 3.5/5
Our Human by Adam-Troy Castro: 0/5 (I really, really disliked this one)
Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear: 2/5
January 18, 2013
A really, really good anthology. It was free, and worth every penny. Seriously though, I'd gladly pay for it.
The standout piece, for me, was Pat Murphy's About Fairies (which you can read online on its own, http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/05/ab...). I don't know -- there's just something haunting about the narration. A sort of a quiet desperation combined with an undercurrent of compassion that really got to me. Sounds fuzzy, I know, but it's a worthy read, I promise.
The standout piece, for me, was Pat Murphy's About Fairies (which you can read online on its own, http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/05/ab...). I don't know -- there's just something haunting about the narration. A sort of a quiet desperation combined with an undercurrent of compassion that really got to me. Sounds fuzzy, I know, but it's a worthy read, I promise.
June 26, 2013
Like any collection, you like some stories more than others, I had one 1 star, one 5 star and several 3-4 star ratings here, but as the quality overall was high, and I've discovered 2 new authors I'm REALLY looking forward to reading more from, (Michael Swanwick and Pat Murphy) it's an overall 4 :-)
October 6, 2013
A bit hit and miss for me, there were a few stories I enjoyed and only one I almost skipped because it was boring. I actually remembered to highlight the ones I enjoyed in my Kindle for once. So I can say with some certainty that the three I enjoyed the most were Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia, The Ghosts of Christmas and The Finite Canvas.
November 13, 2013
Lots of killer, very little filler. The pieces by Swirsky, Stross, Murphy and Swanwick were the standouts, though the latter feels more like a prologue than a short in its own right. Delicate and slightly creepy fairy tales, hard sci-fi meets gonzo conspiracy yarn, and alt-historical fantasy in an interesting setting. And it's free, why WOULDN'T you have a look?
March 10, 2013
Fun collection of recent science fiction and fantasy stories (novelettes?) - I thought 9 out of the 10 here were really enjoyable, which is great odds for a collection. Bonus points for the fact that the ebook is a free download!
February 9, 2013
Some very enjoyable stories in here but what I most enjoyed were the beautiful and evocative chapter illustrations.
The Mongolian Wizard and Faster Gun were my favorites. I'd be interested in full-length novels set in these worlds.
This is awfully good value for being free. Thanks Tor!
The Mongolian Wizard and Faster Gun were my favorites. I'd be interested in full-length novels set in these worlds.
This is awfully good value for being free. Thanks Tor!
March 31, 2013
A very good anthology. Some stories are actually very good. I particularly liked "About Fairies" by Pat Murphy and "Portrait of Lisane Da Patagnia" by Rachel Swirsky. I am actually astonished that such quality content can be found free. Really recommended.
December 13, 2014
Like all similar collections, there were some I liked and others that didn't float my boat. Some stories were 5 star, others worth a lot less in my opinion. I would have liked to have given 3.5 stars, but rounding down to 3 was more representative than rounding up.
January 9, 2013
Most of the short stories are a delight to read. Only two were disappointments.
January 4, 2013
Highly enjoyable collection of short stories. I had already read a couple of them, but the whole collection is great.
My favorite though? The fairies :)
My favorite though? The fairies :)
November 26, 2014
Short SF stories taken from Tor's website in 2012. The title says it all, these are some of the best and I don't tghink there was a bad one in the bunch. Best of all the e-book is free.
January 25, 2013
The stories were pretty good, but felt minor -- not enough space to do anything particularly interesting, I guess.
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