Mission: Tomorrow (1)

by Jack McDevitt

NEW STORIES OF THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION. Original anthology of stories about near-future space exploration from top authors. Includes stories by Jack McDevitt, Michael F. Flynn, Sarah A. Hoyt, Ben Bova, Mike Resnick, and many more.

In Tomorrow , science fiction writers imagine the future of space exploration with NASA no longer dominant. Will private companies rule the stars or will new governments take up the call? From Brazilians to Russians to Chinese, the characters in these stories deal with everything from strange encounters, to troubled satellites and space ships, to competition for funding and getting there first. Nineteen stories of what-if spanning the gamut from Mercury to Pluto and beyond, assembled by critically praised editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt. 
Table of
"Tombaugh Station" by Robin Wayne Bailey "Excalibur" by Jack McDevitt "The Race For Arcadia" by Alex Shvartsman "A Walkabout Amongst The Stars" by Lezli Robyn"Sunrise On Mercury" by Robert Silverberg "In Panic Town, On The Backward Moon" by Michael F. Flynn "The Ultimate Space Race" by Jaleta Clegg "Orpheus' Engines" by Christopher McKitterick"Around The NEO in 80 Days" by Jay Werkheiser "Iron Pegasus" by Brenda Cooper "Airtight" by Michael Capobianco "Windshear" by Angus McIntyre "On Edge" by Sarah A. Hoyt "Tartaros" by Mike Resnick "Malf" by David D. Levine "Ten Days Up" by Curtis C. Chen "The Rabbit Hole" by James Gunn "Rare (Off Earth) Elements (A Sam Gunn Tale)" by Ben Bova "Tribute" by Jack Skillingstead

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

About the author

Jack McDevitt is a former English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer and motivational trainer. His work has been on the final ballot for the Nebula Awards for 12 of the past 13 years. His first novel, The Hercules Text, was published in the celebrated Ace Specials series and won the Philip K. Dick Special Award. In 1991, McDevitt won the first $10,000 UPC International Prize for his novella, "Ships in the Night." The Engines of God was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and his novella, "Time Travelers Never Die," was nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards.

McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife, Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In any collection, there is at least one story that isn't as interesting as the rest, but I really think of any in this collection that made feel that way about this book. I am partial to space stories though, so it is likely that has something to do with it. Overall though, I think this is one of the better collections to come out for a while. Quite enjoyable, and I'd recommend it for anyone with the space bug.

[Greg Hullender · Rating 3 out of 5]

These 19 stories explore the question "What will space travel look like in an age no longer dominated by NASA." The authors examine expanded roles for corporations, private citizens, and other governments.

About half the stories are worth reading, which is par for the course with anthologies. Three are outstandingly good.

Detailed review at http://www.rocketstackrank.com/2015/1...

[Wileyacez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wileyacez Hahaha..won this from SF Signal podcast (I'm a weeener!) on my third try. I haven't read a lot of Sci Fi lately, let alone short stories, and these were great ones. Very enjoyable, so thanks a bunch to the great folks over at SF Signal.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology of stories featuring the adventurous and entrepreneurs of humanity, constantly striving to breach the final frontier, was very good. It contained stories of all sorts— thrilling to hilarious, sombre to silly, drab to downright unforgettable.
My favourites were~
1. Tombaugh Station— Robin Wayne Bailey
2. Excalibur— Jack McDevitt
3. The Race for Arcadia— Alex Shvartsman
4. A Walkabout Amongst the Stars— Lezli Robyn
5. Sunrise on Mercury— Robert Silverberg
6. In Panic Town, on the Backward Moon— Michael F. Flynn
7. The Ultimate Space Race— Jaleta Clegg
8. Iron Pegasus— Brenda Cooper
9. Windshear— Angus McIntyre
10. On Edge— Sarah A. Hoyt
11. Tartaros— Mike Resnick
12. Ten Days Up— Curtis C. Chen
13. Rare (Off) Earth Elements— Ben Bova
14. Tribute— Jack Skillingstead
With so many good stories, I think I can safely overlook the few 'meh' types and go for broke. Five Stars!
Highly recommended.

[Howard Brazee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old style SF stories, the kind I grew up with.

[Lyle Blosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual with collections such as this, somewhat of a mixed bag - some stories better than others. But, overall, a favorable impression was the result and the variety was appreciated.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I recently read Andy Weir's The Martian (edited by Schmidt), but I rather hoped that the stories in this anthology would be less whimsical and more suggestive of what we might do to actually get off our planetary backside and plant an outsole on the next step to the stars. However, if you embrace the whimsy, all the stories are good and some are excellent--and the question of how to proceed with the dream does get some attention.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of near-time science fiction. My favorites were The Race for Arcadia (Shvartsman), A Walkabout Among the Stars (Robyn), and Orpheus' Engines (McKitterick).

[Samuel Lubell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a review of this in the Jan issue of sfrevu. The stories were solid, with no clunkers, but nothing rose above the ordinary.

[Paul Rubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong collection of short space stories for the hard-SF fan. Some better than others, but overall good traditional stories.