Galactic Empires

Jackaroo #2.3 - Winning Peace

by Neil Clarke (Editor)

Neil Clarke, publisher of the award-winning Clarkesworld magazine, presents a collection of thought-provoking and galaxy-spanning array of galactic short science fiction.

From E. E. "Doc" Smith’s Lensman, to George Lucas’ Star Wars, the politics and process of Empire have been a major subject of science fiction’s galaxy-spanning fictions. The idiom of the Galactic Empire allows science fiction writers to ask (and answer) questions that are shorn of contemporary political ideologies and allegiances. This simple narrative slight of hand allows readers and writers to see questions and answers from new and different perspectives.

The stories in this book do just that. What social, political, and economic issues do the organizing structure of “empire” address? Often the size, shape, and fates of empires are determined not only by individuals, but by geography, natural forces, and technology. As the speed of travel and rates of effective communication increase, so too does the size and reach of an Imperial bureaucracy. Sic itur ad astra—“Thus one journeys to the stars.”

At the beginning of the twentieth century, writers such as Kipling and Twain were at the forefront of these kinds of narrative observations, but as the century drew to a close, it was writers like Iain M. Banks who helped make science fiction relevant. That tradition continues today, with award-winning writers like Ann Leckie, whose 2013 debut novel Ancillary Justice hinges upon questions of imperialism and empire.

Here then is a diverse collection of stories that asks the questions that science fiction asks best. Empire: How? Why? And to what effect?

Table of Contents:
- “Winning Peace” by Paul J. McAuley
- “Night’s Slow Poison” by Ann Leckie
- “All the Painted Stars” by Gwendolyn Clare
- “Firstborn” by Brandon Sanderson
- “Riding the Crocodile” by Greg Egan
- “The Lost Princess Man” by John Barnes
- “The Waiting Stars” by Aliette de Bodard
- “Alien Archeology” by Neal Asher
- “The Muse of Empires Lost” by Paul Berger
- “Ghostweight” by Yoon Ha Lee
- “A Cold Heart” by Tobias S. Buckell
- “The Colonel Returns to the Stars” by Robert Silverberg
- “The Impossibles” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- “Utriusque Cosmi” by Robert Charles Wilson
- “Section Seven” by John G. Hemry
- “The Invisible Empire of Ascending Light” by Ken Scholes
- “The Man with the Golden Balloon” by Robert Reed
- “Looking Through Lace” by Ruth Nestvold
- “A Letter from the Emperor” by Steve Rasnic Tem
- “The Wayfarer’s Advice” by Melinda M. Snodgrass
- “Seven Years from Home” by Naomi Novik
- “Verthandi’s Ring” by Ian McDonald

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Space Opera, Ebooks, Speculative Fiction

636 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 17, 2017

About the author

Neil Clarke is best known as the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning Clarkesworld Magazine. Launched in October 2006, the online magazine has been a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine four times (winning three times), the World Fantasy Award four times (winning once), and the British Fantasy Award once (winning once). Neil is also a ten-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form (winning once in 2022), three-time winner of the Chesley Award for Best Art Director, and a recipient of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. In the fifteen years since Clarkesworld Magazine launched, numerous stories that he has published have been nominated for or won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Locus, BSFA, Shirley Jackson, WSFA Small Press, and Stoker Awards.

Additionally, Neil edits  Forever —a digital-only, reprint science fiction magazine he launched in 2015. His anthologies include: Upgraded, Galactic Empires, Touchable Unreality, More Human than Human, The Final Frontier, Not One of Us,  The Eagle has Landed, , and the Best Science Fiction of the Year series. His next anthology, The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Seven will published in early 2023.

He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this is a pretty solid anthology, with a few misses and some really excellent hits. My favourite of the collection was Seven Years from Home by Naomi Novik, but there were several others that really stuck with me. I have listed each story below with my impressions noted down as I read them.

Winning Peace by Paul J. McAuley - Quite a bit of worldbuilding and character packed into a short story. Never underestimate the value of a good story.

Night's Slow Poison by Ann Leckie - A story from a point of view outside the Radchaai giving another piece of the world of Imperial Radch.

All the Painted Stars by Gwendolyn Clare - A lovely story of profound transformation and renewal of purpose.

Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson - Enjoyable if somewhat unbelievable premise, although it felt like epic fantasy pushed into an SF setting.

Riding the Crocodile by Greg Egan - Wonderful creative worldbuilding but a somewhat anti-climatic conclusion to a rather long and detailed story.

The Lost Princess Man by John Barnes - Entertaining characters in this story of a con man who finds out one of his cons was actually the real deal.

The Waiting Stars by Aliette de Bodard - A different take on the idea of sentient ships and the notion of control. An excellent example of short story craft.

Alien Archeology by Neal Asher - Not a bad story, but even with it being very long and detailed there is no sense of completeness to it. This felt more like an excerpt from a novel rather than a piece of self-contained short fiction.

The Muse of Empires Lost by Paul Berger - An ancient being fails to recognise the power of a young girl and her devotion to the sentient orbital she calls home.

Ghostweight by Yoon Ha Lee - Written in an appealing and organic feeling style that made me think I should give Ninefox Gambit a try.

A Cold Heart by Tobias S. Bucknell - An altered human is willing to do whatever it takes to retrieve his memories. Bucknell makes this story feel more personal by writing in the second person.

The Colonel Returns to the Stars by Robert Silverberg - A lot of worldbuilding, backstory, and exposition had me expecting something more than it delivered by the end.

The Impossibles by Kristine Kathryn Rusch - An interesting courtroom drama story set in the Retrieval Artist universe. One of my favourites in this anthology.

Utriusque Cosmi by Robert Charles Wilson - A unique story about the cycle of memory and nature of existence. "I'm at the end of all things, which is really just another beginning."

Section Seven by Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry) - A neat little socioeconomic black ops story. "...there are other ways than brute force to increase the price and trouble of non-conformity..."

Invisible Empire of Ascending Light by Ken Scholes - This one felt a bit incomplete to me for some reason. The writing was fine, but the story just didn't catch me.

The Man With the Golden Balloon by Robert Reed - Old and powerful aliens work inexplicable schemes across unimaginable lengths of time and space. I appreciated what Reed is trying to do, but thought it needed just a tiny bit more connective resolution at the end.

Looking Through Lace by Ruth Nestvold - Excellent story about how perceptions about gender affect understanding. I loved this story, with a feel that reminded me of Dark Orbit by Caroline Ives Gilman.

A Letter from the Emperor by Steve Rasnic Tem - I can sort of appreciate what the author was trying to do, but I found this one rather disjointed and hard to follow.

The Wayfarer's Advice by Melinda Snodgrass - The title refers to the chapter, Wayfarer's All, from The Wind in the Willows (one of my favourite parts of that book), where the advice is given: "Take the Adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes!" A predictably wistful story, but no less enjoyable for that. I loved this one.

Seven Years from Home by Naomi Novik - A sad and horrifying story of Imperialism by duplicity and stealth that is reminiscent of the film Avatar. Novik's gift for prose makes this a fantastic read: "I will not see my sisters again, whom I loved. Here we say that one who takes the long midnight voyage has leaped ahead in time, but to me it seems it is they who have traveled on ahead. I can no longer hear their voices when I am awake. I hope this will silence them in the night."

Verthandi's Ring by Ian McDonald - Honestly I had to skim through the last part of this one. Too plotless and stream of consciousness-y for my taste.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing anthology of space opera SF with an amazing scope.

I've included my thoughts on each of the short stories in my updates while reading this over the last few months, but I should call out some favorites.

"All the Painted Stars" by Gwendolyn Clare is a strong story of a really alien creature falling in with a Star Trek-like human crew and engaging with them. A very cool perspective on a story that's been done before, but made quite fresh by the conceit.

"The Waiting Stars" by Aliette de Boddard. Amazing story and I can see why it did well at the awards. To describe it is to spoil it, but I strongly recommend it.

"The Impossibles" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. A much smaller scope than most of the stories of this volume, this one deals with a lawyer in the toughest court in the galaxy as part of this author's Retrieval Artist universe. I need to read more of these.

"Seven Years From Home" by Naomi Novak. One of the stronger critiques of the machineries of empire in this book. The biotech is stunning.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection, with very few weak stories. I’ve linked the stories I found online. Five I had previously read.
The six standout stories (for me) are double-starred: ** . Best of Book: “Looking Through Lace” is marked *** .
It was a particular pleasure to find several first-rate stories that were new to me. Overall rating: 4 stars.

** Winning Peace (2007). novelette by Paul J. McAuley. An early Jackaroo story and a good one. New to me, and not closely linked to the later Jackaroo tales. 4 stars.
• Night's Slow Poison (2012), short story by Ann Leckie. Set in the Imperial Radch universe, this story was inspired (in part) by Jack Vance’s "The Moon Moth.” An interminable voyage and an almost-successful spy make for a fine story. 3.5 stars. Reprint: https://www.tor.com/2014/06/10/nights...
** All the Painted Stars (2012), short story by Gwendolyn Clare. A first-rate story about a very unusual First Contact, between a galactic cop (of sorts) and the humans who are flying an ancient alien starship. A near-great story, by a new-to-me author. 4.5 stars, and I’ll be looking for more of her stuff. http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/clare... Don’t miss!
• Firstborn (2005), novelette by Brandon Sanderson. High Lord Dennison was a screw-up. His brother Varion is the most succesful commander in the Imperial fleet. But very successful commanders are seldom satisfied with being subordinate to anyone, even the Emperor… This is epic Space Opera, and there are some nice twists — but the ending fell flat for me. 3.5 stars.
• Riding the Crocodile (2005), novella by Greg Egan. Trying to get the attention of the mysterious Aloof aliens. Previously read and enjoyed; not reread. Story link: https://www.gregegan.net/INCANDESCENC...
** The Lost Princess Man (2009), novelette by John Barnes. Story of a con-man. This time, his assignment is to find the lost Empress of the Galaxy! Of course, he succeeds. Sort of. Until… A remarkably entertaining story, even if the last twist is nasty. 4 stars.
• The Waiting Stars [Universe of Xuya] (2013), novelette by Aliette de Bodard. Won the 2014 Nebula award. Previously read. I have a blind spot for de Bodard’s stuff. But here it is: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/th...
• Alien Archeology [the Polity] (2007), novella by Neal Asher. An intricate, violent and nasty story — but well done. Not reread. Once was enough!
** The Muse of Empires Lost (2006), novelette by Paul Berger. This one is a lost technical-civilization story — the Fall of Cosmopolis! And a young girl who badly needs something to eat, and a bath. Luckily, she finds both in Port Town, where we learn of the very unusual place she lives. Fine story, 4 stars.
• Ghostweight • (2011) • novelette by Yoon Ha Lee. Previously read. Good story. Here it is: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/lee_0...
• A Cold Heart (2014), short story by Tobias S. Buckell. An altered human has lost his memories to the alien Satrapy, and is trying to get them back. OK story, 2.5 stars.
• The Colonel Returns to the Stars (2004), novella by Robert Silverberg. The Colonel is retired in the Aureus Highlands, until he is cajoled into one last mission for the Imperium, to put down a rebellion led by an old colleague. A meandering and overlong story with an inconclusive ending. 2.5 stars.
• The Impossibles [Retrieval Artist] (2011), novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. A young lawyer takes an impossible case in the Earth Alliance InterSpecies Court — and wins. Then she finds out an unpleasant truth. Well done story, recommended. 3.8 stars.
• Utriusque Cosmi (2009), novelette by Robert Charles Wilson. Previously read. Reprint: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/wilso... Decent story, not reread.
• Section Seven (2003), short story by John G. Hemry. Old-fashioned story about a Galactic Federation operative coercing a recalcitrant member planet. Just OK, 2.5 stars.
• Invisible Empire of Ascending Light (2008), short story by Ken Scholes. Previously read in Strahan, Eclipse Two. I wrote: “A Galactic religious empire trembles on the edge of civil war. Huh. I liked it, mostly. 3.5 stars?” Not reread.
• The Man with the Golden Balloon (2008), novella by Robert Reed. Quee Lee and Perri hear of an unmapped part of the Great Ship. They go out looking for it, and meet a mysterious Stranger. Quee Lee learns something surprising about her long-ago girlhood. One of the better Great Ship stories I’ve seen. Strong 3 stars.
*** Looking Through Lace (2003), novella by Ruth Nestvold. Nominated for the Tiptree and Sturgeon awards. Excerpt: http://www.ruthnestvold.com/Lookingth... A female linguist is assigned to learn the women-only language of the indigenes of Kailazh, but is thwarted by her overbearing male supervisor. But she finds a hot romance with a very good-looking (and willing) local. The Bad Boss gets a delicious comeuppance, in a marvelously twisty ending. Nestvold is a LeGuin fan, and it shows. It’s my favorite story in the anthology, and I’ll definitely be reading more of Nestvold’s stuff. 5 stars!
• A Letter from the Emperor (2010), short story by Steve Rasnic Tem. Sad, moody piece about the visit of an Imperial survey ship to an obscure planet. Not really to my taste. 2.5 stars.
• The Wayfarer's Advice (2010), novelette by Melinda Snodgrass. This one is truly a Galactic Empire story, and it’s pretty silly but fun to read. 3.5 stars. The author expanded this story into her novel “The Hidden World” (Imperials #3), which I just put on my TBR list.
** Seven Years from Home (2010), novelette by Naomi Novik. Previously read. Reprint: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/novik... This one is something of a riff on LeGuin’s “The World for the World is Forest,” https://theanarchistlibrary.org/libra... —except the Good Guys win. Still violent and grim. A must-read for Novik fans — and I wish she would write more SF!
• Verthandi's Ring • (2007) • short story by Ian McDonald, Previously read, and I liked it. Harvest Moon, Scented Coolabar & the Rose Of Jericho, warriors of the Clade in a far-future space war….
http://faculty.gordonstate.edu/ddavis...

If you see more links (or dead ones), please comment.
TOC with story notes and sources: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?5...

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★★★
Yes, six stars. With shades of Ender’s Game and Gemini Man this was the best science fiction short I’ve ever read. A full story and good glimpse into an imperial world on knife’s edge. Riveted!


Looking Through Lace by Ruth Nestvold ★★★★★
Best First Contact story! Nestvold has you fully engaged in figuring out the intricacies of the Mejan culture. It is so hard to look at another culture and not make immediate parallels to your own potentially blinding you to the truth. “Like looking through lace - the view isn’t clear, the patterns get in the way.”


The Lost Princess Man by John Barnes ★★★★★
Combining laugh-out-loud humor, whimsy, and brutal truths Barnes gets all the stars. I had a great time reading this story.


The Muse of Empires Lost by Paul Berger ★★★★½
Loved this story, it was densely packed with tasty tropes: living ships, toroidal colonies, future primitive, energy vampires, and the cherry-on-top, the chosen one (ok, she chooses herself, but you would too, lol)! I liked Star Trek’s Tin Man, but this was better.

All the Painted Stars by Gwendolyn Clare ★★★★½
“Since when were you more afraid of dying than of not having a purpose?” Liu’s lips curl in an expression I now know to indicate amusement. “How human of you.”

I loved this story of an outcast alien policeman saving a little band of intergalactic humans and finding a new purpose in life.


Seven Years From Home by Naomi Novik
★★★★☆
Solarpunk society with teeth. A diplomat/anthropologist from a powerful Muslim(ish) confederacy of planets embeds herself with a sustainable eco friendly genetically altered native society. She is sad but resigned to their being wiped out by capitalist forces. Well the natives are not benign and they will not let themselves be wiped out. The wet blanket narrator did not approve but f*ck her. I would have stayed.


Utriusque Cosmi by Robert Charles Wilson ★★★★☆
This slow burn intergalactic romance was about fighting for life, for survival, for the joy of living and discovering the wonders of tomorrow!

Winning Peace by Paul J. McAuley ★★★★☆
“Humans were at the mercy of species more powerful than them, pawns in games whose rules they didn’t know, and aims they didn’t understand.”

It’s a difficult and complicated galaxy yet humans are still divided. Two pilots on different sides have to decide to work together to survive their debts and dangers.


Invisible Empire of Ascending Light by Ken Scholes ★★★★☆
Even gods deserve to choose death. It was a sad strange thing to feel the wrench of a society going from a true religion to a fictional one. I don’t see it working better.

The Waiting Stars by Aliette de Bodard ★★★½☆
Ah the drama of do-gooders making cultural gaffs. Save us from the bleeding hearts! This short story was not enough for me to understand biologically birthed starships but I liked the idea.


Alien Archeology by Neil Asher ★★★☆☆
Well now that was a lot. I enjoyed the vicious Prador and the mystery of the willfully paleo ancient advanced species but I was left with more questions than answers.

The Impossibles by Kristine Katherine Rusch ★★★☆☆
An intergalactic lawyer wins her first case then quits.

The Man with the Golden Balloon by Robert Reed ★★★☆☆
I enjoy stories with fabulously long time scales and a bit of romance, that is why I have given this story some slack. For its length and breadth there should have been an impactful mysteries-of-the-universe denouement. This felt off-piste and irrelevant to the main story never received.


A Letter From the Emperor by Steve Rasnic Tem ★★★☆☆
Some stories feel true and not for the better. The way Alien made spaceships look like flying corporate dump trucks instead of Star Trek’s noble sleek explorers. Here instead of the friendly cosmopolitan diverse happening universe space is depicted as the lonely far flung place it is.

The Colonel Returns to the Stars by Robert Silverberg ★★½☆☆
That was a long undramatic story about an Imperial fixer who goes native on his last assignment.

Riding the Crocodile by Greg Egan ★★½☆☆
An epic galactic exploration weighed down mightily by a suicidal partner; the ending a wilted white flag.

Night’s Slow Poison by Ann Leckie ★★☆☆☆
This is a short story from Leckie’s Imperial Radch series, which I have not read. Perhaps if I had this would have been enjoyable.

Section Seven by John G. Hemry ★½☆☆☆
That was a story about quiet sabotage to aid in conformity and peace. Fine. But it was impressively boring.

Ghostweight by Yoon Ha Lee DNF
There is some lovely writing here, and I was a big fan of Ninefox Gambit, but I was bored and lost early on. This may or may not be part of the Machineries of Empire universe.

A Cold Heart by Tobias S. Buckell DNF
It’s written in the second person. You like this not.

The Wayfarer’s Advice by Melinda Snodgrass DNF
Dislikable people in a love story with too many characters.

Verthandi’s Ring by Ian McDonald DNF
”The Chamber of Ever-Renewing Waters, the military council, together with the Deep Blue Something, the gestalt übermind that was the Heart-world’s participatory democracy...”
Dude, you’re trying too hard to be weird.

Some of the best of SciFi and some that was unreadable, the highest highs and the lowest lows. Just counting the 18 stories I finished it’s 3.6 stars, but if I add the four DNFs it’s 2.9 stars. In the end I will round the former to four stars because the great stories, and there were nine of them!, were memorable.

[Peter Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In summation: one dull story, maybe 4 average ones, and all the rest are well worth your money which is a pretty good batting average for an SF anthology.

Well here is a brief note on each story:

Winning Piece - Paul J. McAuley – I do like the Jackaroo universe and this is a nice addition if not the strongest story in this collection

Night's Slow Poison - Ann Leckie – set in the “Imperial Radch” universe. The plot isn’t great but the crew’s culture is interesting and the idea of Crawl is a clever one –

All the Painted Stars - Gwendolyn Clare – I liked Ohree- and I am sure you will too..

Firstborn - Brandon Sanderson -This could only really work if there was a twist to come but I really couldn’t see what it could be before the very end – and isn’t that exactly how it should be. Certainly shows the stories are beginning to pick up pace.

Riding the Crocodile - Greg Egan – The idea of the Aloof and how others try to engage with them is very clever and engaging.

The Lost Princess Man - John Barnes – Almost fantasy really but I do like the clever con(s) it depicts

The Waiting Stars - Aliette de Bodard – Different and wonderfully sad

Alien Archeology - Neal Asher – The Polity is not really my thing but those who like I it will like this, and the Atheter and their actions as a race are intriguing.

The Muse of Empires Lost - Paul Berger – Giant interstellar space molluscs – what else do you want?

Ghostweight - Yoon Ha Lee – Beautify written story but not your everyday origami

A Cold Heart - Tobias S. Buckell - keeps you entertained but it’s up against some much stronger stuff in this anthology

The Colonel Returns to the Stars - Robert Silverberg – a bit too linear and uninspiring for me. The weakest story by far of this entire collection.

The Impossibles - Kristine Kathryn Rusch – Not quite sure what this is doing here as it is about a public defender's office at the Interspecies Court rather than galactic empires, but I loved it.

Utriusque Cosmi - Robert Charles Wilson – beautifully written and a grand cosmic sense of wonder story that was one of the top two in the collection for me.

Section Seven - John G. Hemry – A Mission Impossible style team romp, but little more than that.

Invisible Empire of Ascending Light - Ken Scholes – Makes you shudder and feel angst for almost everyone depicted in this tale.

The Man with the Golden Balloon - Robert Reed – A haunting and impressive story with a very big idea on a very big ship.

Looking Through Lace - Ruth Nesvold – By far my favourite story. Yes language based SF stories have done before, yes it’s a fairly obvious matriarchal culture from almost the first couple of pages, yes you will spot the ‘missing’ written language a mile off but there are fresh ideas here and that combined with the writing style certainly held my attention.

A Letter from the Emperor - Steve Rasnic Tem - A feel good story about an act of kindness.

The Wayfarer's Advice - Melinda Snodgrass – I am always a sucker for a space trading ship story.

Seven Years from Home - Naomi Novik – an only too plausible account of how supposedly devious diplomacy can have huge unintended consequences. The ‘alien’ culture depicted is well crafted and is really the starof the show.

Verthandi's Ring - Ian McDonald – epic space war stuff which is not usually Ian’s thing but its really about consequences and living with choices rather than high tech warfare

[Casey Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthological romp through various Galactic Empires as seen through the eyes of various science fiction writers. I enjoyed most, but not all of them, but some I loved fiercely. If you're looking for some bite-sized chunks of escape with passing glimpses into Space Operas that have yet to be written, this book is for you!

The ones I particularly enjoyed, the bolded ones are highly recommended:
* All the Painted Stars by Gwendolyn Clare
* Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson
* Riding the Crocodile by Greg Egan
* The Waiting Stars by Aliette de Bodard
* The Muse of Empires Lost by Paul Berger
* Ghostweight by Yoon Ha Lee
* The Impossibles by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
* Utriusque Cosmi by Robert Charles Wilson
* Looking through Lace by Ruth Nestvold
* Seven Years from Home by Naomi Novik

Note: The ebook copy I got from the library on my Kindle had some problems. Some words in the middle of the line had hyphens in the middle of them, as though the ebook version was made from an already-formatted copy that retained the end-of-line hyphen breaks. This was annoying but survivable.

[Graeme Rodaughan]

Given this is an anthology, I'll update this review as I go along.

#1: 22 Nov 2020: Winning Peace: In a scandalous affair, a prisoner of war escapes the bonds of indentured servitude, acquires a boon companion, and thwarts the erotic aspirations of a horny interstellar starfish named 'Useless Beauty.' - 4, 'I didn't see the ending coming,' stars.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Galactic Empires
Editor: Neil Clarke
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Publishing Date: 2017
Pgs: 621
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
From E. E. "Doc" Smith’s Lensman, to George Lucas’ Star Wars, the politics and process of Empire have been a major subject of science fiction’s galaxy-spanning fictions. The idiom of the Galactic Empire allows science fiction writers to ask (and answer) questions that are shorn of contemporary political ideologies and allegiances. This simple narrative slight of hand allows readers and writers to see questions and answers from new and different perspectives.

The stories in this book do just that. What social, political, and economic issues do the organizing structure of “empire” address? Often the size, shape, and fates of empires are determined not only by individuals, but by geography, natural forces, and technology. As the speed of travel and rates of effective communication increase, so too does the size and reach of an Imperial bureaucracy. Sic itur ad astra—“Thus one journeys to the stars.”

At the beginning of the twentieth century, writers such as Kipling and Twain were at the forefront of these kinds of narrative observations, but as the century drew to a close, it was writers like Iain M. Banks who helped make science fiction relevant. That tradition continues today, with award-winning writers like Ann Leckie, whose 2013 debut novel Ancillary Justice hinges upon questions of imperialism and empire.

Here then is a diverse collection of stories that asks the questions that science fiction asks best. Empire: How? Why? And to what effect?

Table of Contents:
- “Winning Peace” by Paul J. McAuley
- “Night’s Slow Poison” by Ann Leckie
- “All the Painted Stars” by Gwendolyn Clare
- “Firstborn” by Brandon Sanderson
- “Riding the Crocodile” by Greg Egan
- “The Lost Princess Man” by John Barnes
- “The Waiting Stars” by Aliette de Bodard
- “Alien Archeology” by Neal Asher
- “The Muse of Empires Lost” by Paul Berger
- “Ghostweight” by Yoon Ha Lee
- “A Cold Heart” by Tobias S. Buckell
- “The Colonel Returns to the Stars” by Robert Silverberg
- “The Impossibles” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- “Utriusque Cosmi” by Robert Charles Wilson
- “Section Seven” by John G. Hemry
- “The Invisible Empire of Ascending Light” by Ken Scholes
- “The Man with the Golden Balloon” by Robert Reed
- “Looking Through Lace” by Ruth Nestvold
- “A Letter from the Emperor” by Steve Rasnic Tem
- “The Wayfarer’s Advice” by Melinda M. Snodgrass
- “Seven Years from Home” by Naomi Novik
- “Verthandi’s Ring” by Ian McDonald
_________________________________________
Genre:
Science Fiction
Anthology
Fiction
Aliens
Space
Space Opera
Imperialism


Why this book:
Because we’re living in the soup of a modern American conspiracy-fraught era. Thanks to Fox News and school boards and the dumbing down of social studies and civics.
_________________________________________
The Page 100 Test:
Ω ◄ - struggle to finish this.
? ◄ - Just not sure about this.
(≖_≖ ) ◄ - side eyeing this
± ◄ - could go either way
Ÿ ◄ - this is causing fallopian discomfort
(‿|‿) ◄ - ass
( • )( • ) ◄ - this brings no honor to the empire
ω ◄ - balls…good…bad…sweaty…
❚█══█❚ ◄ - this requires heavy lifting
¶ ◄ - the monolith disapproves of this

Favorite Concept:
For as silly as the Lost Princess Man seemed at the start, it finished brutal. And you are left with the feeling that neither Cetsuo and/or Millette are going to be satisfied with what they end up with when they finally achieve their goal. Was prepared to toss that one on the dustbin, but it wrenched the reader’s attention closer to the payoff. Wow. Just wow.
The “living mindship and the families related to them” story was pretty cool.


Overused Phrase/Concept:
Too many short story authors aim at an open-ended esoteric, ethereal feel/finish that misses the mark and leaves the reader wondering what in the hell just happened. While sometimes that is satisfactory, others just leave the reader wondering what happened, why it happened and did the characters just stop because whatever paths forward the author imagined are too deeply between their ears to be communicated in the short form. And especially in a Galactic Empires anthology, going small and leaving it unfinished is unsatisfying. Minimalism on an opus scale is possible. But it's a path that has to be tread carefully.

Tropes:
The esoteric not-an-ending of too many short stories is frustrating. Not when the story ends or leaves options. But the story just stops, especially after questing and questing and questing. Riding the Crocodile is one of those stories. It's extremely well written, but the ending of Jasim and Leila's story and the Amalgam and the Aloof doesn't satisfy at all.
Really expected the other shoe to drop in the story about Valencia inching its way away from the Federation. If nothing else, the spymaster "cleaning house" before he left the planet, especially after the discussion about spies with pensions and such.
The star religion searching for a living god gives off Bene Gesserit vibes. Hyperion vibes too. I mean, if you’re going to give off vibes, those aren’t the worst ones to have.

Hmm Moments:
Suspected Elder Artifacts in "nearby" solar systems...nice.

The Amalgam and The Aloof are interesting worldbuilding juxtapositions to have existed in a single story.

Meh / PFFT Moments:
I prefer my anthologies as stand-alone stories, not as previews for other books or shadow sequels or somesuch.


Here's hoping the payoff of the Jasim and Leila story is good. The story is the best so far...not sure how far through it I am, but so far. And…that’s not the payoff I was hoping for. Nihilism as the ultimate expression of the ultimate civilization and bio-life forms. Meh. Jasim and Leila just wander off to die on their mountain…to die of exposure and dehydration climbing the mountain, is disappointing.

Confirmation Bias:
Little bit over halfway through the story and I've figured out where the Maltese Falcon is.

Juxtaposition:
The long fall through history and the enemy not really being the enemy but a savior story was well done. A bit too esoteric for my tastes, but still good. A bit too Last Star Fighter, in some aspects, but still well done.

Strikeout:
Strike One: No excuse for losing the internal chronology of a short story and repeating a scene. If the author didn't catch it, it seems that the editor should have. Shame really thru that point it was an interesting story. Skipping to next.

Strike Two: The heavy-handed sex allegory of the ship docking with the nano-enhanced planetary biosphere...meh. Pass.

Dreamcasting:
I hear the voice in the dark in the unexplored section of the Great Ship in Laurence Fishburne-Morpheus's voice.
_________________________________________
Pacing:
Meh.

Last Page Sound:
There were some good shorts here. There was some good science fiction here. There was some iffy stuff here. I'd only characterize about half of them as empire-ish. I wanted to like this collection more than I did. Too many of them are open ended, non-ending.

Editorial Assessment:
Short story collections are usually mixed bags. So far none of the stories have been unreadable. That's a big plus. Usually, in collections, there are always at least a few that meh you almost to death…well, me, meh me.
The editor should have arranged these differently. The last two stories were decent but it feels like a different order would have given the collection more throughput of emotion. A different order of the shorts may have given it more pace. I know that a collection of shorts with different authors and different subjects and styles is going to, by its own definition, have different currents, cadences, eddies, and flows. But this is traffic jam sludge in places.
=======================================

[Florin Pitea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, indeed. Recommended.

[Seregil of Rhiminee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Risingshadow.

Do you enjoy reading science fiction stories about galactic empires? Are you fascinated by visits to distant planets? Or are you perhaps interested in imaginative space opera stories? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, Galactic Empires will be of interest to you, because it will entertain and thrill you in various ways.

Galactic Empires (edited by Neil Clarke) is an ambitious and impressive anthology of science fiction stories about galactic empires. It offers readers magnificent glimpses into different kinds of empires and allows readers to immerse themselves in fascinating stories. It's a gorgeous display of good storytelling and fantastic imagination, and it serves as a guide to what kind of galactic empires can be found in modern science fiction stories.

Neil Clarke has done an excellent job with this anthology, because he has gathered entertaining, intelligent and well written stories that showcase the versatility of galactic empire stories. Each of the stories emphasises different aspects of the genre in a compelling way, because readers will have an opportunity to read about humans in space, humans on distant planets, great empires, aliens and many other fascinating things.

As the editor mentions in his introduction, Star Wars is probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think about empires. However, there's much more to galactic empires than Star Wars, because they have existed for a long time in science fiction and the earliest stories were written decades ago. There are many kinds of empires that greatly differ from each other - for example, they can be small or great, benevolent or hostile - but there's one thing that unites them: they're all fictional empires that have their own laws and customs.

What makes Galactic Empires excellent and worth reading is that it has something for everybody. Whether you're an experienced science fiction reader or a newcomer to science fiction, you'll find something to love in this anthology. It doesn't disappoint readers, but holds them captivated by exciting happenings, fantastic sights and vistas, hard-boiled realism and good characterisation.

This anthology contains the following stories:

- Winning Piece - Paul J. McAuley
- Night's Slow Poison - Ann Leckie
- All the Painted Stars - Gwendolyn Clare
- Firstborn - Brandon Sanderson
- Riding the Crocodile - Greg Egan
- The Lost Princess Man - John Barnes
- The Waiting Stars - Aliette de Bodard
- Alien Archeology - Neal Asher
- The Muse of Empires Lost - Paul Berger
- Ghostweight - Yoon Ha Lee
- A Cold Heart - Tobias S. Buckell
- The Colonel Returns to the Stars - Robert Silverberg
- The Impossibles - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- Utriusque Cosmi - Robert Charles Wilson
- Section Seven - John G. Hemry
- Invisible Empire of Ascending Light - Ken Scholes
- The Man with the Golden Balloon - Robert Reed
- Looking Through Lace - Ruth Nesvold
- A Letter from the Emperor - Steve Rasnic Tem
- The Wayfarer's Advice - Melinda Snodgrass
- Seven Years from Home - Naomi Novik
- Verthandi's Ring - Ian McDonald

All of these stories contain different themes and issues that are explored in a nuanced and engaging way. I found it intriguing how widely the themes ranged all the way from alien encounters and travelogues to space battles and family issues. These themes are explored entertainingly, because the authors have managed to write stories that easily capture the reader's interest in them (some of the stories are thought-provoking in the best possible way).

It's great that the authors emphasise different things in their stories, because there are many kinds of galactic empires and each of them is unique and original. Each of the galactic empires reflects the author's personal interests in science fiction. Although certain galactic empires may seem to appear similar in many ways, there are several details and nuances that separate them from each other.

Here are a few words about the stories (without spoilers) and my thoughts about them:

Winning Piece - Paul J. McAuley:

- A story about Carver White, a post-interstellar war prisoner escape and a kind of a treasure hunt.
- The author writes well about Carver, his brother Jarred and what has happened to them.
- I liked this story a lot and found it interesting.

Night's Slow Poison - Ann Leckie:

- This story is set in the same setting as the author's Ancillary Justice and tells of a galactic voyage, a spaceship and its passengers.
- An interesting and well written story that adds a bit of additional flavour to the author's science fiction series. I think that readers who have read the author's Imperial Radch novels will find this story especially interesting.

All the Painted Stars - Gwendolyn Clare:

- This is an excellent first contact story that has been written through the eyes of an alien being who encounters humans.
- I consider Gwendolyn Clare to be an author to watch, because she writes good fiction.
- I enjoyed this story, because it's an entertaining and a bit different kind of a science fiction story.

Firstborn - Brandon Sanderson:

- A story about Dennison Crestmar who is the son of High Duke Sennion Crestmar and the younger brother of Varion Crestmar. A lot is expected from Dennison, but he has no talents for war, because he is not a good leader (people think that he's an idiot).
- This was my first foray into the author's science fiction stories, because I had only read his epic fantasy stories.
- I found the characterisation to be satisfyingly complex in this story.
- An excellent and entertaining story that reminded me a bit of L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s stories.

Riding the Crocodile - Greg Egan:

- In this story, Leila and Jasmin, who have been married for a long time, begin to contemplate death and want to attempt to do something grand and audacious. They decide to observe the Aloof who have maintained their isolation and silence for many years.
- An interesting and well written story.

The Lost Princess Man - John Barnes:

- A well written story about a conman called Aurigar who is interested in the lost princess scam and is very good at it (he convinces a woman that she's a lost member of a royal family).
- This is one of my favourite stories in this anthology, because it's very entertaining.
- I haven't read many stories by John Barnes, but if all of them are as good as this one, I definitely have to take a look at them.

The Waiting Stars - Aliette de Bodard:

- A brilliant and beautifully written story about the Viet Dai, the Mind-ships and girls in an orphanage.
- This story takes place in the author's Xuya universe.
- This is one of the best stories in this anthology, because it's something a bit different. I enjoyed the author's way of writing about the characters and cultural issues.
- I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves well written science fiction, because it's an excellent story.

Alien Archeology - Neal Asher:

- A well written and complex story about what happens when a criminal called Jael robs a man called Rho and nearly kills him.
- This story takes place in the author's Polity universe.
- I enjoyed the author's vision of the future, body modifications and cyborgs.
- I think that science fiction readers will find this story very intriguing, because it showcases the author's range of imagination.

The Muse of Empires Lost - Paul Berger:

- In this story, Jemmi has the ability to bend other people's minds to her will. Jemmi meets another person who has the same ability.
- I found the atmosphere interesting and enjoyed how the author told the story.
- An excellent story.

Ghostweight - Yoon Ha Lee:

- A story about a girl called Lisse in a conquered and ruined world called Rhaion. Lisse is accompanied by a ghost.
- I loved the author's way of evoking a sense of a lost and ruined world, because his descriptions highlighted the atmosphere in a perfect way.
- An excellent and wonderfully written story that deserves to be read by science fiction readers.

A Cold Heart - Tobias S. Buckell:

- A story about a mercenary called Pepper whose memories have been stolen by the alien Satrapi.
- I enjoyed reading about the protagonist and what he did.
- An interesting story.

The Colonel Returns to the Stars - Robert Silverberg:

- In this story, a retired colonel is called back to duty for a new mission.
- I haven't read many stories by Robert Silverberg, so I can't compare this story to his other stories, but I found it interesting and enjoyed it. I intend to take a closer look at the author's stories, because this story intrigued me.

The Impossibles - Kristine Kathryn Rusch:

- A story about Kerrie who works in the public defender's office at the Interspecies Court.
- This story is set in the author's Retrieval Artist series.
- The author touches on such themes as victory and loss in an interesting way.
- An intriguing story that made me curious about the author's series (I intend to read the series, because I liked this story).

Utriusque Cosmi - Robert Charles Wilson:

- In this story, Carlotta, who was once a human, revisits her younger self. When she was young, she lived on Earth and had to make a decision of staying and facing a death or leaving her body behind and going to the stars.
- This delicate story is a fascinating exploration of faith and the end of the world.
- I have to mention that I'm a big fan of Robert Charles Wilson's novels, because he has never disappointed me with his fiction. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with his short fiction, because I've mostly read his novels. It was great to notice that this story was just as good as his novels.
- I highly recommend this story to those who love beautifully written and thoughtful science fiction.

Section Seven - John G. Hemry:

- In this story, Foster - posed as a sales professional - arrives in Valentia, because he has an assignment there.
- This is a relatively short, but very good story.
- An interesting story that will intrigue fans of the author's fiction.

Invisible Empire of Ascending Light - Ken Scholes:

- This is an especially interesting piece of science fiction, because it's a slighty different kind of a look at what it means to become successor to the throne.
- The author writes well about Tana Berrique and her difficult task.
- This story has a fascinating theological feel to it.

The Man with the Golden Balloon - Robert Reed:

- This well written story about secrets and exploration is set in the same world as the author's Ship novels.
- I haven't read Robert Reed as widely as I would've liked to do, but I'll soon take a look at his novels, because I found this story fascinating.
- I think that many science fiction readers will enjoy this story.

Looking Through Lace - Ruth Nesvold:

- A fascinating story about xenolinguist Dr. Toni Donato and her assignment on Christmas. Toni tries to understand the culture and immerses herself in her work.
- The author writes well about Toni and how she tries to figure things out.
- I enjoyed reading this complex and intelligent story, because it had a feel of mystery to it.
- When I read this story, it immediately became one of my favourite stories in this anthology, because it's excellent.

A Letter from the Emperor - Steve Rasnic Tem:

- This story is one of the highlights of this anthology, because the author evokes feelings of loneliness and regret in a touching way. In this story, an old man, who awaits a letter from the emperor, claims to have known the emperor and says that he served with him when he was young.
- I found this story interesting and enjoyed the characterisation.
- An excellent and well written story.

The Wayfarer's Advice - Melinda Snodgrass:

- In this fascinating story, Princess Mercedes is awakened from deep coma.
- I liked this story very much, because the author writes fluently about many things and pays attention to details.
- Unfortunately, I haven't had an opportunity to read many stories by Melinda Snodgrass yet, but after reading this story I can say that her fiction has found a place on my reading list.

Seven Years from Home - Naomi Novik:

- This is an excellent and fascinatingly written story about a woman, Ruth Patrona, who is on an assignment from her government and travels to a warring planet where she ends up getting involved in the local war.
- It was interesting for me to read this science fiction story, because I was only familiar with Naomi Novik's fantasy series (Temeraire). I was positively surprised to find out that the author writes nuanced science fiction.
- One of the best things about this story is that it features sufficiently detailed worldbuilding.
- I believe that this story will be of special interest to those who have read the author's fantasy series, because it's something different.

Verthandi's Ring - Ian McDonald:

- A magnificent story about intergalactic battles and future cultures.
- If you're not familiar with such terms as space opera and galactic empire, this story will give you a taste of them.
- This is an excellent and fitting final story to this anthology, because it's epic and memorable.

I have nothing bad to say about any of these diverse stories, because I found all of them interesting. I enjoyed reading them, because each of the authors had their own vision of galactic empires. The authors explored many themes and issues ranging from loneliness and isolation to war and different cultures in their own way and paid attention to details.

Although I enjoyed all of the stories, I was especially impressed by Brandon Sanderson's "Firstborn", Greg Egan's "Riding the Crocodile", John Barnes' "The Lost Princess Man", Aliette de Bodard's "The Waiting Stars", Neal Asher's "Alien Archeology", Paul Berger's "The Muse of Empires Lost", Ken Scholes' "Invisible Empire of Ascending Light", Ruth Nesvold's "Looking Through Lace", Steve Rasnic Tem's "A Letter from the Emperor", Melinda Snodgrass' "The Wayfarer's Advice", Naomi Novik's "Seven Years from Home" and Ian McDonald's "Verthandi's Ring". In my opinion, these stories stood out among the other stories, because they were fascinating and well written stories.

I want to mention separately that Robert Charles Wilson's "Utriusque Cosmi" and Yoon Ha Lee's "Ghostweight" deserve all the praise they get, because they're beautifully written stories. They're something different and deeply compelling for those who love thoughtfully written stories (there's a literary feel to them that I find mesmerising). In my opinion, these stories alone are reason enough to read this anthology.

I think it's good to mention that some of the stories in this anthology are connected to the authors' novels and their long-running series. If you're familiar with their novels, you may understand certain things better, but knowledge about them is not necessary, because these stories can be read as standalone stories. (I'll also briefly mention that all of the stories have previously appeared elsewhere.)

I can honestly say that it's been a while since I've read a science fiction anthology that is as good and diverse as this one. I was fascinated by the epic scope of some of the stories and was intrigued by how well the authors wrote about what the protagonists experienced in space and on planets and how they handled difficult situations. The complex characterisation in some of the stories appealed strongly to me, because I enjoy good characterisation.

Galactic Empires is an anthology that is worth reading and praising, because it's a fantastic glimpse into what galactic empires are like and what can happen in them. If you're looking for something exciting, intelligent and captivating to read, you should consider reading this anthology, because it's one of the best and most captivating science fiction anthologies of the year.

Highly recommended!

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good anthology. I read 15 of the stories, really liked 5 of them. The stories I didn't read were either novella length (I'd prefer my short fiction to be something I can read in one sitting) or didn't catch my interest quickly enough.

Favourites:
Ann Leckie - Night's Slow Poison
Brandon Sanderson - Firstborn
John G Hemry - Section Seven
Steve Tem - Letter from the Emperor
Melinda Snodgrass - Wayfarer's Advice

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book began with terrific stuff. The works were true specimens of godd writing, solid characterisation and fascinating plots. Then it lost steam. Eventually it became so bad that the collection stank of shoddy selections.
My favourites were:
1. Winning Peace— Paul J. McAuley
2. Night's Slow Poison— Ann Leckie
3. Firstborn— Brandon Sanderson
4. Riding the Crocodile— Greg egan
5. The Lost Princess Man— John Barnes
6. The Waiting Stars— Aliette de Bodard
7. Section Seven— John G. Hemry
8. Invisible Empire of Ascending Light— Ken Scholes
9. The Wayfarer's Advice— Melinda Snodgrass
Unfortunately, so many of the middle and later stories were inferior that overall the collection became a dead-weight that simply had to be finished. If such stuff could have been trimmed, perhaps this collection would have developed a truly imperial edge.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin. Good solid space SF, by a good mix of authors including some heavy hitters.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

This is a pretty good anthology featuring tales about galactic empires. Most of them are pretty good.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Winning Peace" by Paul J. McAuley. 4 out of 5 stars. I really like McAuley's stories. For a while, I was buying everything that he published, but lately I haven't had the time to read as much as I used to. This was a far future story, apparently set in his Jackaroo universe (that alien race is mentioned briefly). An indentured servant is tasked with retrieving what may be an ancient alien artifact, and he takes advantage of his solitude to hatch an escape plan. I liked this one quite a bit.

"Night's Slow Poison" by Ann Leckie. 3 out of 5 stars. This one is set in Leckie's Imperial Radch universe. A planet is protected from the imperial expanse of the Radch by a phenomenon known as the Crawl, which destroys any ship passing through it over a certain speed and any ship that attempts to communicate with the outside world. A disenchanted watcher from that planet is helping to protect against spies on the slow, six-month trip of a passenger ship through the Crawl, makes friends with a passenger who may be related to a woman who rejected the watcher's advances long ago, and then finds out that not everyone is who they appear to be. I find Leckie's style to be somewhat obtuse and her world-building overly complicated, but the story was entertaining enough.

"All the Painted Stars" by Gwendolyn Clare. 4 out of 5 stars. A tentacled alien that can change its physiology to mimic other alien species it encounters defends the ship of an ancient, now-extinct race, finds it to be occupied by humans, and realizes that it must help the humans in their efforts to bring back the extinct race. Well-written from an alien perspective.

"Firstborn" by Brandon Sanderson. 4 out of 5 stars. I read this one over ten years ago when it was first published on the Tor website. I remembered the general premise (a young noble whose older brother is a genius in battle strategy and tactics cannot ever compare to his brilliant brother), but I had forgotten the plot twists and the ultimate resolution. The moral of the story? To be truly great, you must learn how to deal with defeat.

"Riding the Crocodile" by Greg Egan. 3 out of 5 stars. In the far-distant future, when people can live forever, a couple who have been together for millennia decide its time to end their lives in some way adventurous, choosing to attempt to make contact with the extremely reclusive society living in the heart of the galaxy. The story had too much technical detail and was overly long.

"The Lost Princess Man" by John Barnes. 2 out of 5 stars. This was a strange and confusing story about a conman who always operates the same, "lost princess" con. A member of the royalty in the galactic empire takes advantage of the man and one of his "lost princess" victims, who turns out to maybe have been an actual lost princess. This one was hard to follow.

"The Waiting Stars" by Aliette de Bodard. 3 out of 5 stars. Two intertwining stories about a woman trying to rescue her great aunt, who is the mind of a spaceship captured by the Outsiders, and a woman kidnapped, purportedly at a young age, by and raised among an advance culture that is trying to stop the culture that is raising spaceship minds. Turns out that the great aunt is actually the ship mind that the girl is trying to rescue.

"Alien Archeology" by Neal Asher. 3 out of 5. A very dangerous and evil woman steals an alien artifact from a retired but tough imperial operative. He tries to hunt her down while she uses the alien artifact to give intelligence back to an alien species that voluntarily gave up its sentience long ago. Lots of cool ideas, characters, and settings, but ultimately the story fell a little flat.

"The Muse of Empires Lost" by Paul Berger. 4 out of 5 stars. A unique tale of a post-apocalyptic galaxy spanning civilization. The main character is a young teenage girl who can make people do what she wants. She lives in a living asteroid, slowly dying because it can no longer interact on a regular basis with other pockets of civilization, all of which have been cut off after the collapse of the central government. A large travelling ship comes to the dying asteroid, and the main character meets a man who has the same powers as her, learning that those powers are exceedingly rare. The main character is the mastermind behind all of history up that point and is a psychopathic monster. The main character uses her connection with the living asteroid to convince it to kill the man.

"Ghostweight" by Yoon Ha Lee. 3 out of 5. A strange story about a girl whose parents are killed and who is guided in her efforts to seek revenge by a ghost, who turns out to be partly responsible for the massacre that killed her parents. The story takes place mostly on a "kite" which is an interstellar ship that rides though some type of sub-space void, that our main character uses to destroy imperial stations. A little tough to understand, and strangely told with "tapestries" for screens and card games that kept records. Also, how the "ghost" could exist is never really explained.

"A Cold Heart" by Tobias S. Buckell. 2 out of 5 stars. A man who has been turned into a cyborg, fights to get his memories back. He confronts the alien whose species are humanity's overlords, thinking that he can use the alien's desire to learn about a utopian planet to leverage the return of his memories, but the alien has the memories destroyed. Lot's of cold-blooded killing and violence in this one. I didn't like it much.

"The Colonel Returns to the Stars" by Robert Silverberg. 3 out of 5 stars. Lots and lots and lots of detail about this galaxy-spanning civilization, not much of it relevant to this overly-long story. The "Colonel" who is the main character and who, for some unknown reason, is unnamed in the story, is drawn back into his work of enforcing compliance with imperial law, although he retired long ago. He is sent to a planet that has just declared independence, seemingly led by someone the Colonel thought had committed suicide long ago after he and the Colonel worked together to stop a local war and the man made a serious mistake. I thought Silverberg was setting this story up for a big plot twist at the end, what with the unnamed main character and a planet literally named "Hermano," but I was disappointed. The plot resolved in a very usual, mundane way.

"The Impossibles" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 3 out of 5 stars. A young public defender on a space station is working her way out of student debt, working "impossible" criminal cases against individuals who have violated inter-species law. She is given a case that might result in her first acquittal, and meeting with the woman and digging into the case, it does (on a technicality). She is then heavily recruited by various organizations, and she learns the whole thing was a test by an large criminal organization and that her boss was in on it. She's suddenly jaded and quits.

"Utriusque Cosmi" by Robert Charles Wilson. 3 out of 5 stars. I normally love Wilson's stuff, but this one was only okay. Told from the perspective of a nearly immortal "ghost" who has returned from the very far future to urge her teenage self, the night before the earth is destroyed, to go with an avatar of a galaxy-spanning computer network when he offers to save her from the world's end, the story focuses primarily on the loaner teenage girl and how she learns to enter into healthy relationships with others, learning along the way why the universe is coming apart and how the "enemy" residing in dark matter is not an enemy at all.

"Section Seven" by John G. Hemry (a/k/a Jack Campbell). 2 out of 5 stars. A cheesy story about spies infiltrating the economy of a planet that is slowly leaving imperial standard (by changing the operating system typically used on the planet and the caliber of its guns -- stupid, I know). The spies introduce a virus that makes the operating system glitchy and alter slightly the factories making the new weapons and ammo so they are more prone to malfunction.

"Invisible Empire of Ascending Light" by Ken Scholes. 4 out of 5 stars. Ken Scholes is a great author. I've loved everything I've read by him, and this one was no different. This one blends sci-fi and fantasy elements (as Scholes typically does), setting the story in a world where the emperor is dying and his successor, who is apparently omniscient and nearly omnipotent, must be found. The main character is the Missionary General, who must test those who declare themselves to be the emperor's replacement. She discovers that the most recent boy to "Declare" will in fact be the new emperor, and returning to the imperial castle, the dying emperor tells her to finish him off, which she reluctantly does. I'm leaving out a lot of amazing detail, which was packed into this relatively short story, but this was a good one.

"The Man with the Golden Balloon" by Robert Reed. 4 out of 5 stars. A creepy story within a story about humans flying through the galaxy on an enormous ship, visiting alien worlds and accumulating and spreading knowledge. An unknown sector of the ship is discovered, a group of people explore the unknown sector, and an ancient alien entity reveals himself to a couple in a large dark cavern. The entity tells them a story about creating a large piece of technology he needed to further his work for an ancient, galaxy-spanning civilization. The entity took advantage of a native population living on an island volcano, and eventually must kill them all after one of his paramours betrays him while he is off fighting an enemy of his ancient civilization. The entity reveals that the woman in the cavern is a reincarnation of that paramour. I liked this story. It was a little long, but entertaining and scary.

"Looking Through Lace" by Ruth Nestvold. 3 out of 5 stars. A linguist for a galactic empire arrives at a newly discovered planet, populated by humanoid aliens descended from the "seeding." The head linguist of the group is pushing her away, and she eventually discovers why. He is keeping secrets about the complicated language of the natives, a branch of which is only spoken by the women. She discovers that the lace the women are always crocheting is actually the native's written language, which the head linguist claimed did not exist.

"A Letter from the Emperor" by Steve Rasnic Tem. 3 out of 5 stars. A man who works as a recorder for an empire that may or may not still be led by an emperor stops at a planet after his crew mate suddenly commits suicide. The recorder is terrible at interpersonal communication, and drove his crew mate to despair, after the crew mate's made up adventures no longer kept him from going mad with loneliness. On the planet, the recorder meets a woman whose father is on the verge of retiring from imperial service and is expecting a letter from the emperor. Because it is not clear whether the emperor still exists, the recorder fabricates a letter using the dead crew mate's made-up adventures. This one had some interesting ideas (like an AI-type voice always communicating in the recorder's ear as he went about official business) but the story fell flat at the end.

"The Wayfarer's Advice" by Melinda Snodgrass. 4 out of 5 stars. A disgraced former imperial officers heads a motley crew of aliens in a trading vessel to "hidden" worlds -- worlds occupied by humans who headed out to the stars before FTL travel was invented. With the invention of that mode of travel, humans occupied a large part of the galaxy under a hereditary emperor, subjecting aliens and found human colonies to imperial rule. Our lead character arrives at a "hidden" world and finds that it has just beaten off an imperial invasion. He finds the commander of the invasion in cryosleep among the wreckage, and discovers that the commander is the aging emperor's daughter, next in line to the throne and former lover of our main character. After discovering that the entire human population of the "hidden" planet have died in murder/suicides, the heiress hides for a few days with our main character, eventually arriving back at an imperial planet to rejoin her family and to make changes to the way the empire operates. I liked this one quit a bit. Good characters and well told.

"Seven Years from Home" by Naomi Novik. 3 out of 5 stars. A woman from a galactic civilization interacts with natives (?) of an alien planet to foment war with settlers on the planet.

"Verthandi's Ring" by Ian McDonald. 3 out of 5 stars. A far-future story of three digital sentients who go in and out of the physical world and fight a threat to the galactic civilization that turns out not to be such a threat.

[Anna Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't had the greatest track record of picking good anthologies to read. Most of them garner something like a 3-star rating; a mixed up kind of meh. I'm also rather picky about my science fiction. Too hard and I get bored, too soft and it often gets too romantic for me.

What Neil Clarke has done here is create a collection that hits just the right spot with the right balance. Obviously, everything is galactic - whether it's a human-settled planet, or humans somewhere in space, or even no humans at all, just aliens - and based around empires - some benign, some conquering, others falling apart. Multispecies, multiracial, multigendered; nothing ever exactly fitting in our earthly constraints, every story mindblowing in its own way.

The only drawback of this anthology is that it takes an extremely long time to get through. This is mainly because each story is a novella in its own right but also because you can't just sit down and power through the whole thing. You need time and space in between each achingly beautiful story to just rest and let your emotions finish unfurling (and your brain to stop internally squealing) before you launch yourself headlong into the next adventure.

*Note: I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review via Edelweiss.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Themed anthologies offer a special opportunity. Get one on a subject you really like. Read the stories by the authors you already know & love.
THEN read the rest of the stories. You won't necessarily care for all of them. But the chance of discovering a new or even multiple new authors is high and definitely worth taking!
I've always dearly loved space opera and I especially like stories set in imperial worlds. So Galactic Empires was indeed a prime opportunity for me!
Ann Leckie, Tobias S. Buckell, Robert Silverberg, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Melinda Snodgrass,
and Naomi Novik were authors I had already been reading and enjoying.
Gwendolyn Clare, Aliette de Bodard, and Ruth Nestvold were brand new to me and terrific discoveries!
I also enjoyed Paul J. McAuley, Brandon Sanderson, Neil Asher, Yoon Ha Lee, John G. Hemry for the first time.
Overall, I strongly recommend Galactic Empires, edited by Neil Clarke to any space opera sf readers who also enjoy stories about empires!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a tough sell on collections, as the quality or interest of the contents are always variable. This one comes in about average: I'd give an "A" rating to "Winning Peace," "Alien Archeology" (with an extra "Penny Royal and prador, ugh"), "The Impossibles," and "Looking Through Lace." On the other hand, "Verthandi's Ring" and "The Colonel Returns to the Stars" were bores, "Utriusque Cosmi" was a scenario, not a story---and "The Man with the Golden Balloon," "Invisible Empire of Ascending Light,""Ghostweight," "The Waiting Stars," "Riding the Crocodile," and "Night's Slow Poison" were exercises in inscrutability. The rest seemed...competently crafted.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5

[John B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up. This is a collection of science fiction short stories with the common thread being empire. The rating reflects the overall quality of the stories, not any single story. My purpose for reading a short story collection was two-fold. The topic of empires is intriguing. I wanted to sample the contemporary writing of authors who have been recognized for their work in the hopes that I might discover a new author to read.

Far and away my favorite story in the collection is Gwendolyn Clare's All the Painted Stars. Told from the perspective of an alien, the story grabbed my imagination and presented a world from a most intriguing point of view.

Ann Leckie has a short story in this collection. The empire is the Radch familiar to readers of her Ancilliary books. If I wasn't familiar with her work I think this story would have not stood out--as it is, it raises some interesting questions about other possibilities within the Ancilliary universe.

The short story Alien Archeology by Neal Asher has piqued my interest in his writings and in the future I will probably be exploring his Polity universe.

Of all the stories in the collection, Robert Reed's The Man with the Golden Balloon had me thinking about what makes an empire powerful and how that power would be manifest. Philosophically he raises some interesting arguments.

Suicide seemed to be a recurring thread running through many stories across many authors. Empires certainly have power to inflict death on their own citizens as well as the citizens of other empires. Somehow, in the future envisioned by early 21st century authors, the act of taking one's life is one of the few manifestations of free will that hasn't been surrendered to the power of empire. Yet using suicide as a literary device to add 'realism' to an otherwise fantastical story also seems to give the author an excuse to take a defeatist attitude toward empire, where the citizen has no control over their existence, instead of the much harder and more difficult story that would ensue if the protagonist were to make an effort to change the empire. Star Wars is interesting because of the rebels, not because of those who have given up their hopes and dreams to mindlessly serve the needs of the empire. Could it be that the hopes and dreams that survive the day to day monotony are what define the success or failure of the empire?

An examination of empires and their close association with death would be incomplete without finding religion somehow in the mix. Ken Scholes Invisible Empire of Ascending Light suggests an empire that is a religion or a religion that has become an empire--it is not clear. His story did bring to mind echoes of the Bene Gesserit from Frank Herbert's Dune.

There were some excellent stories in this collection--too many for me to highlight individually. There are several authors represented in this collection that are now on my reading radar and I hope to sample more of their work in the future.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Science fiction short stories have to drop you into the world-building right away; there's no space for dilly-dallying. Collections of them result in mental whiplash, as you go from "Toni came out of the jump groggy, wishing the Allied Intersteller Research Association could afford passage on Alcubierre drive ships," straight to, "Quee Lee learned about the Vermiculate from an unlikely source." You feel like poor Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap, always struggling to orient yourself, having to jump onward again just when you're starting to feel comfortable with where you are.

Sometimes you have a better time than others before it's time to move on, but after a while what you notice most is the threads that tie the stories together, and the bits that set them apart. The through-theme tying these stories together is some sort of empire, and in most stories the Empire is Evil: cruel, oppressive, impersonal. Some stories -- some of the best -- are thinly veiled stories of colonialism, with only the thinnest veneer of speculative fiction. Others treat the empire merely as a stand-in for implacable power, and concentrate on lovable scoundrels doing their thing in its shadow. For some the empire is mere window-dressing for exploring subjects more to the author's liking, like the entry that was a short-story version of Inception and Total Recall.

In collections like this it's easiest to focus on the picking and choosing: I liked this story, I didn't like that one. Here, all the ones I read were fine -- full disclosure, I didn't read all of them -- and some have bits I may well remember a month or year from now. But not one, in itself, blew me away or made me see the world in a different way than before. There's a chance they could have done so cumulatively, but the wide variation of themes and styles works against that, at least to me. For my genre reading, I'll be focusing more on long-form fiction for a while.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories all themed around, surprisingly enough, Galactic Empires.

All short story collections tend to be mixed bags of quality, but I've found that this particular editor usually meshes well with my own tastes, and even though themed anthologies can sometimes run into the problem of stories becoming a slog of samey-samey, here, the topic was broad enough that I didn't expect to have that problem.

I should also point out that I've fallen behind on my reviews, so it's now been quite a while since I read this, and short stories tend to not stick in my mind as well as novels. In fact, without looking the stories up, I can only remember two. One, by Robert Charles Wilson, "Utriusque Cosmi," that I quite enjoyed, even if some of the sting was predictable, it gave me the kind of sense of wonder that I crave in SF. The other, "The Colonel Returns to the Stars" by Robert Silverberg, I remembered for negative reasons, because it was way too long and, IMHO, offered nothing to justify that, could have been done just as well in two pages. (I did have to look up the titles and authors of those two as well). As for the others? Looking over descriptions of the stories, I can find a few that I remember liking (one by Ann Leckie, one by Kristine Kathryn Rusch), one more that I remember disliking (by Sanderson), and a lot I only have the vaguest memories of and can't even really be sure of my reactions. All I can say is that although I enjoyed the collection, I remember feeling it wasn't as strong as some other Neil Clarke anthologies, some of which I'd rate as four stars. This one, although it had an interesting theme, only scores three stars. Which is still solid and worth checking out just not a particular standout for me.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collection of science fiction short stories with imperial themes. Some of the stories got political, focusing on the effects empires have on individual peoples and cultures, while others focused on other subjects which they simply overlaid on an imperial setting. My absolute favorite story in this collection was "Looking Through Lace" by Ruth Nestvold, which told the story of a team of linguists, sociologists, etc. studying a culture in which the men and women have separate languages. I particularly loved the way that it put into words the differences by which typical humans view femininity and masculinity; that actions which typically make people regard men as less masculine are viewed as beneath men and unimportant, while actions which typically make people regard women as less feminine are those which are often viewed as too difficult or important for women to manage.

Some of my other favorites from this anthology include:
All the Painted Stars by Gwendolyn Clare
The Impossibles by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Utriusque Cosmi by Robert Charles Wilson
The Man with the Golden Balloon by Robert Reed

The only major critique that I have of this anthology is that, due to the nature of the theme, several of these stories did have the same general feel to them and thus tended to run together in my mind after I finished the book.

[Eliatan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Above all, this is a book of hope. Hope that humanity can escape the gravity well of our home planet, hope that there is a place for us in the universe, hope that we will become more than just another sentient species that consumes itself to extinction.

Galactic Empires explores possibilities; futures that contain the best humanity can hope for. I read so much dystopian sci fi that it was an absolute joy to revel in the futures imagined in this collection. Even then bleakest of possibilities shout with the joy of humanities survival.

On a more practical note, the contributors to this anthology are without a doubt some of the best writers and world builders of our time. If I haven't already read their long form works, they're on my list. Short story collections like this are a brilliant way to meet new authors and discover new ideas.

Some particular favorites from the collection were All the Painted Stars by Gwendolyn Clare, Ghostweight by Yoon Ha Lee and Looking Through Lace by Ruth Nestvold. I've been paying particular attention to women writers of this genre and there is something extraordinarily special about the worlds and societies they create that has such a different flavour to the more traditional stories of empire and domination.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot in this thick book. I loved some of the stories. Who knew that Naomi Novik can write full-on science fiction? It lives up to her usual high quality, and I need to look to see if she's done more of it. And a Kristine Rusch Retreival Artist story too, also excellent. The book is not new and some of the stories are older. I'd read 4 or 5 of them before.

What I didn't like, and this is a matter of taste more than quality, was the military SF, specifically 3 or 4 stories in a row in the middle of the book. I don't always dislike military SF, but I didn't find any characters I could relate to in them, and I don't care about military tactics. Finally gave myself permission to skim or not finish. But then that section was over, and the rest of the stories were at least okay.

Interestingly, there's not much human diversity for a book that's mostly less than 20 years old. Women are well represented in both the authors and the characters. But, while there's plenty of heterosexuality, there are no queer characters. There are blows against an unjust empire in quite a few of the stories. Even so, overall, the book is more like old-fashioned space opera (but with more interesting aliens) that about any social justice.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago I read a two volume anthology with the same title edited by Brian Aldiss (which Clarke references in his introduction) that still remains on my bookshelf along with a multitude of other books garnered from a 30 year membership in SFBC. Memories of the collection made grabbing the Kindle edition of Neil Clarke's anthology of the same name and theme a no brainer and the quality of the stories made me glad I did. Certainly there is some variability but there really isn't a story without merit in the bunch. Standouts include "A Cold Heart" by Tobias Bucknell, "Seven Years from Home" by Naomi Novak, "Slow Night's Poison" by Ann Leckie, "Riding the Crocodile" by Greg Egan and "The Lost Princess Man" by John Barnes. I generally keep a couple of short story anthologies on my night stand or in the Kindle for those days or nights when I just need a quick shot of science fiction and I don't have the stamina to dive into a novel.....this is one the best single themed anthologies I've kept around for that purpose.

[Mayank Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just read two of the stories on offer and both had a very different feel to it, one was boring the other amazing.

“Night’s Slow Poison” by Ann Leckie (1/5)
While it’s set in the same universe as that of Ancillary Justice series of Ann Leckie, there is really no connection with the series. This short story was clumsy, felt deliberately made difficult to read. The world making had potential but being a short story it was not explored, instead, we get a very run down human drama.

“Seven Years from Home” by Naomi Novik (5/5)
Wow, loved it, even for a short story, it’s got amazing world building, lots of social-political questions and rights and wrongs of Imperialism and what really is enlightenment. It’s not a dull story, full of fast-paced events and ingenious military actions, an industrially advance urban civilization vs a biotech rural civilization.

[Eleanor With Cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprint anthology.

Table of contents:
Winning peace / Paul J. McAuley
Night's slow poison / Ann Leckie
All the painted stars / Gwendolyn Clare
Firstborn / Brandon Sanderson
Riding the crocodile / Greg Egan
The lost princess man / John Barnes
The waiting stars / Aliette de Bodard
Alien archeology / Neal Asher
The muse of empires lost / Paul Berger
Ghostweight / Yoon Ha Lee
A cold heart / Tobias S. Buckell
The Colonel returns to the stars / Robert Silverberg
The Impossibles / Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Utriusque Cosmi / Robert Charles Wilson
Section seven / John G. Hemry
Invisible empire of ascending light / Ken Scholes
The man with the golden balloon / Robert Reed
Looking through lace / Ruth Nestvold
A letter from the Emperor / Steve Rasnic Tem
The wayfarer's advice / Melinda Snodgrass
Seven years from home / Naomi Novik
Verthandi's ring / Ian McDonald

[Pearse Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good anthology of space operatic work, with some real winners: "Firstborn," "Winning Peace," "Riding the Crocodile," "Verthandi's Ring" and a few reprints I'd seen before, like the always wonderful Yoon Ha Lee. For a 600-page anthology, it really felt its weight. Many of these stories I left unfinished or skipped because they had lofty designs or backwards plots I did not care to follow. Like that one “The Colonel Returns to the Stars”? Felt pretty useless, and as a character study I didn't get much out. This collection worked best when the authors combined hard SF/science with the humanity of empire and its faults.

Connection: FB friends with the editor.

[Anthony A · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, when I read science fiction anthologies, I rate each individual story and then at the end, I take the average of all of them. My ratings are based on my own taste in science fiction, so you have to take my ratings with a grain of salt. Overall, I rated this anthology a 6.9/10. As there almost always are in just about any anthology, there were a number of really good stories. My favorites are:
1. Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson (excellent story!) 10/10
2. The Colonel Returns to The Stars by Robert Silverberg (Silverberg rarely disappoints me) 10/10
3. Utriusque Cosmi by Robert Charles Wilson 8.5/10