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Sky Songs: Stories of Spirituality and Speculative Science

Steve Stanton (Editor),

Cherith Baldry (Contributor)

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Mar 25, 2008 Werner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: short-stories, science-fiction

The Goodreads description above (which I wrote) gives you a basic idea of the contents of this anthology. It doesn't, of course, indicate the most crucial characteristic: that this is a very high-quality, stellar collection of contemporary SF. Some of the stories are better than others, but all of them are worthwhile, imaginative and absorbing. Not all of them have explicitly Christian content (and their appeal would go beyond the Christian reading community; two of them first appeared in secula The Goodreads description above (which I wrote) gives you a basic idea of the contents of this anthology. It doesn't, of course, indicate the most crucial characteristic: that this is a very high-quality, stellar collection of contemporary SF. Some of the stories are better than others, but all of them are worthwhile, imaginative and absorbing. Not all of them have explicitly Christian content (and their appeal would go beyond the Christian reading community; two of them first appeared in secular venues), though all are informed by Christian spiritual and moral attitudes. Many of them probe social and philosophical issues that are both contemporary and timeless, and some demonstrate skilled use of symbolism. In the best tradition of speculative fiction, the writers use the fantastic to illuminate the real. Most of the stories are science fiction; a few are fantasy or supernatural fiction, and a couple are simply surreal (but readable examples of their type), like the one that features a talking goat in a paisley ascot and morning coat. Two of them are "ordinary" or "everyday," real-world fiction -- but even they show the everyday world subtly invaded by the miraculous.

The 16 authors showcased (editor Stanton also contributed a story) are all American, Canadian or British. As the numbers indicate, several are represented more than once: Andrew Seddon and Michael Vance (both of whom are Goodreads friends of mine), Cherith Baldry, Frederick J. McGavran, Stephen G. Stiles, and D. J. Kolacki. Both of Vance's contributions are part of his linked Lovecraftian-tinged story cycle set in Light's End, Maine, which is collected in book form in his Weird Horror Tales (several of the other writers here also have books of their own published, either dating from before this collection was printed, or subsequently). Among the stand-out stories are "The Healer," a poignant exploration of medical ethics by Seddon (who is himself a physician); "Comprehending It Not," Baldry's haunting examination of what it means to be "human;" Stanton's "A Perfect Match," which is set in a very dystopian future; Colleen Drippe's "Lost Rythar," and John Schreiber's "Me and Josh and Gideon," one of the best vampire yarns I've ever read --and I've read a number of them.

Taken as a whole, this collection is a treat for readers who appreciate fresh, well-crafted storytelling, and who are either speculative fiction fans as such or aren't prejudiced against the speculative genres (you don't necessarily have to be an SF fan to just enjoy a good thought-provoking story wherever you happen to find it! :-)). ...more

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