Eric Choi

Ben Bova

Presents a collection of hard science fiction tales that examines both the benefits and detriments of science and technology on humanity, the future, and the cosmos, and includes tales from Gregory Benford, Robert Reed, Aliette de Bodard, and Jack McDevitt.

Seventeen Tales of Hard Science Fiction

Carbide Tipped Pens

Jessica Nottingham

In a world where Science Fiction has been rather watered down, I was really excited to stumble upon Carbide Tipped Pens. This anthology promised hard SF which, if you're not familiar with it, is the purest form of this genre. Essentially the science or technology portion of the story is the story. Without it, everything else around it falls apart. I love reading stories like these. They are full of potential ideas, full of things that could someday be, and I was thrilled to be given a whole series of them.
 
The anthology started out strong! The first story, "The Blue Afternoon that Lasted Forever" was one of my favorites. The perfect length to draw me in, this scientific tale of the end of the world was chilling. Stories that plausible always are. "Thunderwell" was another of my favorites. This brilliant story shared the possibility of travel to Mars, and so much more. Followed by "The Circle", a story of ancient mathematics, and "Old Timer's Game", a story that highlights what artificially enhanced sports players may someday become, the first half of the anthology was brilliant. I was lost in a new world. One full of well thought out possibilities, and I couldn't have been happier.
 
Towards the middle, however, I was no longer as invested. A lot of the stories from the mid-point on were just too concentrated on the science/technology aspect. It made the characters shells of themselves, and therefore made it hard for me to focus. I absolutely understand that the basis of these stories is, in fact, science and technology. When too much jargon is being thrown about though it's tough to stay on track. Readers like myself, who take pleasure in reading these but aren't formally trained, are locked out of appreciating the story. If I had been a scientist in a former life, perhaps they would have been more enjoyable. I just felt lost.
 
The one notable exception was "SIREN of Titan" which was what kept me reading on to the end of this anthology. Dealing with Artificial Intelligence, it was absolutely fascinating and extremely well written. So, don't fret. If you choose to read this anthology I can assure you there are some definite gems in here! If you're a fan of SF, specifically of hard SF, this is a compilation you need to add to your reading list. Overall, I'm rather impressed. I hope there's more around the corner.

Carbide Tipped Pens Seventeen Tales of Hard Science Fiction

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