Fast Forward

by Lou Anders

Book Overview

Science Fiction is the genre that looks at the implications of technology on society, which in this age of exponential technological growth makes it the most relevant branch of literature going. This is only the start, and the close of the 21st century will look absolutely nothing like its inception. It has been said that science fiction is an ongoing dialogue about the future, and the front line of that dialogue is the short story. The field has...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591024862
• ISBN13: 9781591024866
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Pyr
• Length: 409 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Not Free SF Reader

It is pretty cool to new a good old fashioned )in series terms at least, not in contest) sf anthology series. The book starts well with a good introduction by Anders as to why he wants to do it, and some of his inspirations, including a quote from Pohl. There are also a couple of poems included for those that like them. The stories are good, the average rating being 3.53, which is a bit over what you hope for from a book, and is rather well done in a new original project as opposed to some sort of reprint. The standout is Di Filippo's Wikiworld, but Pride and Kage Baker's Plotters and Shooters were also excellent. In fact, only called three of these '3' or average, so it is a book that is well worth looking at. The one quibble I would have is the format, being the considerably more expensive trade paperback compared to the recently seen competitor the Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, being the good old paperback. I wonder if this will affect the success of either. Wouldn't mind seeing an electronic version for easier obtainability, either. Otherwise, I definitely recommend having a look. In fact, at the moment I would suggest that anything Pyr puts out is worth a look at, presuming you like fantasy as well, of course. A fine opening effort, I was pleasantly surprised. Fast Forward 1 : YFL-500 - Robert Charles Wilson Fast Forward 1 : The Girl Hero's Mirror Says He's Not the One - Justina Robson Fast Forward 1 : Small Offerings - Paolo Bacigalupi Fast Forward 1 : They Came From the Future - Robyn Hitchcock Fast Forward 1 : Plotters and Shooters - Kage Baker Fast Forward 1 : Aristotle OS - Tony Ballantyne Fast Forward 1 : The Something-Dreaming Game [SS] - Elizabeth Bear Fast Forward 1 : No More Stories - Stephen Baxter Fast Forward 1 : Time of the Snake - A.M. Dellamonica Fast Forward 1 : The Terror Bard - Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper Fast Forward 1 : p dolce - Louise Marley Fast Forward 1 : Jesus Christ Reanimator - Ken MacLeod Fast Forward 1 : Solomon's Choice - Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress Fast Forward 1 : Sanjeev and Robotwallah - Ian McDonald Fast Forward 1 : A Smaller Government - Pamela Sargent Fast Forward 1 : Pride - Mary A. Turzillo Fast Forward 1 : I Caught Intelligence - Robyn Hitchcock Fast Forward 1 : Settlements - George Zebrowski Fast Forward 1 : The Hour of the Sheep - Gene Wolfe Fast Forward 1 : Sideways from Now - John Meaney Fast Forward 1 : Wikiworld - Paul Di Filippo Dream deal. 3.5 out of 5 Wild for not to hold. 3.5 out of 5 Prenatal drug dose. 4 out of 5 Deathlok defense defeat predicted, Avenger! 4.5 out of 5 Philosophy of upgrades is of arguable effectiveness. 3 out of 5 Autoasphyxiation communicates alien information preservation. 4 out of 5 Interbreeding expansion remnant conversation. 3.5 out of 5 Tinker, tailor, soldier, squid. 4 out of 5 Planet pool is tough on the artificial eight ball. 3 out of 5 Past master possession discovery preemption. 3.5 out of 5 Second com

fine collection forecasting technology vs people

In his introduction to what he plans as being a continual science fiction anthology containing all new stories, Lou Anders explains the premise is "making sense of a changing world" as "the implications of technology on society ... makes it (SF) the most relevant branch of literature". Bias aside, the contributions of nineteen original shorts and two poems (by Robyn Hitchcock) live up to Mr. Anders' prime objective. The tales focus on people struggling with an exponentially changing world that leaves many behind. The contributors are a who's who of Sci Fi or fantasy to include Larry Niven (with Brenda Cooper), Justina Robson, Stephen Baxter and Louise Marley. All the entries are strong with the best being those concentrating on everyday people dealing with commonplace technology like Paul Di Filippo's Wikiworld" and Justina Robson' The Girl Hero's Mirror Says He's Not the One" (in Mappa Mundi world) and those bringing the past into the future such as Tony Ballantyne's "Aristotle OS and Ken McLeod's "Jesus Christ, Reanimator". This is a fun collection that forecasts where technology will take humans including those left behind struggling with yesterday's artifacts. Harriet Klausner

...from the Cutting Edge

Fast Forward 1 once again demonstrates Lou Anders' editing prowess (his Live Without a Net and Futureshocks are also excellent). The tagline identifies the collection as "future fiction from the cutting edge," and almost every story offers up an intriguing view of the future from some of the field's best writers. Robert Charles Wilson's "YFL 500" opens the anthology with a gripping character tale regarding intellectual property, art, and theft in a post-scarcity world. Paolo Bacigalupi's "Small Offerings" is a chilling tale of sacrifice on an ecologically damned Earth. "Plotters and Shooters," by Kage Baker, is a lighthearted "Lord of the Flies"-esque chronicle of the rise of hackers and geeks as the defenders of mankind in a new age. Indeed, in a collection of 19 short stories and 2 poems (the latter a refreshing addition courtesy of Robyn Hitchcock), only 4 stories don't seem to belong. Elizabeth Bear's "The Something-Dreaming Game" and Louise Marley's "p dolce," while well-written, deal in concepts already well-traversed throughout the genre. Pamela Sargent's "A Smaller Government," while an entertaining satire, is more of a political fantasy than a work of science fiction. And George Zebrowski's "Settlements" is too trite and rife with tropes to be considered "cutting edge" - a story of mysterious aliens with advanced technology imposing peace on a violent, adolescent humanity. Where the collection truly shines, though, are in the off-kilter stories. Tony Ballantyne's "Aristotle OS" is a comedic, philosophical view of the world through one of the most pervasive, defining facets of our society: the computer operating system. "Jesus Christ, Reanimator" is Ken MacLeod's rational look at the possible second coming of the Christ - charming in its grounded outlook amidst a momentous religious event. Mary A. Turzillo's "Pride" is the endearing tale of a boy and his sabretooth kitten. Finally, the perfect capstone to the anthology is Paul Di Filippo's "Wikiworld" - one of the most brilliant short stories I've read - an adventure through a foreign but realistic near-future, where political lines are drawn between usergroups and power, prestige, and popularity ebb and flow organically between the real world and the virtual. While the writing and stories are excellent, it is the variety of worlds and tales that makes the anthology truly compelling. Having enjoyed the majority of the book, I can safely say that Fast Forward holds something for everyone. One can only hope that Fast Forward 2 is future fact.

Great Anthology...a must for SF readers and writers...

I was able to read the ARC of this book prior to its release, and I was very, very pleased with the selections. I enjoyed 14/21 stories in this, with Robert Charles Wilson's, Paolo Bacigalupi's, Elizabeth Bear's, Louise Marley's, and the Mike Resnick/Nancy Kress piece being my personal faves for their "wow" factor. I recognized some of the stories in this anthology were not to my particular SF taste (and some stories I wished were written a bit differently, but that's me), but most of these pieces had good/fun premises, and it was nice to see a variety of stories in this anthology. I'd definitely recommend this anthology to anyone reading (or writing) science fiction, and I'm not just saying that because I got the ARC: I think I'll pick up the actual copy myself, when I get the chance. Some of these stories really blew me away, and while I would've bought the anthology solely for Bacigalupi's work, I wouldn't have minded paying for the rest of it either, if that makes sense. In other words, there's something in here for everyone, and there's some really, really good stories here. Also, an interesting stat that some people won't care about: 9/21 stories are penned by women (though two of those nine are co-written by men). The reason this stat jumps out at me is the fact that I've heard several women complain about how when you pick up an anthology of SF stories, there are few to no women featured. It's something I've noticed myself, so a big shout-out to Lou Anders for both sampling a variety of SF and not limiting anthology slots to the male population of the SF community. Great anthology. Check it out.