Review: Classically good
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 18, 2013
After having recently finished a wonderful, but intensely emotional and gripping read I needed something like Space Jockey to unwind with and, boy, did the world of hard core science fiction help me out! I don't think I've read much in this genre since the early 1990s when I'd hit every bookstore in sight looking for Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson and Kim Stanley Robinson. I'm glad to have had the chance to read a collection such as this one!Though a bit clinical at times, Space Jockey gave me exactly what I was looking for: a compact but nevertheless still engaging set of stories to take me away from this world and plop me in someone else's. Because, as Tara Maya writes in the foreword, "you can consider your own angle and create your own future" with science there's a certain 'anything can happen (within the possibilities of science)' mentality that makes sci fi one of the most fun genres to read.There is a lot offered here, but as with most anthologies, readers will often have their most favorites. I particularly enjoyed Adrian Tymes' "AFK (Away From Keyboard)," Steve Brady's "Going Hyperdown," Jonathan Von Post's "Garrett Lisi's Exceptionally Simple Theory of E8 Stardrive," Tara Maya's "Food, Peace, Power" and Jullian Romanowski's "2134."Words like "solid" and "dependable" floated through my head as I was finishing with Space Jockey. Maybe that sounds kind of unimaginative, or even dull, but I mean it in the best way possible. Though space and space ships abound throughout and a certain amount of hard succinctness touches each story, that doesn't mean this isn't a worthy read and there's something to be said for going into a book knowing exactly what you're getting.I like that humor ("AFK," "Going Hyperdown") and even some young adult romance ("2134") makes surprise appearances. Science fiction fans, especially of the classic writers, will not be disappointed.