Some nice Fast Foward 2 reviews

December 3rd 2008 at 1:44 pm

I’ve been noodling around the house playing with my TomTom that’s an early Christmas gift from Emily, as well as the Acer Aspire One that I snagged via Amazon.

As I’ve been doing that, some interesting Fast Forward 2 nods were forwarded to me by Lou Anders:

First up is a nice nod from Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing at the story Karl Schroeder and I co-wrote for the anthology. That leaves me 2 for 2 with Cory, as he wrote this awesome review of Sly Mongoose while I was in the hospital that was cheering.

Futurismic’s Paul Raven also reviewed FF2, and had this to say about the story:

“Mitigation” by the potent double-act of Karl Schroeder and former Futurismic staffer Tobias Buckell takes the best of both writers. Buckell’s instinct for fast-moving action drives the plot, while Schroeder’s concern with (and deep knowledge of) the impending ecological crisis provides the set and setting for a classic double-bluff. It’s a good balance; the bleakness of the impending future is mitigated by the snappy pace, so you take on board the underlying message without being drowned in it.

“Potent double-act,” I like that. No word as to whether Karl and I will start a traveling act, but some of the most fun I’ve had in ages was co-writing that story with Karl.

I also had the latest Locus magazine waiting for me, where I saw Gardner Dozois single out FF2 as one of the best original anthologies out there. Nifty.

And last, but not least, Strange Horizons reviewed the anthology, and says this:

“Mitigation” by Karl Schroeder and Tobias S. Buckell provides thought-provoking, science-informed warnings on environmental disaster and the preservation of species through genetic sequencing, but, despite the seriousness of these topics, has a lot of fun while doing so. Chauncie St. Christie is offered a deal by Maksim (Russian mafia) that is too good to pass up; hitch a ride to Svalbard with scientist River and sequence some rare paleo-seeds, and then transmit the genetic code via satellite for a boatload of money. Will things work out according to plan? Both Schroeder and Buckell have demonstrated a talent for plot and pacing in their solo stories, and “Mitigation” has the same virtues. The action is well-staged and made all the more entertaining by the ubiquitous presence of extrapolated technology, as well as striking imagery (”Broken Styrofoam, twirling beer cans, and plush toys from a container-ship accident drifted in the trawler’s wake; farther out, the Johnnies bobbed in their thousands, a marine forest through which dozens of larger vessels had to pick their way”). The characters are smart and smart-alecky, but with enough moral compunction for us to care about them and the larger issues at stake. “Mitigation” serves up the healthiest dose of realpolitik and environmental science in Fast Forward 2, for which its inclusion is welcome, and it does so with style and verve.

It’s encouraging to see some nice words about the story. I really felt it was a strong year for me with short fiction, with Manumission (Baen’s Universe) and People’s Machine (Sideways in Crime) and this story all coming out.

You find Fast Forward 2 here.

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