Space Books

"Space and Eternal Life" is a profound dialogue between eminent astronomer Chandra Wickramasinghe from Sri Lanka and Daisaku Ikeda, a Japanese scholar and president of the worldwide Buddhist organization called Soka Gakkai International. Both are world renowned poets, Mr. Ikeda having even been named a poet laureate of Japan.

In his foreward to the book, Sir Fred Hoyle states, "Many challenging problems face humankind as we approach the dawn of the new century. This book expolores some of these problems.... "

In closing the discussion, Ikeda states, "The advance of astronomy and unfolding of cosmology will expand humanity's awareness so that it encompasses the entire Earth.... "

This book, "Space and Eternal Life" is incredibly diverse in its range. It is essentially a dialogue between Chandra Wickramasinghe, an internationally renowned astronomer, and Daisaku Ikeda, leader of Soka Gakkai International, the world's largest Buddhist organization.

In this dialogue, the two men probe some of the deepest aspects of our existence. They touch on everything from Religion to Near-Death Experiences to Nuclear Weapons to AIDS to the Big Bang Theory and more.

As the dialogue unfolds, both the Buddhist viewpoint and an astronomer's view of the world are expressed, side by side, with interesting comparisons between the two.

While at first sight Buddhist philosophy might seem to lack the advantages of the empirical methodology of science in its exploration of the physical world, Buddhism's treatment of psychology, including the idea of many states of consciousness, appears to be remarkably sophisticated in modern terms.

This book also shows how ancient Buddhist ideas of cosmology are in tune with modern scientific thoeries. Fascinating through and through.

An inspiring read for those interested in the relationship between the "real world" of our everyday life and the more complex questions of our existence. Both authors speak with respect, understanding and courage about life in the past (and next!) century. It was interesting for me, a layperson in matters of both science and religion, to feel a strong connection with such complex thinkers. I appreciate philosophical discussion that doesn't leave your heart cold -this fits the bill nicely.

My colleagues and I have now had the opportunity to read and give some discussion to your novel, SPACE ARK! We are in agreement that it is sci-fi at a high level with all of the requisite ingredients to do well in that niche market. Your writing evokes good visual impressions in the narrative while the dialog is nice and tidy. Some really good writing. I think this should easily find a home with the right book publisher. I am very appreciative you brought SPACE ARK! to my attention. It is a novel richly deserving of publication. The Austin Wahl Agency

I enjoyed Space Ark! very much, and I wanted to tell you so. The concepts, some familiar, and some intriguing ideas I'd never imagined, were intertwined into a very captivating story. The overall premise, I thought, was quite original. There were some twists and turns that kept me engaged, even though I had a strong feeling it would end somewhat the way it did. I'm GLAD it ended that way in fact. I like stories that leave me feeling whole and safe as this did! I consider myself somewhat technically oriented. I have a habit of reading even fiction as though it were a technical manual. Your vocabulary is one of the richest I have encountered. Wow!

Received autographed copies of your book and already sold all of them here in the Ear Nose Throat Clinic. Thanks so much. We need lots more! All of our Doctors at the Clinic are quite impressed with your talent, your gift of writing, quotations of scripture and vocabulary. Your book is informing, enlightening, and a challenge to the imagination in Christian Science Fiction. You may have another Tim LaHaye "Left Behind" series, or movie for evangelistic ministries such as Rev. Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Carman, Trinity Broadcasting Network, or a talk show topic as a guest author on The "Oprah" Show. You really are a talented and gifted person, with a large/deep vocabulary. Thanks for the terminology in the back of your book. We are looking forward to meeting you in person at your booksigning here in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at The Books-A-Million Stores, Lemstones, and local Library; as well as local T.V. station, W.D.A.M. Mid-day Show, in June 2001, this year.

This book finally gives us a language to describe our relationships and to understand their depths. I've recommended this to so many people and I continue to have it in my yearly read stack(which only includes a few other titles).

This is a great book for sorting the different possible relationship types. The author does a good job of writing a book on relationship that is easy to read and requires no prior knowledge of psychology at all. I recommend this to anyone who would like to raise their awareness of the ways that their relationships with other people affect them.

This book covers and integrates object relations theory and feminist theory. It offers a serious, in-depth, and often inspiring look at how people relate to each other and why it is so difficult to talk about this subject in our culture. I hightly recommend it!

I had all but forgotten about this gem from my childhood when I saw it sitting on the Halloween display at the library where I work.
That night when I read it to my daughter, the clever illustrations and the humor brought back a flood of memories from my own childhood. And when she told me that she wanted "the movie of Space Case" for her birthday, I knew it was one of those timeless treats that would carry on into her memories when she's a mother.
Marshall's subtle brand of humor, paired with the charming illstrations makes this a great non-spooky choice for Halloween reads.

This book is a real treat! The humor can appeal to the older kids, while the cute Halloween story can appeal to a younger age.

'It came from outerspace' begins the story and as this thing tries to make friends with cows and chickens and learns to trick or treat a cute story unfolds. The pictures are funny. I particularly like the father who lets them in the house after they have been out trick or treating (very funny) and the costumes that everyone wears are great!

It's adorable and it came from outerspace and it should be on your bookshelves.

"It came from outer space." Luckily it arrived on Halloween. While most of the natives were unfriendly (a cow and a chicken), the thing manged to find some friendly aliens out trick or treating. Buddy McGee takes the thing home only to discover that it is from outer space. He quickly makes friends with the thing and takes him to school. Will the thing stay with Buddy forever?

Marshall has done it again with a wonderful story accompanied by droll illustrations. The beauty of this Halloween tale is its appeal to adults and children alike. This is a standard in my Halloween read aloud bag. It can be used from K to 5th grade with great results.

I have a 20 month old who is totally enthralled with this book (I've read it up to seven times in a row, and he loves every second). I personally find it silly, but clever, and the best overall children's book I've ever read. I just wish it was more well known.

We got this book from the library and my kids (2 and 4) love it. The rhymes make it very easy to read and the story is enjoyable. We have read it so many times, that we actually quote the entire book from memory while riding in the car! Even my 2 year old knows the whole story by heart.

I confess this is not an unbiased review because Martha is a friend of mine, but I just have to report an incident she shared with me. As Martha read her book to group of 300 students recently she was delighted to hear some of the kids spontaneously reading along. At the end they clapped and cheered. But the real reward came when a teacher reported that an autistic boy who normally keeps his head down during assemblies had been enthralled with her reading. Back in the room the teacher checked in the child's desk, and there at the bottom was the school's copy of the book. I just bought a copy of this fun, zippy little book which I can't wait to give to my four year old grandson. I'm betting it will be a "read it again".

A great collection of Goldern Era science fiction that I've had in my collection for a long time. I'm amazed at how many good writers were contributing to the Sci-Fi magazines of the 50's 60's and 70's. Some of the stories are a bit quaint, but the restriction of the format to stories based on exchanges of letters makes for a compelling theme.

Space Mail came out in 1980, when Asimov was at the peak of his anthology-editing days. It seemed like every other week, I saw a new Asimov anthology in the book store, each one with a different theme. This one is no different.

The stories in Space Mail take the form of diaries, letters or memos, a difficult style that is very effective at immersing the reader in the author's vision... when it is done right. Fortunately, all the stories in Space Mail get it right. One particular high note is Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon," the original story that later became a book and then a movie. Other highlights include Sharon Webb's "Itch on the Bull Run," about a space-faring nurse with a penchant for getting into trouble; "Dear Pen Pal" by A. E. van Vogt, which delves into the perils of personal communications over galactic distances; "Computers Don't Argue," a nightmarish classic from Gordon R. Dickson which is just as relevant now as it was then; and many others. This book is well worth the money to any sci-fi fan due to the inclusion of hard-to-find tales by masters of the short-story form.

Those who have encountered the fabled "theme anthology" know that it generally consists of a collection of stories united by their subject matter; Space Mail is a different sort of animal-a collection of SF stories united by their form rather than their topic. Each story takes the form of written correspondence, whether letters, diaries, or memos. It is a difficult sort of story to do well, balancing the need to provide enough information with the need to replicate the way people write letters in real life. Each of the stories contained herein is a legitimate winner, and there is a nice mix of serious and humorous pieces. Likewise, we are presented with a healthy proportion of famous names as well as lesser known (though equally-talented) writers. And because stories written in epistolary form are so rarely anthologized, many of these tales are legitimate hidden treasures.

Note that the stories are decades old; this is not one of the all-original theme anthologies that publishers like DAW put out, and in many ways that is a good thing. While that practice allows them to generate anthologies on odd and interesting topics, a story written for a specific venue often suffers in quality (not to mention that each anthology's stories are generally drawn from the same stable of writers). Here, Messrs. Asimov, Greenberg, and Olander are able to draw from decades of published stories to come up with the best. I'd rather read a good sixty-year-old story than a lousy new one-and since, to most readers, these stories will be as new as anything that's on the shelf now, it's definitely worth grabbing a copy if you happen across one.

The offerings:
"I Never Ast No Favors" by C. M. Kornbluth (1954): A juvenile delinquent from the city is sent to the country where he has his first encounters with hexes and other rural magic.
"Letter to Ellen" by Chan Davis (1947): A scientist at a genetics lab makes some unsettling discoveries.
"One Rejection Too Many" by Patricia Nurse (1978): Science fiction stories about writing science fiction can be a little grating, but this is short and cute.
"Space Opera" by Ray Russell (1961): A writer pitches an article about a failed invasion; this tales boasts a couple of really neat twists.
"The Invasion of the Terrible Titans" by William Sambrot (1959): An attempt to unravel the secret of the success of Pacific University's new football squad.
"That Only a Mother" by Judith Merril (1948): Correspondence between a husband and wife about their newborn prodigy. The ending is absolutely ghastly (in a good way), all the more so for its understatement.
"Itch on the Bull Run" by Sharon Webb (1979): A space nurse on the make for a young doctor is plagued by an apparently incurable, well, plague. Hilarious.
"Letter to a Phoenix" by Frederic Brown (1949): An immortal tells an epic tale of the failures and rebirths of humanity. Very powerful.
"Who's Cribbing?" by Jack Lewis (1953): Another humorous tale of SF writing, with an interesting existential twist.
"Computers Don't Argue" by Gordon R. Dickson (1965): Darkly humorous tale of a man caught in the system.
"Letters from Laura" by Mildred Clingerman (1954): Time travel tourism isn't always what one expects.
"Dear Pen Pal" by A. E. van Vogt (1949): An exchange between a human and an alien, neither of whose motives are necessarily what they seem.
"Damn Shame" by Dean R. Lambe (1979): Rare plants may one day yield medicines, but rare plants are rare for a reason.
"The Trap" by Howard Fast (1960): Novella about an attempt to raise the next generation of advanced humans away from society's corrupting influence.
"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes (1959): Not the novel, but the short story that inspired it. A retarded man receives an operation to increase his intelligence.
"The Second Kind of Loneliness" by George R. R. Martin (1972): The single soul in charge of a hyperspace gate beyond Pluto anxiously awaits his relief.
"The Lonely" by Judith Merril (1963): Astronomers intercept the alien version of a human first contact episode.
"Secret Unattainable" by A. E. van Vogt (1942): A set of memos documents the Nazis' attempt to build a matter transporter and why it was doomed to fail.
"After the Great Space War" by Barry N. Malzberg (1974): A scout sends back bizarre communications from a world marked for conquest.
"The Prisoner" by Christopher Anvil (1956): Bureaucracy seems the most likely culprit responsible for the bungling of planetary defense strategies, but there may be some other force at work.
"Request for Proposal" by Anthony R. Lewis (1972): A ludicrous proposal for effecting urban renewal gains unnatural longevity thanks to the bureaucratic process.
"He Walked Around the Horses" by H. Beam Piper (1948): In 1809, and English ambassador slips into an alternate reality where things are very different.
"The Power" by Murray Leinster (1945): An apparently infernal being is desperate to share forbidden knowledge with the world.

I believe Arthur Yap is the greatest poet of his generation; a generation that saw other poets being confined by their misguided love for form and cliched-themes that form usually inspires (these poets would only fail to be remembered). Only in such poets as Alfian Sa'at and Cyril Wong today do I see that Arthur Yap will eventually have his true successors; poets who take poetry to new, daring, even dizzying heights, full of soul (a quality that Yap sometimes lacks) and universal power.

I never trust local poets; they never know what meter and rhyme and flow are. Alfian Sa'at is much too angry and political; Alvin Pang is very studied but lacks natural talent; Cyril Wong is too self-indulgent. But here comes Arthur Yap. In the beginning he writes like Philip Larkin -- tense, concentrate lyrical short short poems without proper punctuations nor capitalisation -- but as he matures, he develops a style of his own, a style which incorporates Larkin's poetics with Yap's Singapore identity.

Arthur Yap opens worlds in deft ways of english anguish language plenitudes: he is an amazing poet of Singapore everydayness and wry wit under the capitalism of pragmatic streets and malls. Deft moments of religiosity and self dismantlement (not to mention the disfigurement of traditions and neighborhoods and traditions) figure in via a wry calculus of gain and loss, feeling and abandonment. He has much to reveal on writing and thinking in "the space of city trees," meaning Singapore and what is left to the poetic spirit. This book is a gift and prayer, from a poet and painter of stellar imagination, quiet intelligence, and abandoned wry wit. Three cheers to you Arthur Yap, from a kindred spirit in Honolulu who appreciates your book like a food.

"It is excellent" - Bill Knudsen, U.S. Space Foundation

"This publication is a valuable tool for young people interested in learning what space-related academic programs, career paths, and professional development opporutnities are available to them", Kara Wilson, Aerospace States Association, Deputy Director

"We [The Young Astronaut Council] believe it to be an excellent resource for all those interested in a career in aerospace. The book presents its information in a clear, logical, step-by-step manner that will be especially helpful to those who think they may be interested in a career in space, but are unfamiliar with the wide rage of posssibilities and opportunities.

We liked the "where we have been, where we are going, and how it is organized" approach. The book offered excellent resournces in terms of educational institutions, businesses, government, and private sector information. the book provides those interested in a career in space with a means of self-examination and tips on landing a job"

When NASA began work on the Space Shuttle in the latter 1960s, few recognized how important a part of American life it would become over the next thirty years. "The Space Shuttle: Roles, Missions, and Accomplishments," by David M. Harland, goes far toward capturing the essence of the shuttle's place in that history. It is an important contribution to the historical literature of the Space Shuttle and its uses.

In many respects the idea of a reusable Space Shuttle dates at least to the theoretical rocketplane studies of the 1930s by Austrian aerospace designer, Eugen Sänger. By the 1950s it had become an integral part of Wernher von Braun's master plan for space exploration: an orderly set of stages aimed at creating a permanent space station serviced from the Earth by a reusable winged vehicle or shuttle, leading to a colony on the Moon, and finally undertaking a human expedition to Mars. This model gained increased legitimacy in the 1968 feature film, "2001: A Space Odyssey," in which the stunningly picturesque wheeled space station was reached from Earth by a winged, reusable space shuttle.

These were the ideals that motivated NASA engineers in the 1960s, as they pursued the dream of a permanent presence in space, made sustainable by a reusable winged vehicle providing routine access to space at an affordable price. Some NASA officials compared the methods of launching into orbit used on Project Apollo to operating a railroad and then throwing away the locomotive after every trip. A reusable Space Shuttle, they argued, would make the trip much more cost effective. Studies NASA conducted in the mid-1960s found that reusable space technology was within reasonable grasp, more evolutionary than revolutionary, and that a hefty investment of research and development funds could yield a substantial reduction in operations costs. Flying thirty or more times a year, such a system would be an economical alternative to the use of large "throw away" launchers like the Saturn V. All of the spacefaring nations of the world have eventually accepted that paradigm as the raison d'être of their human space flight efforts in the latter twentieth century.

The goal of efficient operations in a heavy-lift booster--especially with the decision for budgetary reasons to terminate the Saturn V booster production line in mid-1968 after the completion of fifteen launch vehicles--prompted NASA's commitment to the Space Shuttle as a continuation vehicle for human space flight. Once it was underway, NASA leaders believed, they could also move forward with a space station, which the Space Shuttle could both place in orbit and support logistically. In addition, and this was in part serendipity from the NASA perspective, because of the Space Shuttle's size and versatility a portion of its payload bay could be used to haul scientific and applications satellites of all types into orbit for all users. The Space Shuttle was to be, essentially, the achievement of one-size-fits-all, in this instance the vehicle providing all orbital services required by users. This type of standardization has long been an important part of American mass production, the Model-T automobile and the F-111 fighter-bomber being examples of how it was supposed to work.

Although the development program was risky, between 1972-when President Nixon approved the effort--and 1981--when the first orbital flight took place-a talented group of scientists and engineers worked to create the world's first reusable space vehicle. Since that first flight the various orbiters--Atlantis, Columbia (lost on February 1, 2003 during reentry, Discovery, Endeavour, and Challenger (lost in 1986 during the only Space Shuttle accident ever to take place)-have made more than 100 flights into space. Throughout, the vehicle has been a workhorse of space exploration for projects both international and domestic. The Space Shuttle has launched numerous scientific satellites, including the Magellan spacecraft to Venus, the Galileo probe to Jupiter, and the international Ulysses spacecraft to study the Sun. Each also undertook scientific and technological experiments ranging from the release of experiments into space, through the continued flights of the European Space Agency's "Spacelab," to a dramatic three-person EVA in 1992 to retrieve a satellite and bring it back to Earth for repair. The shuttle also has deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. It has also demonstrated its usefulness in two complicated servicing missions of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993 and 1997.

Between April 1981 and the end of 1997, the Space Shuttle carried approximately 2.3 million pounds of cargo and more than 750 major payloads into orbit, including more than 300 for NASA, more than 140 for the Department of Defense, and more than 100 for commercial interests. Through 1997, astronaut crews have also conducted more than 50 extravehicular activities (EVA) and Shuttle crews are actively preparing for the EVAs necessary to build the International Space Station in orbit beginning in late 1998. Through all of these activities, a good deal of realism about what the Space Shuttle can and cannot do has now emerged.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Space Shuttle enjoys the same plaudits and suffers from the same criticisms that have been present since not long after the program began. It remains the only vehicle in the world with the dual capability to deliver and return large payloads to and from orbit. The design, now more than two decades old, is in need of replacement. The failure to do so, as seen in the loss of Columbia, represents the single most significant failure of leadership in the history of the space program.

David M. Harland's important study of the Space Shuttle fills in many of the details of its myriad uses over its operational life. It provides an overview of the variety of missions and the unique capabilities of this remarkable machine. As such, it is one of the critical building blocks in the furtherance of historical knowledge about the history of the Space Age and the place of NASA and the Space Shuttle in it. This book is now out of print, unfortunately, but perhaps anew edition will be produced in the near term that discusses the history of the shuttle since this work was first published in 1998.

The Space Shuttle: Roles, Missions and Accomplishments by David M. Harland

is a really fabulous book! On the 530 pages (!) Mr. Harland tells you each little fact about the STS-programme, but in a way that does not annoy you at all. From ALT (Approach and Landing Tests) and pre-STS-1 across the Challenger Accident in Jan. '86 up to the STS-89 mission (which was launched in Jan. '98) he tells us all and everything about the 'Rolls, Missions and Accomplishments' of the Space Shuttle. It can be read like a novel you read before sleeping - but you won't fall asleep while reading this book! I would have bought the book even if it cost double the price. This book is really worth to buy! so BUY IT!

mw

A recent Newsweek article on the International Space Station complained that watching repetitive shuttle flights was about as exciting as watching huge trucks rolling along the highways. Everyone, it seems, remembers the compromises that went into designing the space shuttle, and the huge cost overruns. Against this sea of apathy and negativity, David M. Harland's book is an island of relief. He reminds us that even though space shuttles may look like DC 9s carrying tourists they are in fact marvels of design and engineering carrying men and women who possess "the right stuff" for our day and age in space. The shuttle is well into its second decade. Its achievements have not been as conspicuous as, say, landing astronauts on the Moon, and it is easy to lose track of a growing list. Mr. Harland organizes these accomplishments by area (physical science, life science, commerce, etc.) so that one can see the impressive results. In addition, I found many new ideas, such as his analysis of the Challenger disaster that does not point the finger of blame at poor communication, a rigid bureaucracy, or managerial incompetence. I came away with renewed appreciation for this remarkable vehicle with its remarkable crews, and a sense of relief that at long last it will serve its original purpose of partnering with a station in space.

The timing of this fourteen collection anthology is perfect with the President's recent proposal to return to the moon and manned missions to Mars along with the exploratory bots already on the Red Planet. The tales are linked by some form of a station not on earth, but not all built by humans. Each tale is fun to read more so because of what is happening on Mars. The authors are a who's who from B to Z and each one holds their weight (though gravity might differ depending on locale). Outer space junkies will enjoy SPACE STATIONS whether it is trading in a café or a frontier fort on the verge of battle. The links besides the edifices in outer space is that all the tales are new and the quality high (it is beyond our stratosphere) with some so excellent readers will find it worth landing on Deimos.

Harriet Klausner

After my last exploration into SF anthologies, which left me rather disappointed and jaded, this was balm for the beleaguered reader's soul. A stunning collection of stories about space stations that manages stick to theme, but range widely in variety from the funny, to the chilling, to fascinating and heartwarming. This book has something for every SF reader, and will especially appeal to those "hard" SF readers who are looking for some quality short stories.

Out of the fourteen stories in this collection, I've been trying to pick a favorite, and keep coming up with several-which is, admittedly, a good sign. "Dancers At the Gate" by James Cobb is a wonderfully imaginative story about the technical innovation of a wormhole and a unique solution between two separate cultures to fix it. Also at the top of my list is the anchor piece of this collection, "Station Spaces" by Gregory Benford. The author's unique prose style won't work for everyone, but it certainly creates a space all it's own in marvelous imagery. "The Battle of Space Fort Jefferson" by Timothy Zahn is a delightfully humorous adventure tale of a run-down station's moment of glory. Other stories are nearly as good: Michael Stackpole's "Serpent on the Station" features his Purgatory station universe in an amazingly astute story that deals with faith and alien relations. "First Contact Café" by Irene Radford is a bizarre look at mankind's first dealings with an intergalactic mediator in negotiations. "Countdown" by Russell Davis is a rather short and pointed tale about life and death, and is surprisingly poignant for all its brevity.

Out of the collection I found "Orbital Base Fear" to be one of my least favorite-it just didn't grab my interest. "Black Hole Station" by Jack Williamson was interesting, but a little too pat a tale for me, but the concept was still a good one. I found "The Franchise" by Julie Czerneda to be well told but a bit too long for it's conclusion. But, overall, the quality is strong, the story telling imaginative and fresh and the stories are in keeping with the theme, but sufficiently varied in their approach. I consider this to be an example of a five-star anthology.

Readers who like this collection may also enjoy NEWER YORK edited by Lawrence Watt-Evans, MICROCOSMIC TALES edited by Isaac Asimov and, for a truly unusual themed anthology, check out CARMEN MIRANDA'S GHOST IS HAUNTING SPACE STATION THREE edited by Don Sakers.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

Space Stations is an anthology of stories about outposts in the void. It contains fourteen stories written specifically for this volume.

In The Battle of Space Fort Jefferson by Timothy Zahn, the Park Service fights invaders with obsolescence and neglect. In Redundancy by Alan Dean Foster, an AI is smarter than expected. In Dancers of the Gate by James Cobb, two wormhole stations are saved by a shared interest in big band music. In Mikeys by Robert J. Sawyer, the support team stumbles into an artifact. In The Franchise by Julie E. Czerneda, refugees from the Quill menace reopen a lost station.

In Follow the Sky by Pamela Sargent, a ward of the state gets an urge to roam. In Auriga's Streetcar by Jean Rabe, a salvage operator finds evidence of aliens on an abandoned station. In Falling Star by Brendan DuBois, an ex-astronaut returns to his hometown to be met with antipathy. In Countdown by Russell Davis, the station commander has stayed behind while the computer counts down to auto-destruct. In Serpents on the Station by Michael Stackpole, a Catholic priest finds herself among alien hedonists.

In First Contact Cafe by Irene Radford, the station manager encounters a new type of alien from Texas. In Orbital Base Fear by Eric Kotani, the support team warns of a storm, but the primary team tries to land anyway. In Black Hole Station by Jack Williamson, a man searches for his father on an abandoned research station. In Station Spaces by Gregory Benford, the team terraforming Luna merge humans and computers into something different and dangerous.

Although the common theme in these stories is space stations, the authors have approached the subject from many directions. Two of the stories -- Mikeys and Orbital Base Fear -- actually have the same initial scenario, but diverge rapidly thereafter. In Falling Star, the space station is not even evident except in the background.

Not one of these stories is a dud. The Battle of Space Fort Jefferson is filled with subtle humor. Redundancy is a real tear jerker. Mikeys is a winner of an underdog story. Any reader of science fiction will surely find something to like in these tales.

One of the best stories, in my opinion, is Dancers of the Gate, for its high tech ambiance and its offbeat solution to a problem. However, this story has a technical blooper, a geosynchronous station above the planetary north pole. See my guide on Orbits in Science Fiction for the reason why this is not possible.

Highly recommended for anybody who enjoys science fiction tales about living and working in space.

-Arthur W. Jordin