Don Sakers (1958–2021)

“Pico review” written for the SF fanzine OtherRealms (SF review zine by Chuq Von Rospach, Jan. 1991): This is the best anthology I've read in a long time, not a failure in the bunch, with lots of first time writers as well as familier names. Filking is one of my favorite parts of fandom. I don't compose but I sing along whenever possible and I have a collection of both purchased and recorded-myself-at-filksings tapes. There are filks on everything from Asimov to Zelazny, from Beauty and show more the Beast to Star Wars, but this must be the first time a book has been written because of a filk. Leslie Fish's "Carmen Miranda's Ghost is Haunting Space Station Three" is available on several recordings. It is funny and different and inspired this whole collection of short stories, some of which closely follow the details of the song, others using it only to set the scene. This includes everything from stories that exist only to set up a pun punch line to hard SF murder mystery. A number of the authors are filkers themselves. Only one story makes the ghost a horror figure (I won't spoil it by telling you which one). Usually she is the catalyst making the story happen but sometimes she just dances by in the background. The stories were very well selected, no two are the least bit similar though they all had the same song for a starting point. show less

I really enjoyed this book -- which frankly surprised me. It shows its age (published in 2002), and has rich overtones of Neil Stephenson. That said, I found it a more gripping interpretation of the potential impact of "the network." His sense of geopolitics was stunning, and with retrospect, its easy to see foreshadowing of Anonymous and current fears about epidemics... I highly recommend this.

NOTE: Borrowed from the Anne Arundel County Library (signed copy found on shelf -- but not show more appearing in catalog during check out; librarian eventually decided that it had been marked as lost in the past and removed from system; item was deemed in damaged condition and unfit for reshelving on return, after some back and forth the library gave me the copy).

(2014 Review #13) show less

Space opera? Science fiction? Fantasies or delusions brought on by too much figgy pudding? Whatever the whim that prompted each of the authors' creations (the inspiration for the anthology's theme is described in an afterword -- and it's really worth reading, if you're not usually an afterword reader) it's immediately apparent that some people's imaginations work overtime, even on holidays.

Settle down for an afternoon of hysterically funny, thought-provoking, creepy, and just plain clever show more stories with only one thing in common: Carmen Miranda. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. show less

This book comes at you from many different viewpoints, much like Stand on Zanzibar, which makes the overall plot hard to remember after a couple of years. What I do remember is the brilliant use of science fiction fandom's strengths and foibles as the basis for a future community that can help save the world.