Sex and Reviews in Zero-G

[bluegargantua]

Hey,

So I didn't quite finish up all my 2012 literary duties before the end of year. So a review on the last book of the year I read and then the big list.

So the last book of the year was Sex and Violence in Zero-G: The Complete "Near Space" Stories by Allen Steele. First off -- the title is a bit of a lie. This contains the collected short stories Mr. Steele wrote for his Near Space universe, there are a couple of long-form novels that don't appear within this volume.

That said, the book is a pretty breezy and entertaining set of stories. Mr. Steele is postulating a hard-science future where humanity expands out into the stars. I think it was Neal Stephenson who equated working in space with being an oil rig operator (in the gobi desert...with less oxygen). This is a conceit that the book runs with. The stories often center around "blue collar" workers who have to do dirty, dangerous jobs in space and how they cope. It's a nice change of pace from the usual "and then AIs and robots did it all for us while we flitted between the stars" kind of sci-fi.

So it was a fun change of pace and recommended if you prefer a fairly conservative look into the future.

later
Tom

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[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

He's a Wihstih boy, too. He got his start writing for Worcester Magazine...