Zima Blue

As others have noted, this collection of Reynolds' short fiction is (no pun intended) stellar. I just also wanted to note that there are two editions of this available... the U.S. edition and this U.K. edition. If you are able to, pick up this U.K. edition as it has more stories and is (in my opinion) a better arrangement of stories.The main draw for me was the "Merlin Trilogy" of stories contained here, which is, to me, the author's most enjoyable work outside of the Revelation Space universe that I've read so far. The order they appear in the U.K edition makes reading them fun and seems very cohesive. The character of Merlin reminds me some of Clavain. He's a loner, traveling across eons of time, hiding secrets and flaws which are only revealed to those who manage (against all odds) to penetrate his rough and somewhat strange exterior. There are two other pairs of short stories here, with one being arranged chronologically and the other separated as bookends for the whole collection. I am a fan of "follow on" stories where you get to revisit worlds established earlier and Reynolds is really good at this. The diversity of topics here is really nice. The vast majority of settings are far flung and futuristic but some are actually much more localized in time and space, with one arguably not even classifiable as "science fiction." It's still a great story. Here is the list of stories in this U.K. edition, for reference...The Real Story • (2002)The first "Carrie Clay" story included. Carrie is an intrepid journalist who specializes in getting the most interesting stories. Here she is on Mars, tracking down the first man to ever land on the planet. Or is it a crew of three men? In order to get the story, she will have to (literally) throw caution to the wind.Beyond the Aquila Rift • (2005)When mankind utilizes leftover alien technology to travel between star systems, there may be glitches in the system that we have yet to comprehend. When one of these glitches sends a crew father than they wanted, farther than they thought possible, one member must come to grips with being plunged into a vastly different existence than any he has known before.Enola • (1991)Enola is an artificial intelligence, a powerful killing machine, and a survivor of a catastrophic global war. She keeps herself going by assimilating both machines and human memories. As she runs down, her final act bequeaths a future for the humans left alive.Signal to Noise • (2006)If there are infinite parallel universes and we could make contact with one next door, communicate with other versions of ourselves... how would that affect marriage, the mourning of loved ones and our concept of mortality?Cardiff Afterlife • (2008)A follow on story to Signal to Noise, this tale deals with the same parallel universe connection as it applies to an act of terrorism.Hideaway • (2000)The first story in the Merlin trilogy covers the flight from mankind's future enemy The Huskers (who seems to parallel The Inhibitors of Revelation Space) and the struggle between two different strategies for fleeing this threat. Neither is simple or without consequences. In the end, Merlin chooses his own way and lets the rest of his clan carve their own path of escape.Minla's Flowers • (2007)Later in Merlin's journey, he encounters a remnant splinter of humans who are inhabiting a world at war. Factional skirmishes drive the two sectors of this society, but they have a common destructive force they need to focus on. Merlin picks a side and attempts to influence a peaceful solution for the whole world... with limited success.Merlin's Gun • (2000)The final Merlin tale, in which Merlin finally tracks down the proverbial "gun" he has been searching for. While he finally achieves his goal, the cost will be very high indeed.Angels of Ashes • (1999)The repeating theme of parallel universes is explored via a religious civil war on Mars. The war is based on the recanting of the founder's original transcendent experience of how life came about in the local area of our galaxy. An acolyte attends his bedside to hear his dying statement and ends up getting more truth than he bargained for.Spirey and the Queen • (1996)A soldier fighting an isolated battle in deep space gets a quick re-education regarding the war he is fighting in and has to re-evaluate his allegiances, attitudes, and beliefs quickly or suffer the consequences.Understanding Space and Time • (2005)One of my favorites in this collection. The last survivor of the sole human colony on Mars forges ahead after being cut off from Earth and losing all of his companions on Mars. He plans for a lonely, short existence, but then receives an unexpected second chance at life from a passing alien culture. Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids.Digital to Analogue • (1992)A deadly virus gets unleashed into the underground club scene and one unexpecting clubber gets caught up in the crossfire.Everlasting • (2004)A woman is summoned to a friend's home because he is threatening to NOT kill himself. He has come to believe that he is the unlikeliest result of quantum superstring theory - a person who cannot die because random chance has bequeathed immortality on him. He may or may not be correct.Zima Blue • (2005)The second "Carrie Clay" tale here, concerns her big get of a story involving the most famous artist in existence and his final piece, which will be his crowning achievement. It's (of course) not quite what you would expect.Zima Blue is one of the most solid collections of short stories I have ever read. Never boring and always fascinating, the stories flow well and all are fairly quick reads. While the Merlin stories were my favorite, I would rate almost all of them five stars. If you are a fan of Science Fiction you should read this book. If you are a fan of Alastair Reynolds specifically, you NEED to read this. It's that good.

This is an excellent collection of 14 stories from Alastair Reynolds. All but two stories (Digital to Analogue, and Everlasting) I found to be gems. The stories are varied but three of them (Hideaway, Minla's Flowers, and Merlin' Gun) involve Merlin's attempt in the distant future to defeat the Huskers who are wiping-out mankind.Also, both the first and last stories in the collection (The Real Story and Zima Blue) involve reporter Carrie Clay. Interestingly enough these stores are separated by 1000 years.Most of the stories involve some aspect of scientific speculation which the author infuses into the story without sacrificing the story-line or the humanity of his characters. The author also provides some personal comments at the end of each story shedding some light on the genesis of the story.

Certainly bad enough not to order. And further, it's padded. Each of the short stories is followed by a tedious description of how and why he wrote each one. Of the several stories, only a couple offered an interesting premise, but with poor presentation. These are essentially 1950's- like space operas, with the typical contempt for plausible physical constraints.This is really a dud. Better than staring at a wall, but not much better. And without the padding, it would be too short to pass as a "book."

This collection of stories shows how Alastair Reynolds is a master of science fiction writing. Every story is very good, whether he's telling a story set on a distant world thousands of years from now or right here on Earth in the 21st century. There is not a single weak story in this book. The various stories deal with ideas like multiple universes, artificial intelligence, and humans spreading throughout the galaxy. I like how some of the stories are related to each other, such as the trilogy of stories about Merlin. If you have read other books by Reynolds, then I definitely recommend this collection of stories. If you have never read anything by him, then this book can introduce you to the range of his writing.

I loved a couple of these stories, actually felt wounded when they ended. I can do without the Schrödinger’s cat stories, but the good ones are exceptional. A must read for Reynolds fans

I"m not one for science fiction; because it is too much fiction and next to no science - but Alastair Reynolds is in a whole league of his own... a lot more science than fiction. Brilliant stuff. If you want a riveting yarn, well woven onto a tapestry of reality - Alastair is your man.

A great set of short stories for anyone who loves Alastair Reynolds' works.I didn't much care for the couple stories which weren't in his usual settings but hey, if someone let the poor guy out of his cell to try something else for a change, that's fine. All is forgiven.

Another solid collection of short stories. Well done Al!

When Reynolds opens his heart, his mind obeys and he produces lovely mini-masterpieces: Enola (here), Turquoise Days, Zima Blue (here) and Weather. Surely his finest works.Mostly solid collection of stories here, with some true gems.*** The Real StoryGood solid sci-fi. Familiar but nicely constructed. A good twist or two.**** Beyond the Aquila RiftLovely story with a somewhat predictable but beautifully-realised plot.***** Enola ***** a true Gem!Exquisite, poignant, wonderful. When Reynolds opens his heart, his mind obeys and he produces lovely mini-masterpieces: Enola, Turquoise Days, Zima Blue and Weather. Surely his finest works.*** Signal to Noise / Cardiff Afterlife - some clever tech, and a plot with echoes of Flowers for Algernon. Pretty good.*** Hideaway / Minla's Flowers / Merlin's Gun - Merlin is not actually very sympathetic for most of this mini-trilogy. Very clever "gun" tech. But Minla is an all-too-modern tale of motives and means and actions that is truly sad. I did enjoy this series.*** Angels of Ashes - Very clever and solid*** Spirey and the QueenNice mini-space opera.**** Understanding Space and TimeA story-based exposition 0f the deep quantum nature of reality, pretty good, but Superb first chapter makes it human and very good.** Digital to AnalogueStrained "super hip club scene" - Did not really work for me.*** EverlastingAnother exposition on the multiverse (which is my view of reality as well), but a bit predictable with overstauratex dialogue.***** Zima Blue ***** a true Gem!Wonderful, full of heart and introspection. Nicely presented and structured. A personal journey into the mystery of self. Reminds me a bit of "Flowers for Algernon" in many ways. A mini-masterpiece. I cried.

As a rule I generally pick up "collections of best short stories" books. Having read and loved the short story "Zima Blue" I decided to pick up this book, which obviously is a collection of short stories from the same author rather than a collection by diffrent authors.What I hadnt realised is that I'd been reading and loving Alastair Reynolds work for ages. Half the stories in this book I'd read elsewhere (one I recall was printed in a magazine), but I really enjoyed re reading them. The other half are just as good if not better. What I akso enjoyed was the fact that on occasions, some of the short stories are spun off from other short stories so in some ways all the stories where linked.I certainly plan to read the rest of his work now which really is the highest praise I can give an author.5 stars all the way!

Given that I am a great fan of both the short SF story format and of Alastair Reynolds, there was little chance that I would not enjoy this collection. Unlike the Galactic North anthology, this volume does not include any stories based within Reynolds' superbly visualised Revelation Space universe. Instead, we're treated to a delightful mix of stories showcasing the breadth of his imagination from near future history through deep space opera and the exploration of multiple universes to the nature of artificial intelligence. It is hard to pick a favourite from this collection, but I particularly enjoyed the mini trilogy centred on Minla's Flowers and whilst there were, to my taste, one or two slightly unexceptional stories, I thoroughly recommend this collection to Reynolds newbies and die-hard fans alike.

I thought this was a great book! I read some reviews about it beforehand so I was doubtful, and I find short stories are really Asimov's thing, but there are some real gems in this one. Reynolds manages to retain his epic style of writing through millions of years in most of these (most - the reason being that some don't span millions of years!). I would highly recommend it. And the blurbs that he writes after each story, sometimes explaining his inspiration, are also very interesting.

The author goes to all the trouble of creating a whole world and characters to populate it and then doesn't have enough time left to let them fill out and fulfil their potentialCollected short stories always make me feel this way.Alistair Reynolds has written with his usual skill and inventiveness but I guess short stories are just not for me.