Solaris Rising 2 Read online

  Praise for Solaris Rising

  “One of the three or four best SF anthologies published this year... there’s nothing here that isn’t at least good, and some that’s outstanding.”

  Gardner Dozois, Locus Magazine

  “**** The literary equivalent of a well-presented buffet of tasty snacks.”

  SFX Magazine

  “This anthology of new short stories is essential reading.”

  BBC Focus Magazine

  “A+, highly recommended... A very strong, eclectic anthology with something to please any lover of contemporary SF.”

  Fantasy Book Critic

  “An excellent collection... In my review of Engineering Infinity, I pondered ‘I’d be surprised if there’s a stronger anthology in 2011.’ Well, the same publisher has now produced another anthology that is right up there with it.”

  BestSF

  “Believe me, it’s a journey well worth taking. Science fiction storytelling at its finest...”

  Mass Movement Magazine

  “If you’re of a mind to dip your toes into science fiction, then this is a perfect starting point. At the same time, a rewarding read for SF aficionados. One anthology anyone with an interest in SF shouldn’t miss!”

  A Fantastical Librarian

  “Chock-full of enjoyable and interesting new SF stories: diverse, entertaining and, for those who don’t already know the authors, a great introduction to their work. I hope it’s the first of many.”

  SF Crow’s Nest

  “This is a must buy anthology for SF fans. Be ready; you are in for a treat.”

  Terror-Tree

  “Solaris have, in a short time, established a fine tradition of publishing top quality anthologies. A must for fans of SF in its shorter (and some would say, more perfect) form.”

  SFRevu

  “A strong showcase of the genre.”

  Locus Online

  SOLARIS RISING2

  THE NEW SOLARIS BOOK OF

  SCIENCE FICTION

  EDITED BY

  IAN WHATES

  Solaris Books

  SOLARIS RISING 2

  THE NEW SOLARIS BOOK OF SCIENCE FICTION

  EDITED BY

  IAN WHATES

  INCLUDING STORIES BY

  Paul Cornell

  Nancy Kress

  James Lovegrove

  Adrian Tchaikovsky

  Eugie Foster

  Neil Williamson

  Nick Harkaway

  Kristine Kathryn Rusch

  Robert Reed

  Allen Steele

  Kim Lakin-Smith

  Kay Kenyon

  Mercurio D. Riviera

  Martin Sketchley

  Norman Spinrad

  Liz Williams

  Martin McGrath

  Mike Allen

  Vandana Singh

  First published 2013 by Solaris

  an imprint of Rebellion Publishing Ltd

  Riverside House, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0ES, UK

  www.solarisbooks.com

  ISBN (epub): 978-1-84997-494-3

  ISBN (mobi): 978-1-84997-495-0

  Cover Art by Pye Parr

  ‘Extensions: An Introduction’ © Ian Whates 2012

  ‘Tom’ © Paul Cornell 2013

  ‘More’© Nancy Kress 2013

  ‘Shall Inherit’ © James Lovegrove 2013

  ‘Feast and Famine’ © Adrian Tchaikovsky 2013

  ‘Whatever Skin You Wear’ © Eugie Foster 2013

  ‘Pearl in the Shell’ © Neil Williamson 2013

  ‘The Time Gun’ © Nick Harkaway 2013

  ‘When Thomas Jefferson Dined Alone’ © Kristine Kathryn Rusch 2013

  ‘Bonds’ © Robert Reed 2013

  ‘Ticking’ © Allen Steele 2013

  ‘Before Hope’ © Kim Lakin-Smith 2013

  ‘The Spires of Greme’ © Kay Kenyon 2013

  ‘Manmade’ © Mercurio D. Rivera 2013

  ‘The Circle of Least Confusion’ © Martin Sketchley 2013

  ‘Far Distant Suns’ © Norman Spinrad 2013

  ‘The Lighthouse’ © Liz Williams 2013

  ‘The First Dance’ © Martin McGrath 2013

  ‘Still Life with Skull’ © Mike Allen 2013

  ‘With Fate Conspire’ © Vandana Singh 2013

  The right of the authors to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Designed by Rebellion Publishing

  CONTENTS

  Extensions: An Introduction, Ian Whates

  Tom Paul Cornell

  More, Nancy Kress

  Shall Inherit, James Lovegrove

  Feast and Famine, Adrian Tchaikovsky

  Whatever Skin You Wear, Eugie Foster

  Pearl in the Shell, Neil Williamson

  The Time Gun, Nick Harkaway

  When Thomas Jefferson Dined Alone, Kristine Kathryn Rusch

  Bonds, Robert Reed

  Ticking, Allen Steele

  Before Hope Kim Lakin-Smith

  The Spires of Greme, Kay Kenyon

  Manmade, Mercurio D. Rivera

  The Circle of Least Confusion, Martin Sketchley

  Far Distant Suns, Norman Spinrad

  The Lighthouse, Liz Williams

  The First Dance, Martin McGrath

  Still Life with Skull, Mike Allen

  With Fate Conspire, Vandana Singh

  Also From Solaris

  EXTENSIONS:

  AN INTRODUCTION

  IAN WHATES

  SOLARIS’ CONFIRMATION IN late December 2011 that they wanted me to compile a second volume of Solaris Rising provided the perfect end to a very good year. The original volume had been a joy to work on, the critical acclaim it subsequently received both humbling and gratifying. To me, Solaris Rising 2 is not so much a sequel as an extension to that first book; an expansion, if you will. The whole idea of Solaris Rising is to demonstrate the diversity, vitality, and sheer strength of modern SF; here was my chance to take that concept a step further.

  I would be happy to work again with any of the authors who feature in SR1, and the simplest way to proceed would have been to go back to those same talented wordsmiths and solicit submissions, but how would that demonstrate ‘diversity’? Instead, I determined to do the opposite: to gather an entirely new cast of contributors. So I sat down and began to draw up an approach list...

  The very first story I accepted for the book was from Paul Cornell. In a career that is still gathering momentum, Paul has already achieved success in writing for TV (not just for Doctor Who) and comics (both Marvel and DC) as well as literary SF. I’ve come close to publishing Paul a couple of times in the past but it never quite happened, so when he assured me that he would be submitting a story for SR2 I was sceptical. Then he delivered “Tom”, dispelling any doubts. I rate this as one of Paul’s finest stories to date, and that says a lot bearing in mind that his work has been shortlisted no fewer than five times for Hugo Awards in various categories.

  Liz Williams has more strings to her bow than the average elven archer. Liz holds degrees in philosophy and artificial intelligence and boasts a past that includes tarot reading on Brighton Pier and being caught up in civil unrest while teaching English in Kazakhstan. These days she seems content to teach creative writing, report on all things pagan for the Guardian newspaper, co-run a witchcraft supply and retail business in Glastonbury (che
ck out the hugely entertaining Diary of a Witchcraft Shop) and write some of the most profound science fiction and fantasy around. Liz invariably brings a unique dimension to any project, as “Lighthouse” amply demonstrates.

  I first met Nick Harkaway in 2009, shortly after his debut novel The Gone-Away World had been shortlisted for a BSFA Award. I was immediately impressed by his charismatic vitality – a quality that spills over into his writing. I approached Nick regarding a story for SR2 during the launch party for his second novel, Angelmaker, thus catching him at a moment of ebullient weakness (and who wouldn’t be happy when your new novel has just received glowing endorsements from the likes of William Gibson?). This, of course, gave him little opportunity to say no. Nick’s story, “The Time Gun”, has a lot in common with its author: quirky, clever, and fizzing with energy.

  I’ve been a fan of Nancy Kress since the 1990s, when I bought a signed limited edition of her wonderful Beggars in Spain. Nancy is someone I’ve long hoped to work with. Little did I realise when accepting Jack Skillingstead’s poignant “Steel Lake” for Solaris Rising that Jack is married to Nancy (hey, bear with me – there’s a big ocean between here and the US). How could I spurn such an opportunity? Nancy’s story was one of the first to be accepted for SR2 and would, I’m sure, be a highlight of any book.

  A few years ago, Kim Lakin-Smith and I found ourselves pitted as bitter rivals when we each had a story shortlisted for the BSFA Award. It was a role we spectacularly failed to master, even grabbing a bite to eat together before the awards ceremony. In the event, neither of us won, though I wasn’t too disappointed as the winning story (co-written by Ian Watson and Roberto Quaglia) was one I’d published. Subsequently, I was privileged to also publish Kim’s novel Cyber Circus, which has garnered considerable critical acclaim and was itself shortlisted for a couple of awards. I had no hesitation in inviting Kim to submit for SR2, which proved a wise move; “Before Hope” is one of her best stories to date.

  Neil Williamson and I became friends before I’d actually read any of his work. I cannot begin to describe my relief on picking up his short story collection The Ephemera and finding that I loved it. A musician as well as a writer, Neil is part of a Glasgow-based cabal of talented authors whose members have included the likes of Hal Duncan, Michael Cobley, Gary Gibson, and Andrew J. Wilson. I was delighted when Neil’s story “Arrhythmia” made the shortlist for the BSFA Award in 2011. In my humble opinion, “Pearl in the Shell” is even better.

  Martin Sketchley is another writer with an alternative identity as a musician. Rather bizarrely, we first met at an air show. As RAF jets roared past overhead, wowing the crowd, we discovered that we both wrote science fiction. Martin’s stories invariably examine the complexity of relationships and cut to the very heart of what it means to be human, and his contribution here is no exception.

  Robert Reed has mastered the tricky art of producing short fiction in prolific quantity at a standard that never drops below ‘good’ and frequently rises a great deal higher than that. I first encountered his work in the pages of Asimov’s and Fantasy & SF; indeed, there seemed a period when every month a new Robert Reed story would appear in one or other of those prestigious magazines, or even in both. I read them avidly, waiting for the quality to fall, but it never did. “Bonds” provides further proof of just how fine a writer Robert is.

  Some years ago, when my own NewCon Press first started, I exchanged emails with the then editor of TTA Press’ review webzine The Fix. Her name? Eugie Foster. We’ve never met, but Eugie was always helpful and impressed me as a genuine, likeable individual. I took an interest in her writing career thereafter and was chuffed to see her novelette (and that’s just a reference to the length of its title) “Sinner, Baker...” make the shortlist for both the Hugo and BSFA Awards, even more so when the same piece went on to win the Nebula. Eugie’s was one of the first names I pencilled in when drawing up an approach list for SR2 and, needless to say, she hasn’t disappointed.

  I’m not sure that James Lovegrove has yet forgiven me for mislabelling several online photos of him with another author’s name (for no reason I can explain). Actually, he has, because James isn’t the sort to hold a grudge... I hope. I first discovered James’ writing more than a decade ago via the novella “How the Other Half Lives” and his novel The Foreigners. Both demonstrate what a thoughtful yet entertaining writer he is; qualities that have seen his Pantheon series of novels breach the New York Times best seller lists in recent years, and which infuse “Shall Inherit”.

  Before I ever met Adrian Tchaikovsky I was aware of him as the ‘new kid on the block’ in the epic fantasy scene, making a significant impression with his Shadows of the Apt series. Subsequently, I discovered that his writing encompasses a great deal more than that. Having already commissioned and published a couple of pieces by Adrian – a modern ghost story as well as a slice of reality-hopping SF – I felt confident that he could write something a little more ‘hard SF’. My faith was fully justified by “Feast and Famine”, which delivers on all fronts.

  My first experience of Mercurio D. Rivera’s work came via “Longing for Langalana”, a story that appeared in a 2006 issue of Interzone. I rated this the best thing I’d read in the magazine for quite a while, and evidently I wasn’t alone: it went on to win the readers’ poll for that year. Nor has Mr. Rivera sat on his haunches since, producing a growing number of original and well-crafted tales for Interzone, Asimov’s and elsewhere. “Manmade”, which he referred to as ‘a reverse Pinocchio story’ when submitting, is the latest in a long line of gems from this exciting, still-emerging author.

  Kay Kenyon writes science fiction of sweeping scope in plausibly-depicted settings populated by vividly-drawn characters – as evidenced by her Entire and the Rose novels. But she doesn’t write enough short fiction for my liking; a situation I determined to remedy to some small degree. Thankfully, Kay accepted the challenge, and duly delivered the intriguingly named “The Spires of Greme”, which proved just as inventive as its title and should not, under any circumstances, be confused with Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s 2009 novella “The Spires of Denon”. Kristine is someone who has succeeded as author, editor, and publisher (no mean feat, trust me). In the process, she has covered almost every area of genre fiction. It was SF I was interested in for this project, though, and Kristine has come up with a clever story of time travelling academia that manages to avoid stepping on Connie Willis’ toes (which is no mean feat either).

  I initially crossed paths with Mike Allen when submitting for his first Clockwork Phoenix anthology. He declined my effort with an encouraging ‘I really like this, but...’ rejection message. Tempting though it was to respond in kind, his madcap and frenetic “Still Life with Skull” proved too good a piece to turn down. Damn!

  Martin McGrath is someone I know as a dedicated and hard-working individual from our years of service together on the BSFA committee, but I hadn’t appreciated how good a writer he is. Not until I ran a ‘blind reading’ competition (how’s that for a paradox?) to choose a story for an anthology, Subterfuge. Although Martin’s story didn’t win, it came a close second and later featured in the anthology Conflicts. A very good piece, but one that ill-prepared me for just how effective “The First Dance” would be.

  Allen Steele’s Coyote novels comprise one of the most compelling and convincing accounts of humanity colonising a new world in recent memory. I came into contact with Allen when Ian Watson and I included his story “The War Memorial” in The Mammoth Book of SF Wars (2012), and didn’t hesitate in approaching him regarding SR2.

  I recall reading Norman Spinrad’s novels with a combination of pleasure and awe. It never occurred to me that I would one day have the opportunity to communicate with Norman, let alone commission a story from him. Then, by coincidence, I discovered that we have a mutual friend in the form of author Michael Cobley. I contacted Mike and, kind fellow that he is, he instantly put Norman and I in touch. The rest, as they say, is histo
ry.

  I haven’t read enough Vandana Singh; though, in this particular instance, I suspect the only worthwhile definition of ‘enough’ is ‘everything by’. What I have read has unfailingly impressed me, and Vandana is another author I determined to approach from the off. Unlike many of the contributors, I had no real link to Vandana – either direct or otherwise – and feared that my invitation would be given short shrift. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Vandana has been enthusiastic and gracious throughout. Her “With Fate Conspire” was one of the last submissions to arrive, but it proved well worth the wait.

  There we have it: the component elements of Solaris Rising 2; a collection of stories that will take you from the furthest reaches of space to the deepest corners of the human psyche. Enjoy the ride.

  Ian Whates

  Cambridgeshire

  August 2012

  TOM

  PAUL CORNELL

  Paul Cornell has been Hugo Award-nominated for his work in prose, TV and comics. He’s won the BSFA Award and the Eagle Award. His latest novel is the urban fantasy London Falling, out from Tor.

  YOU EXPECT THE platform to be stable. But actually it sways like a boat, gently, even though its legs are sunk into rock under the reef. That means if you come out on the launch just about keeping your nausea under control, you should get underwater as quickly as possible, let your inner ear sort itself. Having been an instructor here for five years, I’d stopped noticing that sway. But now I appreciate it again, because Tom appreciates it.