• click here to return to the homepage •
or 
Home > Categories > Books > Sci-Fi > The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction review
Extreme Science Fiction means what it says. SF is at its best when it's pushing the boundaries, beyond what we would normally think or even dream, and taking us into worlds we might never imagine.
Here, twenty of today's greatest science-fiction creators take us on journeys of vast imaginings, from the simplest of beginnings to the most complex of finalities.
What happens when...
... inanimate objects are given the gift of life
... there's an error in the universe and it tries to correct itself
... we break out of the universe and discover the creator
... a machine creates a choice of alternate Christs
... murder is committed in virtual reality
... an immortal ventures to the end of time
The Mammoth book of Best New SF #19
The Mammoth Book of Golden Age Sci Fi
Lifeless
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop
Giraffes Can't Dance
Day and Night
Get Into Art: People
Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Rise of a Legend
My New Zealand Story - Harbour Bridge
Concealed in Death
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road
The Inventory #2: Gravity
Where's Kiwi NOW?Product reviews...
Review by: tucker (Karl)
Dated: 31st of August, 2006
In my heart of hearts, I am a wanderer through time and space, a seer of sights unseen, a listener to the song of the spheres... a sci-fi junkie for my earliest days. So to get a chance to read some stories by many of my favourite authors at their best, with a hard twist thrown in for good measure... how could I turn it down.
As I dived into this fine collection of works, I marvelled at how the human mind can dream up a story that can have no real frame of reference in common with our everyday lives, yet still remain something we can read and rebuild in our minds, worlds to wander, vistas to see... and these people do what they do better than anyone could really imagine.
Stephen Baxter, Greg Egan, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford and Pat Cadigan feature in this anthology, and are all included on my "Top of the Line" bookshelf... and as such made the price of this book worthwhile in my eyes... and if they had been able to squeeze in some new Peter F Hamilton I would have happily paid twice the price! Any contemporary sci-fi lover is going to know many of the authors included here anyways, but those new to sci-fi will find this a great taste-tester.
Overall, if you really do love sci-fi, you should make room on your shelves for this one, plus any others that come out... you won't regret it, and may find some stunning new talent you had been missing... I know I did... Lawrence Person's short story, 'Crucifixion Variations' was a real stunner for me, and I will be looking out for more stories by him.
Random listing from 'Books'...
'One of the many joys of being Stephen Fry's editor is his ability to surprise me,' says Sue Freestone. She knew he'd really done it this time when he revealed to her that he'd always had a secret passion for poetry and that his next project was a book about how to write poetry. His book will give everybody the tools to write poetry; covering the full spectrum of the different poetic forms, structures and techniques. According to Stephen it will ... more...
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?"
unattributed
