The Geomancer

12/3/08

Fast Forward 2: Catching the Zeitgeist

Paul Raven, of Futurismic, reviews Fast Forward 2,proclaiming it, "an excellent anthology." He reviews each story individually, in order of its Futurismic-relevance, concluding:
 ...if you wanted a good argument for buying anthologies of original short science fiction stories - or even a good defence against those who claim the form is ossified and irrelevant - Fast Forward 2 has your back. The economics of sf magazine publishing may be in question, but the quality of fiction available is riding as high as it has ever been. Sincerely recommended.
However, I'm always thrilled when a reviewer takes the time to consider the cover art, so it's his summation of John Picacio's artwork that I really want to call out here:
 ...a real Zeitgeist catch. Below is strife, carnage, religious angst; thrusting upwards is bionic monkey-man, his chains broken asunder, transcending mundane squabbles for the promise of space and rationalism (bubble chamber tracks?). The religious discord is heightened by the DNA motif, explicitly repeated in the exhaust blast of robomonkey… if you wanted to encapsulate the hope for a triumph (or at least secession) of a rational worldview, I think you’d struggle to make a more arresting and vivid image in the process.
Nice when someone gets it.

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