From Earth to Mars and Beyond

eBook, 210 pages

English language

Published Dec. 31, 2012 by Red Dragon Books.

4 stars (1 review)

"From Earth to Mars and Beyond" is a collection of ten previously published science fiction stories by award-winning author Ruth Nestvold. But reader be warned: these stories of galactic empires, space exploration and first contact tend to be on the dark side and do not depict an ideal future world. Here a selection:

"The Far Side of the Moon" - Women from all over the world have been "recruited" into service on the habitat Volva, where they unwillingly cater to men's pleasure. But the Volva is outside all global jurisdiction -- and none of the women will ever retire ...

"Troy and the Aliens" - When the first aliens make contact with Earth, they do not land in the U.S.; they land in Stuttgart, Germany. The President sends his aide Troy Jackson to figure our why. What ensues involves beer tents and driving fast on the Autobahn, but it doesn't …

1 edition

A Great Collection

4 stars

A collection of short stories -- some shorter than others -- by Ruth Nestvold, all of which previously appeared in some pretty well-known publications.

I love short stories, but generally speaking with these collections, there are some hits and some misses. In this case, though, there wasn't a single one which I didn't enjoy. I will say that the author has a bit of a dark streak, because most of them (minor spoiler alert) have less-than-happy endings. That's not to say that they start out badly; some of these start out painting a beautiful picture of a future that I might actually want to live in, but they end in ways that make you think that the future isn't always as perfect as it seems.

Subjects

  • Science Fiction