Hyperpowers is the sixteenth anthology from Third Flatiron Press, with the theme of space opera and military fiction – likeable characters optional! These are tales of alien empires, humanity reaching for the stars, the galactic forces shaping multiple societies. These are the stories of looming spaceships and battles on the edge of the solar system, of first and last contact, and of struggles for survival.
There are sixteen short stories in this collection, including the “Grins and Gurgles” flash fiction piece at the end.
The anthology starts with the excellent Grid Drop by William Huggins, giving a very bleak and broken view of Earth, despite the Fallowing that has pulled all human civilisation from the surface in an effort to let the planet heal. Those still living there are subject to a visit from one of the Authority’s teams, but even the well-trained members of the team find it hard to leave their memories behind…
The rest of the anthology has an excellent mix of alien and human, lighter and darker, action and thoughtful. Child of Soss is a philosophical musing on the nature of aliens and friendship, and The Silicates is a part-futuristic, part-philosophical look at the future of machines and the possibility of sentience, played off against a human antagonist. The excellent Yesterday’s Weapon also has a philosophical side; it’s a look at what happens to those who survive the war, who have changed so much that they no longer have a place, and what happens to those they love. Symphony in First Contact, Hostile is a piece on how humanity would deal with invaders, with a nice war-of-the-worlds twist, and Duck and Cover looks at how the aliens might view us – particularly if they’d found some of the propaganda videos about how to survive an alien attack! Between Two Heartbeats is a look at the underside of power and the small traders and workers who get in the way of the Highborn, subject to their whims but sometimes able to turn the situation to their advantage; and Claim Jumpers looks at contact between aliens and humanity from the point of view of the miner just out to do their job and provide for their family. Outer Patrol follows two military leaders dealing with the problems of border skirmishes, and the reveal at the end was excellent; it’s a good story despite the fairly impenetrable jargon.
I did have several favourites. Dreaming Empire is a haunting piece about a man who simply wishes to forget – but what he is forgetting is an alien ship, an alien Emperor, and a falling Empire. Alien Dreams is an equally haunting piece that made me re-read once I’d got to the end; an excellent story. Kill The Coffee Boilers! is also brilliant; it’s a play on military stereotypes but with aliens, and the premise is wonderful – it made me laugh as well as being an excellently written piece. The Mytilenian Delay is a darkly humorous and thoughtful look at who actually runs an Empire, when you get right down to pushing the big red button; and Dirt Moon is an excellent action-packed adventure about a security sweep doesn’t go smoothly, particularly when something’s able to snatch your soldiers and just leave…puddles. Urgh!
Pre-Emptive Survivors is the last story in the themed collection, and is a dark and brilliant take on the co-existence of mankind and android, and what would happen if alien threats were discovered. The story incorporates time-twisting, double-crossing and some excellent world-building, and is a chilling look at the motives and actions of those who plan long-term.
I’ve Got the Horse Right Here is the final story; as it’s the first time I had read a Flatiron anthology I found it incredibly jarring, but the story itself is amusing and quick.
Overall, the anthology is an excellent collection of shorts with a wide range of tone and despite the varied settings, characters and stories, fits its theme brilliantly.
© Kate Coe, June 2016
Hyperpowers by Bascomb James (guest ed)
Published May 18th 2016 by Third Flatiron Anthologies
http://www.thirdflatiron.com
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
174 pages
