Monday, December 23, 2013

Redshifted - Martian Stories.


Title/Author: Redshifted: Martian Stories.

Genre:  Sci-Fi.


Source:  An e-copy of this anthology was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:  Look for your sign as an astrologer casts a Martian colony's horoscope, the Roman god decideds war's not in his stars, and a tycoon finds his way back to Barsoom.  Cheer as a clockwork man takes his girl on the trip of a lifetime, a Martian bride refuses to miss her wedding and a Man's Best Friend turns out to be a giant roach.  Shadow a being who's "just here to help," and another who's just here to hurt.  Shiver as murderous antibodies attack an expedition, and a workfare crew struggles to dispose of hazardous junk from space.  And of course, get a good laugh as you peruse the Want Ads and check your Marsmai.  ~Product Description.   
My Thoughts:  I wasn't really intending to read Redshifted - Martian Stories because I already have so much to read, plus I don't really read Sci-Fi.  But I was curious so I scrolled down and the first page of the first story sucked me in.  And then...I kept reading.

Eurydice in Capricorn introduces the reader to a new colony on Mars and a woman who created "Mars Astrology."  How clever is that?  I've read about Astrology and taken a few classes and I feel the myths are creative and the way the author peppered in bits of the "Mars chart" throughout the story is brilliant.  The story is interesting and sad and made me feel anguish and hope at the same time.  What I like most is that I had no idea what was going to happen and I love that.  Many times I feel a reader can guess different scenarios, but the story is presented in such a way, I was almost tricked or led into thinking a certain way and could not predict what was coming. 

Make Carrots Not War is a funny ditty about the Greek Pantheon and how the God of War, Mars, deals with his unwanted role.  It's more telling than showing and kind of sums things up in history for him, but still a good read.

Color Blind on the Red Planet is another one I enjoyed.  I like the premise and what I really enjoyed, in my own macabre way, is the chilling death of one of the characters.

The Journal of Miss Emily Carlton is a sweet story about Emily, a young woman in a wheelchair who has the good fortune to meet Professor Bannister and his clockwork son, Edward.  It is an homage to Edward R. Burroughs and Jules Verne with a bit of steampunk thrown in.  I apologize for this spoiler, but I have to say, I loved the last line: "Let's go." I said and took my first step.  These two short sentences have so many layers.  While Emily leaves one life, she finds another.

The Canary and The Roach has very nice writing that include metaphors that are surprising in their originality.  The story introduced me to the concept of the last thoughts you want in your life.  Morbid but powerful, this piece is darkly beautiful.

"In the absense of choice, labels lose their necessity." ~Mr. Jed Eckert in The Canary and The Roach.

For Sale: One Red Planet is hysterical.  Hysterical and smart.  It starts out with an ad to sell Mars and continues into e-mail inquiries and threads that grow into frustrating, thought provoking and humorous correspondence and concepts.

Another funny story is MarsMail, a spoof of communication instructions set to your personality and buying needs.  Another gem is And A Pebble in her Shoe which creates a wedding tradition on Mars.  There are a few other stories to explore in this interesting and unique collection.  Admittedly I didn't adore every single one of them, but I truly enjoyed most of the stories in this anthology.

To Wrap it Up: Redshifted - Martian Stories is a fast and fun read.

The e-book price is a bargain for $2.99 and you can download it from Smashwords or Amazon.




I use Grammarly's plagiarism detector because I'm an original and I want to keep it that way!

2 comments:

Kate @Midnight Book Girl said...

You know, I usually avoid sci-fi, but I don't know why. Like any other genre, it just depends on the writer's abilities. This does sound like a good anthology to get started with! Of course, I'm determined to tackle my own tbr shelves in 2014, but we both know how that usually ends up. ;)

Midnyte Reader said...

@Kate-My dad and brothers used to read Sci-Fi all the time. I don't know why I don't love the genre as much. I do think a collection of short stories may be the way to go. Redshifted was a good one.

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