“Space opera,” once a derisive term for cheap pulp adventure, has come to mean something more in modern science fiction: compelling adventure stories told against a broad canvas, and written to the highest level of skill. Indeed, it can be argued that the “new space opera” is one of the defining streams of modern science fiction.World Fantasy Award-winning anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have compiled a definitive overview of this subgenre, both as it was in the days of the pulp magazines, and as it has become since. Included are major works from genre progenitors like Jack Williamson and Leigh Brackett, stylish mid-century voices like Cordwainer Smith and Samuel R. Delany, popular favorites like David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Ursula K. Le Guin, and modern-day pioneers such as Iain M. Banks, Stephen Baxter, Scott Westerfeld, and Charles Stross.
"From the nonstop action and unlikely science of Edmond Hamilton's space adventure, "The Star Stealers," to Charles Stross's cheeky blend of cyberpunk and sf adventure, "Bear Trap," this distinctive anthology traces the evolution of the space opera subgenre, from its beginnings as pulp adventure to its current status as a vital part of modern sf. An introductory essay as well as introductions to the individual contributions by World Fantasy Award-winning editors Hartwell and Cramer create a context for the tales and provide information on the authors. This companion volume to The Space Opera Renaissance includes works by Samuel R. Delaney, Lois McMaster Bujold, Sarah Zettel, and many other veterans of the genre. An important addition to most libraries' sf collections."—Library Journal
“Hartwell and Cramer have well-honed reputations for consummate editorial acumen, thanks to the renowned hard-sf anthology The Ascent of Wonder and the consistently excellent Year's Best SF. Now, in an exhaustive compendium spanning eight decades, they provide a definitive overview of space opera. Originally a contemptuous label for pulpy adventure sf, space opera has matured into sf's most popular subcategory, in print and on screen: think Star Wars and Stephen Baxter's universe-spanning sagas. Beginning with 'The Star Stealers,' by Edmond Hamilton, arguably the first practitioner of space opera, Hartwell and Cramer cut a wide swath through the genre, from pieces by such departed masters as Cordwainer Smith and Leigh Brackett down to others by such rising stars as Tony Daniel and Charles Stross. Thirty-two tales in all trace space opera's evolution from its lurid early obsession with impossible planets to its contemporary fascination with wormholes and posthumans . . . An important resource for any comprehensive sf library.”—Carl Hays, Booklist
"The Space Opera Renaissance, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, testifies to the enduring popularity of a branch of SF that was initially considered hackwork. This massive anthology includes outstanding stories from such contemporary genre notables as Lois McMaster Bujold, Iain M. Banks, David Weber, Catherine Asaro, Tony Daniel and Charles Stross."—Publishers Weekly
David G. Hartwell, called “an editor extraordinaire” by Publishers Weekly, is one of science fiction’s most experienced and influential editors. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award thirty-one times.
Kathryn Cramer co-edited the World Fantasy Award-winning anthology The Architecture of Fear and was the editor of its widely-praised sequel Walls of Fear. She has edited and co-edited several other anthologies.
Hartwell and Cramer co-edit the annual Year’s Best Fantasy and Year’s Best SF series. They live in Pleasantville, New York.
Visit our UK site
