The Hard SF Renaissance
An Anthology
ISBN10: 031287636X
ISBN13: 9780312876364
Trade Paperback
960 Pages
$33.99
CA$73.25
Something exciting has been happening in modern SF. After decades of confusion, many of the field's best writers have been returning to the subgenre called, roughly, "hard SF"—science fiction focused on science and technology, often with strong adventure plots. Now, World Fantasy Award-winning editors David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer present an immense, authoritative anthology that maps the development of this form, argues for its special virtues and present preeminence—and entertains us with some spectacular storytelling along the way.
Included are major stories by contemporary and classic names like Poul Anderson, Stephen Baxter, Gregory Benford, Ben Bova, David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke, Hal Clement, Greg Egan, Joe Haldeman, Nancy Kress, Paul McAuley, Frederik Pohl, Alastair Reynolds, Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert J. Sawyer, Karl Schroeder, Charles Sheffield, Brian Stableford, Allen Steele, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, and Vernor Vinge.
Reviews
Praise for The Hard SF Renaissance
"From Paul McAuley's tale of runaway technology ("Gene Wars") to Gregory Benford's story of evolution and murder ("Immersion"), the 41 stories in this annotated anthology provide a strong argument for the revival of hard sf as a major force in the genre in the 1990s. Showcasing short fiction by veteran sf authors like Kim Stanley Robinson, Joe Haldeman, Bruce Sterling, Nancy Kress, Ben Bova, and Arthur C. Clarke, the collection charts the emergence of trends in the genre. Primary among them are the movement away from a conservative, pro-military route and toward a more liberal-minded science, as well as the rising prominence of British and Australian authors. Each story is prefaced by brief commentaries that continue the arguments posited in the general introduction. For libraries wanting a definitive collection of hard sf written since 1990, this is a priority purchase. Highly recommended."—Library Journal
"This colossal anthology covers the return of sf to themes based in the hard sciences. The contents demonstrate that biology now rivals physics as an inspiration, and that the farther shores of inspirational physics extend farther out than ever before. Of course, some writers draw on a complex compound of the sciences to realize the worlds they conjure; for instance, Kim Stanley Robinson, whose two stories here share the setting of his Mars trilogy. Among the venerable titans who have contributed to the new hard sf and whose work is represented are the late Poul Anderson, Arthur C. Clarke, Gregory Benford, Hal Clement, and Frederick Pohl. One very fruitful entry is "Beggars in Spain," the seed of Nancy Kress' award-winning Beggars trilogy. Other diverse offerings come from Stephen Baxter; David Brin; Joan Slonczewski, showing her usual dab hand with biology; and Robert J. Sawyer, quietly intelligent as ever. A very satisfactory overview of a major portion of contemporary sf and a sterling achievement by Tor and the Hartwell-Cramer team."—Roland Green, Booklist
"A hefty story anthology edited by . . . talents . . . who have returned to SF's roots in emphasizing science and technology.—Publishers Weekly