A new collection of Robert Reed stories. First up, "The Esteemed" is focused on a traveler from the future -- a mysterious man named Mahlon who warns the Earth of the various dangers to come. The other stories spring from that Mahlon's first danger, which is nuclear war and its gruesome siblings.
"The diamond sands are pure blue-white, blowing in the dry-baked wind. I'm easing my way down the long slope of the dune. More jewelry than air presses around my knees, flowing like a river and hiding my bare feet. At my waist, the diamonds make a gnawing fog. Against my eyes, I feel the impacts of glittery grains. And it never ends, Mac says. He says there's diamond dust flying around in the jet stream, and that's why sunsets look like they do. He says that the creations are only digging deeper, turning more and more of our crust into diamond. When he's in a mood, he claims that we can't win. We're nothing but relics. Impurities. Temporary sacks of water and sugar selfishly fighting to keep our carbon for ourselves.
"My temporary sack pulls up for a moment, swinging my little double-barrel back and forth, letting its laser sights hunt for pinhead nukes and gobs of wild creations.
"Nothing.
"Mac and Tatters are on my flanks, working down the dune with me. While Pinshaw and Lonkers are hanging back, trying to watch over us.
"The crater waits at the base of the dune, on the windward side. It's obvious and odd, its lips tall and black, like usual, but nothing coming from it. There's no fresh diamond being made. Or gas. Or anything.
"I can't remember seeing any crater this fresh and this dead."
--from "Mac and Me"
Robert Reed is the author of several hundred published stories and a respectable squad of novels. Reed won the Hugo Award in 2007 for his novella, "A Billion Eves." But he is best known for his ongoing Great Ship series.
Genre: Science Fiction
"The diamond sands are pure blue-white, blowing in the dry-baked wind. I'm easing my way down the long slope of the dune. More jewelry than air presses around my knees, flowing like a river and hiding my bare feet. At my waist, the diamonds make a gnawing fog. Against my eyes, I feel the impacts of glittery grains. And it never ends, Mac says. He says there's diamond dust flying around in the jet stream, and that's why sunsets look like they do. He says that the creations are only digging deeper, turning more and more of our crust into diamond. When he's in a mood, he claims that we can't win. We're nothing but relics. Impurities. Temporary sacks of water and sugar selfishly fighting to keep our carbon for ourselves.
"My temporary sack pulls up for a moment, swinging my little double-barrel back and forth, letting its laser sights hunt for pinhead nukes and gobs of wild creations.
"Nothing.
"Mac and Tatters are on my flanks, working down the dune with me. While Pinshaw and Lonkers are hanging back, trying to watch over us.
"The crater waits at the base of the dune, on the windward side. It's obvious and odd, its lips tall and black, like usual, but nothing coming from it. There's no fresh diamond being made. Or gas. Or anything.
"I can't remember seeing any crater this fresh and this dead."
--from "Mac and Me"
Robert Reed is the author of several hundred published stories and a respectable squad of novels. Reed won the Hugo Award in 2007 for his novella, "A Billion Eves." But he is best known for his ongoing Great Ship series.
Genre: Science Fiction
Used availability for Robert Reed's The Esteemed and Strange Love