The Art of Space Travel and Other Stories
Isolation emerges as a recurring theme, exemplified in the heroine of “Neptune’s Trident” as she slogs through life after society’s collapse, and the protagonist of the title story as she searches for her father. Allan’s character-driven, tangent-and-aside–laden style won’t be for everyone, but her consistency is such that anyone who enjoys one of these stories will likely enjoy them all.
Martin Edwards, himself a prolific anthologist, weighs in with the memorable “The Bookbinder’s Apprentice,” in which a British tourist who comes to Venice is offered the opportunity to learn a real trade, instead of desperately scratching out a living doing puppet shows and posing as a living statue of Charlie Chaplin. Fans of literate crime fiction will hope for a follow-up volume.
Nicholas does an exceptional job showing how history repeats itself when greed goes unchecked, and offers a different way forward. Fans of optimistic space operas won’t want to miss this.
Cornwall’s realistic depiction of the battlefield horrors is enhanced by her magnetic, multidimensional characters. This emotionally charged novel delivers the goods.
This well-paced, multi-narrator tale expertly marries romance with a moving story of family and identity. Readers will be impressed.
"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
