Engineering Infinity - Book review

Engineering Infinity  is a wonderful collection of short hard SF stories, edited by Johnathan Strahan. 


This is one of the best of all short story collections I've ever read in recent years.


Malak by Peter Watts


A nice story about an AI drone. Very satisfying ending - I laughed out loud.


Watching the Music Dance by Kristine Kathryn Rusch


Wonderful little story about implants, a little girl and her music.


Laika's Ghost by Carl Schoeder


This one was quite clever, and involves data glasses, which seem to be coming back into fashion in SF with all the augmented reality apps in smartphones and tablets. Loved the use of the old Orion Project principle.


The Invasion of Venus by Stephen Baxter


Loved the BFG in this one! 


The Server and the Dragon by Hannug Rajaniemi


I really the liked the Von Neumann galaxy-wide network scheme in this one. The dragon bits were quite whimsical. 


Bit Rot by Charles Stross


Best of a specific Horror Subgenre (avoiding spoilers here) story logic ever. I've read a lot of Stross' books and short stories over the years, and I can't help but think that some of his best work must be in the short form - just a clever concept powering a little tale through.


Creatures with Wings by Kathleen Ann Goonan


Nice, very zen end of world story.


Wall of Flesh, Bar of Bone by Damien Broderick and Barbara Lamar


Unusual time travel story.


Mantis by Robert Reed


Very nice. I loved the bit about how you know that you are real (more people did, as it shows up as a popular highlight) - if things are constantly boring and ordinary, you must be real...


Judgement Eye by John C. Wright


Loved the nanite tech in this one. OK, it sounds so very very phony, but still cool. The ending is dark but lovely. 


A Soldier of the City by David Moles


Mercies by Gregory Benford


Pretty cool alternate realities and serial killers story. Nice, adequate ending.


The Ki-anna by Gwyneth Jones


The Birds and the Bees and the Gasoline Trees by John Barnes


John Barnes has written many classics, and this one is definitely on his usual quality. The "Gasoline tree" of the title was a very cool construct. It fits very well with the book title, and makes for a very proper end to the book.

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