A review by davecreek
Stars: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian by Jane Yolen, Spider Robinson, Dean Wesley Smith, Kage Baker, Nancy Kress, Susan Casper, Mercedes Lackey, Judith Tarr, David Gerrold, Alexis A. Gilliland, Robert Sheckley, Harry Turtledove, Diane Duane, Gregory Benford, Howard Waldrop, John Varley, Mike Resnick, Janis Ian, Stephen Baxter, Tanith Lee, Tad Williams, Sharon Lee, Steve Miller, Terry Bisson, Joe Haldeman, Orson Scott Card, Robert J. Sawyer, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Kay Kenyon
5.0
I read the ebook re-issue of this anthology, which is one of the best in recent years. My copy of the print version, which was signed by both Ian and Resnick, was damaged beyond repair in some otherwise minor flooding in my home a few years ago, so I was glad to get this new version.
Janis Ian, best known for her songs "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child," turns out to be a major SF fan. She explains how a fan letter she wrote to Mike Resnick led to her attending a Worldcon with him, which in turn led to a contract for a book of stories based on her music.
This new edition even has a new story, "For I Have Lain Me Down on The Stone of Loneliness and I'll Not Be Back Again," by Michael Swanwick.
The Swanwick story is one of those I highly recommend; it examines how 1916's Easter Rebellion in Ireland designed to throw off British rule and create an independent Irish Republic has consequences that will follow us past the present day and even into our spacefaring future.
There are plenty of other stories to recommend. "Riding Janis" by David Gerrold is a look at gender issues among the crew of a spaceship sending an asteroid (the Janis of the title) flying past the Earth as part of an Olympics celebration.
Robert J. Sawyer's "Immortality" imagines a former singer oddly similar to Janis Ian attending her 60th high school reunion and discovering the true nature of artistic immortality.
The ebook version even has links to Janis Ian's website where you can hear the songs that inspired each story.
The entire volume is highly recommended!
Janis Ian, best known for her songs "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child," turns out to be a major SF fan. She explains how a fan letter she wrote to Mike Resnick led to her attending a Worldcon with him, which in turn led to a contract for a book of stories based on her music.
This new edition even has a new story, "For I Have Lain Me Down on The Stone of Loneliness and I'll Not Be Back Again," by Michael Swanwick.
The Swanwick story is one of those I highly recommend; it examines how 1916's Easter Rebellion in Ireland designed to throw off British rule and create an independent Irish Republic has consequences that will follow us past the present day and even into our spacefaring future.
There are plenty of other stories to recommend. "Riding Janis" by David Gerrold is a look at gender issues among the crew of a spaceship sending an asteroid (the Janis of the title) flying past the Earth as part of an Olympics celebration.
Robert J. Sawyer's "Immortality" imagines a former singer oddly similar to Janis Ian attending her 60th high school reunion and discovering the true nature of artistic immortality.
The ebook version even has links to Janis Ian's website where you can hear the songs that inspired each story.
The entire volume is highly recommended!