A smart well mannered uprising of the dead – Ian McDonald – 1/5 uniteresting and I hated the disjointed narrative style
The incredible exploding man – Dave Hutchinson 3/5 well written and starts great but ends up underwhelming
Sweet spots – Paul di Filippo 1/5 seems written by a 14 yo boy, with 14 yo obsessions and sense of humour
The best science fiction of the year three – Ken MacLeod 5/5 nice alternate world with a smart twist; also, great to read in 2017 (it is about intellectuals having to flee US for Europe because of state censorship – did Macleod forsee Trump?)
The one that got away – Tricia Sullivan 2/5 too much, too weird, with a weak end
Rock day – Stephen Baxter 4/5, though rather unoriginal, a good old-school read still, with a not so surprising end twist, but satisfying
Eluna – Stephen Palmer 5/5 excellent alien-policier within a strange world
Shall I tell you the problem with time travel? - Adam Roberts 5/5 a good and original time travel story with 2 different surprising twists
The lives and deaths of Che Guevara - Lavie Tidhar 3/5 good writing, nice but not so original idea; rather repetitive though
Steel Lake – Jack Skillingstead 5/5 great clear fast moving writing, excellent touching (though not so scifi) story
Mooncakes – Mike Resnick and Laurie Tom 1/5 nothing much going on here, only the background is scifi-ish
At play in the fields – Steve Rasnic 4/5 well-written misterious postapocalyptic, but it turns away from the fascinating alien new world to not-so-fascinating memories
How we came back from Mars – Ian Watson 1/5 too much talk for too little (to none) idea; tries unsuccesfully to be funny
You never know – Pat Cadigan 1/5 also too many words for too little, I lost my interest really fast
Yestermorrow –Richard Salter 5/5 great time-jumping noir policier
Dreaming towers, Silent mansions – Jaine Fenn 3/5 good intriguing background, good build-up (a little slow), unexpected but rather lame and unconvincing explanation/ending
Eternity children - Keith Brooke and Eric Brown 5/5 wonderful old-school style story, with colonising a new world, slowly revealed, and strange natives, but also some lifestyle values
For the ages – Alastair Reynolds 2/5 less scifi story, more physics class, overlong and boring
Return of the mutant worms – Peter f Hamilton 1/5 where is the scifi? And it is supposed to be a funny story – but no laughter here
( )

Based on the gorgeous cover art (Solaris really does have the best artists and designers on the market now) I was expecting more space stories, but most of them are down to earth, literally or figuratively. I was not disappointed by the quality, however. There was only one story I did not like. There were a couple others I didn't quite understand but which were still interesting. Most everything else was great. I look forward to seeing what Whates has collected for the next two volumes, which I've already purchased. ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-of-solaris-rising-new-book-of.ht... ( )

An excellent collection

Ian McDonald - A smart, well-mannered uprising of the dead

A 'Facebook for the dead' brews revolution in a near-future Nigeria. Is this the setting for his next novel?

Dave Hutchinson - The incredible exploding man

A journalist and a scientist are involved in an accident at a collider research facility and are 'changed' by the experience.

Paul di Filippo - Sweet spots

Two kids discover a strange way of influencing events and learn more about life in the process.

Ken MacLeod - The best fiction of the year three

In Paris, US ex-pats watch a public demonstration of what appears to be anti-gravity device. But nothing is what it seems...

Tricia Sullivan - The one that got away

Very odd scenario played out on a beach where scavengers look for 'core'. Did not convince...

Stephen Baxter - Rock day

Matt wakes up in a near-future Liverpool to find his father missing, things all running down but his dog is still glad to see him.

Stephen Palmer - Eluna

A obscure locale and overuse of daft names (e.g. exnoo) both befuddle but also tease...Promising

Adam Roberts - Did I tell you the trouble with time travel?

A scientist bent on achieving time travel does so at a cost. Very dark.

Lavie Tidhar - The lives and deaths of Che Guevara

While the central conceit is never explained, this story easily achieves critical mass and packs a beautiful final twist.

Jack Skillingstead - Steel lake

Confused story about family relationships and a powerful new drug.

Mike Resnick and Laurie Tom - Mooncakes

Very dull story featuring cakes and space exploration.

Steve Rasnic Tem - At play in the fields

Moving story of an iced medical case being revived after a global collapse.

Ian Watson - How we cam back from Mars

Brilliantly paranoid tale about a Mars mission that is apparently rescued by unseen 'aliens' who supply deli sandwiches...

Pat Cadigan - You never know

Strange things happen in a New York shop when cameras are installed. But even stranger things happen nearby.

Richard Salter - Yestermorrow

The timeline fractures in 2013 causing people to live their lives in a random pattern of days. The hero is trying to catch a murderer. Unconvincing.

Jaine Fenn - Dreaming towers, silent mansions

A team are sent via a one-way portal to another world. But all is not what it seems and things start to unravel.

Keith Brooke and Eric Brown - Eternity's children

A classic story: an old spacer returns to a planet he helped open up, which has a unique alien-sourced product, in this case an immortality treatment...

Alastair Reynolds - For the ages

Starts with the lone narrator burning an indelible message about her expedition, while her oxygen supply runs down. Her tale unpacks a really big idea...

Peter F. Hamilton - Return of the mutant worms

A short story about a short story, told by an ex-SF writer. Very funny. ( )