2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush - Softcover

Anderson, Kevin J.; McFetridge, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1770412921 ISBN 13: 9781770412927

Publisher: ECW Press, 2016

Synopsis

Eighteen exhilarating journeys into Rush-inspired worlds

The music of Rush, one of the most successful bands in history, is filled with fantastic stories, evocative images, and thought-provoking futures and pasts. In this anthology, notable, bestselling, and award-winning writers each chose a Rush song as the spark for a new story, drawing inspiration from the visionary trio that is Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart.

Enduring stark dystopian struggles or testing the limits of the human spirit, the characters populating 2113 find strength while searching for hope in a world that is repressive, dangerous, or just debilitatingly bland. Most of these tales are science fiction, but some are fantasies, thrillers, even edgy mainstream. Many of Rush’s big hits are represented, as well as deeper cuts . . . with wonderful results. This anthology also includes the seminal stories that inspired the Rush classics “Red Barchetta” and “Roll the Bones,” as well as Kevin J. Anderson’s novella sequel to the groundbreaking Rush album 2112.

2113 contains stories by New York Times bestselling authors Kevin J. Anderson, Michael Z. Williamson, David Mack, David Farland, Dayton Ward, and Mercedes Lackey; award winners Fritz Leiber, Steven Savile, Brad R. Torgersen, Ron Collins, David Niall Wilson, and Brian Hodge, as well as many other authors with imaginations on fire.

About this title

About the Author

Kevin J. Anderson is the bestselling science fiction author of over 125 novels, including Clockwork Angels: The Novel, which fictionalizes the most recent Rush concept album, and the parallel novel Clockwork Lives. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series; the Terra Incognita series; Resurrection, Inc.; Hopscotch; and many others. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, DC Comics, StarCraft, and The X-Files and, with Brian Herbert, is the co-author of 15 novels in the Dune universe. He lives in Colorado. John McFetridge is the author of two critically acclaimed crime novel series, the Toronto series and the Eddie Dougherty series, and writes for the Discovery ID series Real Detective. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews

The music of legendary Canadian prog rock troupe Rush is heavily influenced by science fiction and fantasy, so this anthology of short fiction "loosely based , thematically linked , or directly inspired " by their songs is not as outlandish as it might appear. Befitting the muse, most of the tales amassed by editors/authors Anderson and McFetridge fall within the realm of speculative fiction; David Farland's "Players" and Tim Lasiuta's "Hollywood Dreams of Death" eschew the fantastical, but are (perhaps ironically) the weakest pieces. Greg van Eekhout's geekily wonderful "On the Fringes of the Fractal" is a standout, a dystopian take on a suburb where two friends and their genetically-modified Dalmatian, Miss Spotty Pants, seek to reclaim their individuality. Michael Z. Williamson's "The Digital Kid" and Brad R. Torgerson's "Spirits with Visions" are loving tributes to scientific passion and curiosity, while McFetridge's own "Random Access Memory" is a Philip K. Dickâ ian consideration of memory versus reality. Although it's a shame the lyrics that inspired each story weren't included. , this fine collection should have appeal beyond Rush fans. (Apr.)\n

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

2113 Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush

By Kevin J. Anderson, John McFetridge

ECW Press

Copyright © 2016 The individual contributors
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-77041-292-7

Contents

Introduction: "Imaginations on Fire", 
On the Fringes of the Fractal. GREG VAN EEKHOUT Inspired by "Subdivisions", 
A Patch of Blue. RON COLLINS Inspired by "Natural Science", 
The Burning Times v2.0. BRIAN HODGE Inspired by "Witch Hunt", 
The Digital Kid. MICHAEL Z. WILLIAMSON Inspired by "The Analog Kid" and "Digital Man", 
A Nice Morning Drive. RICHARD S. FOSTER Inspired "Red Barchetta", 
Players. DAVID FARLAND Inspired by "Tom Sawyer", 
Some Are Born to Save the World. MARK LESLIE Inspired by "Losing It", 
Random Access Memory. JOHN MCFETRIDGE Inspired by "Lakeside Park", 
Race Human. LARRY DIXON Inspired by "Marathon", 
Hollywood Dreams of Death. TIM LASIUTA Inspired by "I Think I'm Going Bald", 
A Prayer for 0443. DAVID NIALL WILSON Inspired by "The Trees", 
Gonna Roll the Bones. FRITZ LEIBER Inspired "Roll the Bones", 
Spirits with Visions. BRAD R. TORGERSEN Inspired by "Mission", 
Into the Night. MERCEDES LACKEY Inspired by "Freeze", 
Day to Day. DAYTON WARD Inspired by "Red Sector A", 
Our Possible Pasts. DAVID MACK Inspired by "Show Don't Tell", 
Last Light. STEVEN SAVILE Inspired by "The Spirit of Radio", 
2113. KEVIN J. ANDERSON Inspired by "2112", 
About the Contributors, 

CHAPTER 1

ON THE FRINGES OF THE FRACTAL

GREG VAN EEKHOUT

I was working the squirt station on the breakfast shift at Peevs Burgers when I learned that my best friend's life was over.

The squirt guns were connected by hoses to tanks, each tank containing a different slew formula. Orders appeared in lime-green letters on my screen, and I squirted accordingly. Two Sausage Peev Sandwiches was two squirts from the sausage slew gun. An order of Waffle Peev Sticks was three small dabs of waffle slew. The slew warmed and hardened on the congealer table, and because I'd paid attention during the twenty-minute training course and applied myself, I was knew just when the slew was ready. I was a slew expert.

Sherman was the other squirter on duty that morning. The orders were coming in fast and he was already wheezing on account of his exercise-induced asthma. His raspy breaths interfered with my ability to concentrate. You really have to concentrate because after four hours of standing and squirting there's the danger of letting your mind wander and once you do that you can lose control of the squirts and end up spraying food slew all over the kitchen like a fire hose.

"Wasted slew reflects badly on you," said one of the inspirational posters in the employee restroom.

"What's eating you, Sherman?" I asked, squirting eggs.

He squirted out twelve strips of bacon. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. Not your problem."

I'd known Sherman for a long time. We'd grown up as next-door neighbors, went to the same schools, had the same teachers. This year we were both taking Twenty-Five Places That Will Blow Your Mind (geography) and Six Equations You Won't Believe (pre-college math) and You'll Have Itchy Eyes After Reading These Heartbreaking Stories (AP English). We did everything together, and even though he was a little higher stat than I was, he never made me feel weird about it.

"C'mon, Sherman. Don't just stand there squirting in silent pain. Tell your pal Deni what's wrong."

He wheezed a while longer, really laboring. Then, like a miserable little volcano, he let it out: "My family lost stat yester

Edition details

• Publisher: ECW Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1770412921
• ISBN 13: 9781770412927
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400