Digital Domains: A Decade of Science Fiction & Fantasy

Starred Review. Datlow (The Best Horror of the Year) collects 15 compelling short works that first appeared between 1996 and 2005 in three pioneering online magazines: OMNI Online, Event Horizon, and SCIFICTION. The stories vary widely, but all shine with intelligence, thoughtfulness, and sly humor. James Blaylock messes with time and reality in "Thirteen Phantasms," the first online publication to win the World Fantasy Award. In Paul Park's "Get a Grip," one man's reality is definitely not the same as anyone else's. In "Harbingers," Severna Park brings aliens to war-torn Tanzania. Kim Newman takes wicked, witty aim at the British civil service, scientists, and professors in "Tomorrow Town." Datlow has compiled an eminently readable group of first-rate short fiction by authors who dared to push forward into the new, uncharted medium of the Internet.
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Ellen Datlow, who reliably selects stories both challenging and delicious, was an early adopter of the Internet as a home for science fiction. In this collection, some of the best samples of work published by the now-defunct sites OMNI Online, Event Horizon, and SCIFICTION are brought together. From James P. Blaylock’s “Thirteen Phantasms,” a stylistically classic story of an encounter with the past, to Simon Ings’ disturbing tale of alien colonization, “Russian Vine,” this is a collection of stories to think about long after the reading is over. Unsurprisingly, Maureen McHugh’s tale, “Frankenstein’s Daughter,” brings up some difficult issues, much like Shelley’s original. Carol Emshwiller contributes an odd little piece, “All of Us Can Almost.” If there was any doubt remaining, this collection proves that online venues have contained a remarkable variety of truly stellar fiction, and one hopes that they will continue to do so. --Regina Schroeder