Given this is an anthology, I'll update this review as I go along.#1: 22 Nov 2020: Winning Peace: In a scandalous affair, a prisoner of war escapes the bonds of indentured servitude, acquires a boon companion, and thwarts the erotic aspirations of a horny interstellar starfish named 'Useless Beauty.' - 4, 'I didn't see the ending coming,' stars.

A solid collection, with very few weak stories. I’ve linked the stories I found online. Five I had previously read. The six standout stories (for me) are double-starred: ** . Best of Book: “Looking Through Lace” is marked *** .It was a particular pleasure to find several first-rate stories that were new to me. Overall rating: 4 stars.** Winning Peace (2007). novelette by Paul J. McAuley. An early Jackaroo story and a good one. New to me, and not closely linked to the later Jackaroo tales. 4 star...

The book began with terrific stuff. The works were true specimens of godd writing, solid characterisation and fascinating plots. Then it lost steam. Eventually it became so bad that the collection stank of shoddy selections.My favourites were:1. Winning Peace— Paul J. McAuley2. Night's Slow Poison— Ann Leckie3. Firstborn— Brandon Sanderson4. Riding the Crocodile— Greg egan5. The Lost Princess Man— John Barnes6. The Waiting Stars— Aliette de Bodard7. Section Seven— John G. Hemry8. Invisible Empir...

"Winning Peace" by Paul J. McAuley. 4 out of 5 stars. I really like McAuley's stories. For a while, I was buying everything that he published, but lately I haven't had the time to read as much as I used to. This was a far future story, apparently set in his Jackaroo universe (that alien race is mentioned briefly). An indentured servant is tasked with retrieving what may be an ancient alien artifact, and he takes advantage of his solitude to hatch an escape plan. I liked this one quite a bit."Nig...

Themed anthologies offer a special opportunity. Get one on a subject you really like. Read the stories by the authors you already know & love. THEN read the rest of the stories. You won't necessarily care for all of them. But the chance of discovering a new or even multiple new authors is high and definitely worth taking! I've always dearly loved space opera and I especially like stories set in imperial worlds. So Galactic Empires was indeed a prime opportunity for me! Ann Leckie, Tobias S. Buc

Originally published at Risingshadow.Do you enjoy reading science fiction stories about galactic empires? Are you fascinated by visits to distant planets? Or are you perhaps interested in imaginative space opera stories? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, Galactic Empires will be of interest to you, because it will entertain and thrill you in various ways.Galactic Empires (edited by Neil Clarke) is an ambitious and impressive anthology of science fiction stories about galactic empi...

Does what it says on the tin. Good solid space SF, by a good mix of authors including some heavy hitters.

I'm a tough sell on collections, as the quality or interest of the contents are always variable. This one comes in about average: I'd give an "A" rating to "Winning Peace," "Alien Archeology" (with an extra "Penny Royal and prador, ugh"), "The Impossibles," and "Looking Through Lace." On the other hand, "Verthandi's Ring" and "The Colonel Returns to the Stars" were bores, "Utriusque Cosmi" was a scenario, not a story---and "The Man with the Golden Balloon," "Invisible Empire of Ascending Light,"...

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthological romp through various Galactic Empires as seen through the eyes of various science fiction writers. I enjoyed most, but not all of them, but some I loved fiercely. If you're looking for some bite-sized chunks of escape with passing glimpses into Space Operas that have yet to be written, this book is for you!The ones I particularly enjoyed, the bolded ones are highly recommended:* All the Painted Stars by Gwendolyn Clare* Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson* Ridin...

An amazing anthology of space opera SF with an amazing scope.I've included my thoughts on each of the short stories in my updates while reading this over the last few months, but I should call out some favorites."All the Painted Stars" by Gwendolyn Clare is a strong story of a really alien creature falling in with a Star Trek-like human crew and engaging with them. A very cool perspective on a story that's been done before, but made quite fresh by the conceit."The Waiting Stars" by Aliette de Bo...

3.5 Stars rounded up. This is a collection of science fiction short stories with the common thread being empire. The rating reflects the overall quality of the stories, not any single story. My purpose for reading a short story collection was two-fold. The topic of empires is intriguing. I wanted to sample the contemporary writing of authors who have been recognized for their work in the hopes that I might discover a new author to read.Far and away my favorite story in the collection is Gwendoly...

Galactic Empires is an anthology, published in 2017 and edited by Neil Clarke, presenting twenty-two stories with individual publication dates ranging from 2003 to 2014. Each story features a galactic empire in some fashion, whether as the driving focus for the plot or as the background informing a character’s behavior. The anthology itself covers a broad range of styles and themes, ensuring that there are sure to be at least a few stories that will capture the interest and imagination of any

In summation: one dull story, maybe 4 average ones, and all the rest are well worth your money which is a pretty good batting average for an SF anthology.Well here is a brief note on each story:Winning Piece - Paul J. McAuley – I do like the Jackaroo universe and this is a nice addition if not the strongest story in this collectionNight's Slow Poison - Ann Leckie – set in the “Imperial Radch” universe. The plot isn’t great but the crew’s culture is interesting and the idea of Crawl is a clever o...

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.This is a pretty good anthology featuring tales about galactic empires. Most of them are pretty good.

Very good, indeed. Recommended.

Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★★★ Yes, six stars. With shades of Ender’s Game and Gemini Man this was the best science fiction short I’ve ever read. A full story and good glimpse into an imperial world on knife’s edge. Riveted! Looking Through Lace by Ruth Nestvold ★★★★★ Best First Contact story! Nestvold has you fully engaged in figuring out the intricacies of the Mejan culture. It is so hard to look at another culture and not make immediate parallels to your own potentially blinding you to...

Overall this is a pretty solid anthology, with a few misses and some really excellent hits. My favourite of the collection was Seven Years from Home by Naomi Novik, but there were several others that really stuck with me. I have listed each story below with my impressions noted down as I read them.Winning Peace by Paul J. McAuley - Quite a bit of worldbuilding and character packed into a short story. Never underestimate the value of a good story.Night's Slow Poison by Ann Leckie - A story from a...

A pretty good anthology. I read 15 of the stories, really liked 5 of them. The stories I didn't read were either novella length (I'd prefer my short fiction to be something I can read in one sitting) or didn't catch my interest quickly enough.Favourites:Ann Leckie - Night's Slow PoisonBrandon Sanderson - FirstbornJohn G Hemry - Section SevenSteve Tem - Letter from the EmperorMelinda Snodgrass - Wayfarer's Advice

I haven't had the greatest track record of picking good anthologies to read. Most of them garner something like a 3-star rating; a mixed up kind of meh. I'm also rather picky about my science fiction. Too hard and I get bored, too soft and it often gets too romantic for me.What Neil Clarke has done here is create a collection that hits just the right spot with the right balance. Obviously, everything is galactic - whether it's a human-settled planet, or humans somewhere in space, or even no huma...

Science fiction short stories have to drop you into the world-building right away; there's no space for dilly-dallying. Collections of them result in mental whiplash, as you go from "Toni came out of the jump groggy, wishing the Allied Intersteller Research Association could afford passage on Alcubierre drive ships," straight to, "Quee Lee learned about the Vermiculate from an unlikely source." You feel like poor Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap, always struggling to orient yourself, having to jump o...