Christmas Stars: Fantastic Tales of Yuletide Wonder
Christmas Stars ed. by David G. Hartwell
Christmas Stars: Fantastic Tales of Yuletide Wonder edited by David G. Hartwell
originally published 1992
Tor, 1st printing, 2004
320 pages
Genre: Speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, short stories, Christmas stories
Synopsis & Review:
The best of Christmas–past, present, and yet to come
Christmas is a time for miracle, scientific and otherwise, and for surprises that can only occur at this time of the year. But what marvels will the holidays bring to the far future–or to alien worlds light-years from the North Pole?
In this celebratory collection, many of today’s finest writers of fantasy and science fiction unwrap startling visions of the future of Christmas. An unusual Christmas spirit brings confusion-and romance-to a modern young woman. A father’s gift opens up the universe for all humanity. And a devout researcher uncovers the shattering secret of the original Star of Bethlehem. These and other stories shine like sparkling, unearthly ornaments on a fresh green tree of holiday traditions.
‘Twas the night before tomorrow, and all through the galaxy, nothing burns as bright as… Christmas Stars.
The Victorians loved their Christmas ghost stories and tales of terrors (need I remind you of The Turn of the Screw so soon?), a tradition which has largely faded, at least in the US. Despite the exhortation in “(It’s the) Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to enjoy “scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmas long, long ago,” the only Christmas ghosts to regularly make an appearance are those in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But perhaps it’s time to enjoy another sort of Christmas story, that of speculative nature, or fantasy and science fiction. Edited by David G. Hartwell, Christmas Stars features twenty-five (get it?) short stories full of flights of fancy and imagination, and each with at least a touch of the holiday. There are stories set deep in space, on other stars, or amongst the moons of our solar system. There are stories in alternate versions of our world, or the future, and those set in our own mundane reality. Some stories are light-hearted, but others are dark indeed. The stories vary so widely in subject and scope (and quality), that it would be difficult to not find at least one appealing tale in the whole lot. Read the rest of this entry »
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