The Hunters of Pangaea

Stephen Baxter

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

The Hunters of Pangaea by Stephen Baxter was published by NESFA Press to commemorate the author's (and artist's) appearance as Guest of Honour (GoH) at Boskone 41 in 2004. Cover art by Richard Hescox, edited by Anthony Lewis. Collection of eighteen stories and five essays. Limited Edition with a total printing of 1500 numbered copies.

Introduction (John Cramer and Kathryn E Cramer)
The Hunters of Pangaea (a spinoff from Evolution)
The Modern Cyrano
Family History
Raft
Clods
Wild Extravagant Theories: The Science of The Time Machine (essay)
The Ant-Men of Tibet
Martian Chronicles: Narratives of Mars in Science and SF (essay)
The Orchards of the Moon
The Song
Moon Wizard
The Moon is Hell (essay)
Behold Now Behemoth
A Midsummer Eclipse
Prospero One
A Brief History of Half Time: Football in Science Fiction (essay)
Imaginary Time
The Burster
The Adventure of the Inertial Adjustor
The Dinosaur Hunter
The Flight of the Taikonauts (essay)
The Mandate of Heaven
First to the Moon!

Boskone 41 was held February 13-15, 2004 at the Sheraton Boston in Boston, MA. The GoH was Stephen Baxter, the Official Artist was Richard Hescox, and the Special Guest was Betsy Mitchell. It was chaired by Rick Katze, the Featured Filkers were Brenda Sutton and Bill Sutton, the Hal Clement Science Speaker was John Cramer, and attendance was 982 with 1145 total members.

Review by Paul Lappen (010620) Rating (9/10)

Review by Paul Lappen
Book Source: Not Known
Rating 9/10
Here is a group of previously published stories and essays from Baxter, who is best known as a Hard SF writer (science fiction that emphasises the science).

There is a story about early humans dinosaur hunting. There is a tale of an actual incident in the life of H.G. Wells (before he became 'H.G. Wells, Famous Person'). Included are a trio of related fantasy stories. A couple of alternate history tales are included about Great Britain’s entry into the Space Race, stories that do not end well for Britain. Puck, from A Midsummer’s Night Dream by Shakespeare, becomes a detective. There is a Victorian-style science fiction story with a rather self-explanatory title, The Ant-Men of Tibet.

How can a home-made spaceship, that is propelled by doing strange things with gravity, fall approximately 10 feet, and the person inside be crushed to death, as if he had fallen from a much greater height? Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Wells are on the case. Of course, there are a couple of Hard SF stories, for which Baxter is best known. Also in this book are several essays, on topics like sports in science fiction, and the changing treatment of Mars and the Moon by science fiction writers.

This collection is really good. For those who like to read a variety of stories, or don’t want to wade through a novel full of science, this book is very much worth reading.
Paul Lappen (1st June 2020)