The SFWA European Hall of Fame by James & Kathryn Morrow

This book is a collection of short science fiction stories from Europe that have been translated from their native language into English. The sixteen contemporary stories are vastly different from each other. Some topics that are covered are time travel, paradoxes, aliens, the future, space flight, and other worlds. Many of these stories are not hard science fiction filled with detailed futuristic technology. They are closer to fantasy. Some of the stories are designed to make you think about society and the issues that face our world. Very few of the stories have a genuinely happy ending.

I had mixed feeling about this book. I enjoyed some of the stories, but not others. I felt that a better collection of more classic stories, with at least a few more happy endings, could have been chosen. However, the purpose of this collection was partially to provoke thought, and all of the stories did this. Each story was unique and created its own setting, though the characters and settings could have been more thoroughly described. The lack of detail is mainly due to the brevity of the stories. All in all, you should only read this if you enjoy philosophical science fiction and fantasy that has sad endings. Otherwise, more mainstream collections may be better.

Most of the stories contain violence or death. Additionally, some contain sexual content not suitable to young readers.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United States