edited
by
David Boop
(Baen Books, February 2023, pb, 256 pp.)
“Justice and Prosperity” by Milton J. Davis
“Five Mules for Madame Calypso” by Thea Hutcheson
“Past Sins” by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
“The Last Round” by Susan Matthews
“High Noon on Proxima Centauri b” by Cliff Winnig
“Black Box” by Peter J. Wacks
“The Planet and the Pig” by Brenda Cooper
“Harley Takes a Wife” by Ken Scholes
“Warlock Rules” by Hank Schwaeble
“West. World.” by Walter Jon Williams
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
This is the sixth volume in the editor’s series of anthologies mixing speculative fiction with Western themes. All ten stories are science fiction, often involving frontier settlements on alien worlds. In some cases, the connection with Western fiction is obvious; in others, it is very subtle. Many of the stories can be classified as space opera or military science fiction, with a few lighter pieces as a change of pace.
In “Justice and Prosperity” by Milton J. Davis, criminals kill a family in order to take possession of their asteroid, which contains valuable ore. Their robot is salvaged and reprogrammed by a sympathetic worker to seek out and punish the murderers.
The author effectively translates frontier justice of the Old West into a futuristic setting. The antagonists are portrayed as completely evil, which lessens the story’s believability.
“Five Mules for Madam Calypso” by Thea Hutcheson takes place aboard a space station that serves as a combination brothel and nightclub. A maintenance worker is dismayed to discover that a man whose mismanagement caused the death of several people at her former job has been hired as her supervisor. With the help of other workers suffering from his harassment, she gets her revenge.
Anyone who has had to deal with a horrible boss will sympathize with the woman’s plight, although the man’s fate may seem extreme to many readers. The setting and characters are of more interest than the simple plot.
In “Past Sins” by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore, an ex-soldier escaping from accusations of war crimes takes on a new identity on a colony world. Another former warrior pursues her to the planet, leading to murder and a final showdown between the two.
The story’s Western content, such as a sheriff and a saloon, seem out of place in a work that is otherwise pure military science fiction. The way in which brain implants allow the two soldiers to communicate telepathically is the most interesting aspect of the plot.
“The Last Round” by Susan Matthews takes place over several years on a colony world. When an old enemy shows up, intent on capturing the planet’s resources, even if it means killing the protagonist, a mysterious man foils his plans. Much later, the enemy is a fellow settler, and the former savior of the protagonist poses his own threat.
This story captures the theme of the closing of the frontier that so often appears in Western fiction. Like many a character in such works, the man who rescues the protagonist no longer fits into society once law and order have replaced lawlessness. The background is imaginatively portrayed, but the structure, with several scenes set years apart, makes the plot seem jumpy.
In “High Noon on Proxima Centauri b” by Cliff Winnig, a marshal faces three assassins intent on murdering a woman and child who are the only survivors of a hostile takeover by a rival mining company. The leader of the killers proves to be a tougher opponent than expected, but the marshal has unexpected resources of her own.
Although fairly closely following the plot of the classic Western movie referenced in the title, the story adds originality in the form of futuristic technology and alien beasts that serve the function of horses. Fans of action-packed, violent adventure stories will best appreciate this blend of genres.
In “Black Box” by Peter J. Wacks, a starship investigating a distress signal from a colony world discovers a single survivor of a planet-wide civil war. A recording from his disabled vehicle reveals a surprising truth.
Much of the text consists of the recording. Without giving too much away, it presents a new, interesting character. The rest of the story reminds one of Star Trek, albeit with a sudden act of violence at the end. The only obvious relationship to Western fiction is the fact that the crewmembers of the starship ride horses when they land on the planet. Given the level of technology, this seems absurd.
“The Planet and the Pig” by Brenda Cooper features a mother and her two teenage children. They accept a mission to obtain a living mammal from a planet that serves as a nature preserve, forbidden to most visitors. In exchange for this dangerous and illegal task, the mother will be given a job on a space station, her only alternative being poverty and starvation on her own spaceship.
In addition to the hazards of the planet, the woman faces the possibility of encountering law enforcement agents. As if this were not enough of a challenge, it turns out that not everything about her assignment was revealed to her.
The most intriguing thing about this story is the fact that the woman and her children have never been on a planet before, their entire lives spent in a space vessel of some kind. The author vividly conveys their reactions to a completely alien environment. The plot creates a great deal of suspense, and also conveys respect for nature. Although the connection to Western fiction is tenuous at best, this heartfelt work is the highlight of the anthology.
“Harley Takes a Wife” by Ken Scholes is a comic tale of a lonely asteroid miner who tries to purchase a robot wife. Instead, a robot gunslinger arrives. In his attempt to correct the error, the prospector becomes involved with a criminal gang and the item their ringleader is after.
Featuring silly things such as a cactus that talks like John Wayne, this tale is played strictly for very broad comedy. The criminals are not threatening at all, and a so-called treasure turns out to be completely anticlimactic, so the plot is of no importance. Readers seeking light amusement may enjoy this farcical spoof of Western clichés.
In “Warlock Rules” by Hank Schwaeble, a man is more-or-less forced to fight an alien in single combat, in order to prevent a diplomatic crisis. Besides the possibility of being killed, the reluctant hired gun faces the fact that his employers have their own hidden motives for the battle.
The aliens’ suspicion of human technology causes them to demand that the duel take the form of an old-fashioned shootout with antique pistols. This premise and other aspects of the plot feel like attempts to force Western elements into the story. Readers who don’t mind this slightly awkward effort to fit the theme of the book can enjoy an exciting adventure story.
The narrator of “West. World.” by Walter Jon Williams works for a movie director on a giant space station in the outer reaches of the solar system. The film maker is determined to create an authentic Western, even when it means importing horses from Earth at great expense. The narrator has to contend with the bickering between the divorced co-stars of the film, the difficulty of dealing with horses in zero gravity, and the possibility that the animals will not be returned safely to their home world, all while starting a romance with a riding instructor.
This is a very light romantic comedy, with a touch of gentle satire of Hollywood. It ends the volume on a whimsical, if unexciting, note.
Victoria Silverwolf used to live in the western part of the United States.