Tales From Beyond The Stars by Adam Roberts and Evangeline Gallagher

 

Tales from Beyond the Stars by Adam Roberts and Evangeline Gallagher.

Published 7th November 2024 by Big Picture Press.

From the cover of the book:

Long before humans ventured into outer space, writers spun stories of what might lie in the unknown worlds beyond our planet and speculated about the future.

This striking collection features retellings of seven classic science fiction stories. From tales of space exploration, to time travellers and alien invaders, this striking anthology is the perfect introduction to the world of science fiction.

Includes:
The Star by H G Wells
Micromegas by Voltaire
The Last Man by Mary Shelley
From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Buck Rogers: Armageddon 2419 AD by Philip Francis Nowlan

Written by Adam Roberts and with vivid illustrations by artist Evangeline Gallagher.

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Having really enjoyed Tales of the Damned from Big Picture Press, I was delighted to have the chance to read another of their beautifully produced editions of retellings, this time celebrating a genre that absolutely fascinates me - science fiction. Tales from Beyond the Stars by Adam Roberts contains seven retellings of a variety of classic science fictions tales, with gorgeous, full-colour illustrations by Evangeline Gallagher that really are a feast for the eyes (fabulous endpapers too).

The book follows the same engaging format as Tales of the Damned. Roberts kicks off the literary adventure with an intriguing introduction to what lies within this lovely volume, and then proceeds to retell seven tales - accompanied by after-words which offer insight into both the authors and their place in shaping what we now know as the science fiction genre.

The widely acknowledged 'father of science fiction' H.G. Wells (even though he was not the earliest author to write in a speculative vein by any means), gets two appearances here with The Star, which I was not familiar with, and The War of the Worlds, which is arguably one of the most famous science fiction stories of all. There are also stories from sci-fi maestros Mary Shelley and Jules Verne, in the form of The Last Man and From the Earth to the Moon, respectively; a little pulp fiction with a Buck Rogers tale from Philip Francis Mowlam; as well as an unexpected story from Voltaire, Micromegus. The most surprising inclusion for me, however, is Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who I had no idea wrote a story worthy of being among the greats, as I previously only knew her work through her outstanding feminist piece, The Yellow Wallpaper. Mindblowing!

Each tale is chosen with care by Roberts to take you through many different facets of the genre, and really show off its breadth: tales about discovery and journeys into the unknown, apocalyptic plague scenarios, space exploration, what the future might hold, utopia, dystopia, and knotty philosophical aspects of the human condition, all are examined in the most thought-provoking way - just in case you were in any doubt about how far reaching science fiction stories can be.

This is a great introduction to science fiction for teens to adults of all ages, and I guarantee it will whet your appetite to explore not only the original classics included here, but also delve 'beyond the stars' as the title suggests. It will look stunning as part of your book collection too. 

Tales from Beyond the Stars is available to buy now in hardcover.

Thank you to Big Picture Books for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Adam is a British science fiction and fantasy novelist. In 2018 he was elected vice-president of the H.G. Wells Society. Adam has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has been nominated three times for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001 for his debut novel, Salt, in 2007 for Gradisil and in 2010 for Yellow Blue Tibia. He won both the 2012 BSFA Award for Best Novel, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, for Jack Glass. It was further shortlisted for The Kitschies Red Tentacle award. His short story "Tollund" was nominated for the 2014 Sidewise Award. Adam was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.

About the illustrator:

Evangeline Gallagher is a freelance illustrator from Baltimore, Maryland whose work has been featured by clients including the New York Times, ProPublica, The New Republic, and The Guardian. They received their BFA in Illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2018. When they aren't drawing, you can find them hanging out with their dog, Charlie and playing Dungeons and Dragons.