So, I was talking to Phil Lee about a story and he mentioned "Daybreak on Shining Mountain" and I was all "what'chu talkin' bout, willis?" As it turns out, I -bought- Shrapnel #2, and THOUGHT I'd read it, but somehow (I think it came out around the holidays?) i didn't and shelved it unread.
Well I fixed that oversight this weekend!! And CRIMENY, why aren't we talking about this one MORE? :-) and since this thread is the latest issue of shrapnel and this one's new to ME, it counts! ;)
What I like about "Daybreak" is that it brings front and center is two things we don't see enough of in BattleTech: other cultures and "strange new worlds." I am as guilty as anyone else about staying in my comfort zone when writing, which, for me, is "mil sci-fi." There's very little "culture" of any type in many of my stories, it's "soldiers doing soldier stuff in a soldier way."
This story brings forth culture at the very heart of it, and more than that, it's not one we see often in ANY types of media! Top notch stuff!
AND THEN, the author sets it in a WEIRD PLACE. We -and again, I AM INCLUDING MYSELF HERE! :'( :'( - forget that the Batteletech universe is as wild and wacky as star wars and star trek. 90% of the tech they have, we have, but we forget to USE it. The author DIDN'T forget: putting a world under an ICE MOUNTAIN?? -Aquaman voice- Outrageous!!
This was, far and away, not only a great BattleTech Story, but great science fiction, and I hope TPTB submit it far and wide to other anthologies, because I'd stack that up as one of the best of 2020's Sci-fi, PERIOD. I -HAD- a story in Shrapnel 1 and I'd still tell TPTB "send in Daybreak." It's that good. :-)
And what's CRAZY is, the rest of the stories in Shrapnel 2 are SOOO GOOD! They're A's and B's, only diminished because they share the spotlight with an A-double-plus! :-)
"Scavenger's Blood" gives us a look at a little-remembered moment in Jaguar and Raven history, written excellently. "Saber Bare" is a single aerospace fighter pilot, something often overlooked in our mech-heavy universe. "Devil take the Hindmost" is one of the rare "spooky" stories we get occasionally, and "Road Ahead" shows compassion in the strangest way.
Oh, and because I'm just babbaling at this point, I'll just say, all the OTHER stuff is good, too!
Overall, this was an EXCELLENT collection, well worth the scoop-up if you don't have it, and I'm super stoked again for Shrapnel 5!