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Gary Gibson
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Scienceville & Other Lost Worlds Kindle Edition

by Gary Gibson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 136 ratings

"To be considered alongside the leading triumvirate of British hard SF writers: Alastair Reynolds, Peter Hamilton, and Neal Asher" - The Guardian
"...one of our best exponents of hardcore SF adventure" - Daily Mail
"...a hugely enjoyable author" - Interzone

SCIENCEVILLE: a man draws a map of a city that doesn’t exist - or so he thinks, until someone who lived there comes calling.

SENSELESS: political prisoners of a near-future regime can have their sight and other senses back, but only if they cooperate with the state. One man plans escape, until a new arrival throws everything into disarray.

THE LONG FALL: Nadia Mirkowsky of EXTINCTION GAME and SURVIVAL GAME finds herself trapped in a post-apocalyptic parallel universe that might be the strangest she’s yet encountered.

GUATEMALA: a fading rock star is offered one last shot at the big time using a new, mind-altering technology - but the price may be higher than he thinks.

THE RANCH: any pleasure is yours, if you have the money - even your very own vampire lover. But for the vampires themselves, it’s a much more deadly affair…

"It has been decades since a story evoked these kind of emotions within me." - Amazon.com review of Scienceville novelette

"You can see the talent for the short story form he possesses even from the the small example of the book offered in the kindle app." Amazon UK review of Scienceville and Other Lost Worlds

" carefully crafted and thought-provoking stories." Amazon UK review of Scienceville and Other Lost Worlds

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  1. Print length
    124 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    March 4, 2018
  5. File size
    1.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

To be considered alongside the leading triumvirate of British hard SF writers: Al Reynolds, Peter Hamilton, and Neal Asher . . . a treat for all fans of intelligent space opera - The Guardian

One of the top SF writers active today ... In the right hands SF can be wonderful, inventive and hugely enjoyable - and Gary Gibson is just that sort of author - WalkerofWorlds.com

Gibson has certainly proved himself a name to watch - SFX

REVIEWS FOR EXTINCTION GAME AND SURVIVAL GAME

Gibson turns the genre on its head . . . He excels at depicting real-feeling destruction and the tenacity and weaknesses of survivors, along with the moral wrestling of survivor guilt. This potent, teeth-gritting SF thriller shows death and love only a shadow away from our ordinary lives - Publishers Weekly starred review

Gibson's take on two thoroughly familiar tropes (Cold War + apocalypse) is actually quite refreshing . . . The prose is also satisfyingly good - FantasyLiterature.com

A fast-paced post-apocalyptic thriller that builds to an exciting conclusion - SciFiBulletin.com

Believable characters, interesting situations, stunning settings, and, above all else, a compulsively readable story makes this a must-read for sci-fi fans. Highly recommended - SFFWorld.com

REVIEWS FOR FINAL DAYS

`Kicking off a promising new series, Gibson handles a big plot with some aplomb.'
- BBC Focus

'High-octane action, terrific future tech and a superbly imagined alien civilisation help to make this a page-turning belter from one of our best exponents of hardcore SF adventure' - Daily Mail

REVIEWS FOR MARAUDER

A violent, inventive, relentlessly gripping adventure' - The Times

'High-octane action, terrific future tech and a superbly imagined alien civilisation help to make this a page-turning belter from one of our best exponents of hardcore SF adventure' - Daily Mail

'Gibson has produced a seriously entertaining Sci-Fi page turner' - SFX

'A satisfying and absorbing read from a hugely enjoyable author' - Interzone

'Gripping, imaginative and morally complex' - SFX

'A cracking holiday read . . . Gary's best to date' - SFFWorld.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07B7KGVGJ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brain in a Jar Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 4, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 124 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 136 ratings

About the author

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Gary Gibson

Gary Gibson

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Described by The Guardian as "a master of core sf" and "one of our best exponents of hardcore SF adventure" by the Daily Mail, Gary Gibson's career stretches over fifteen years and nearly twenty books.

His work has been translated and published around the world, including Russia, Brazil, Germany, and France. A long-time resident of Glasgow, Scotland, he relocated a few years ago to Taipei in the Far East and splits his time between editing and working on his own material.

His latest book is a collection of previously published and unpublished short stories and novellas, Butterfly Box and Other Stories, released on 15 November 2024 in ebook, paperback and hardback.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
136 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Orin Thomas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection from a cool writer you should read more of
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I've enjoyed Gibson's work in novel format for many years, so this was an obvious buy. Enjoyed the works included (three novelettes and two short stories). My only regret is that it isn't in dead tree format so that I can have it on the shelf with his other books. Gibson's work is great. Do yourself a favor and buy this collection!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Adam
    4.0 out of 5 stars Short Book with Good Stories
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Especially enjoyed his story based in the Extinction Game universe which was why I got the collection.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Tghu Verd
    3.0 out of 5 stars It's shorts. Some are good, some not so much.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    As I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm not a huge fan of shorts, but I do tend to buy them when writers I like release a collection. This collection is pricey for the content - 5 shorts in all, about 120 pages - and it's interesting that Gibson notes he's not a fan of writing them, so I kicked into the first interested to see if that would come through in the writing. It doesn't, at least not obviously. What did come through was a generally bleak worldview - none of these are particularly uplifting stories, but fortunately, they are not as aggressively dark as a Peter Watts collection I read a while ago. So:

    In "Scienceville", there seems to be a very selective, collective mania across a small number of people globally, regarding what the protagonist thinks is a made-up-by-him city. It is a neat "what's real, what's not real" thought piece, but while the ending was somewhat obvious, it seemed clunky, as if Gibson was not really sure how to tie it all together.

    In "Senseless", political prisoners are deprived of their senses by the authorities as a kind of torture/incentive to hand over details of their co-conspirators. I liked the blind protagonist, and enjoyed this short the most. The backstory was tightly released and you could overlay your own 'Clockwork Orange' ideals on the situation, which wrapped up to the only natural conclusion possible. Well done.

    If you've read Gibson's "Apocalypse Duology", you'll be familiar with the post-apocalyptic parallel universe concept that we find in "The Long Fall". This short has Nadia Mirkowsky fighting for her life when a recovery goes wrong. How she survives raises challenging thoughts about consequences in an infinite universe(s), but I found the reactions of her colleagues the most interesting aspect of this. For me, this was actually way better constructed than Gibson's longer "Survival Game", which is a novel in the same universe, because it was tighter and pared back to the essentials to keep a lay reader up to speed. Also enjoyable.

    "Guatemala" was just strange, in they way that sci-fi can be, but which does not necessarily make it good. A fading rock star is offered what is essentially a Faustian bargain, with some weird science standing in for the devil, but given the trade was not evident or obvious prior, it lacked the punch of the original German legend.

    And what I found the most unconvincing story was saved for the last, which was a poor way to end. "The Ranch" has a bizarre play on vampires as lovers, and whatever point Gibson was trying to make was lost on me. It seemed as listless in tone as the protagonist was in emotional engagement.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • jeffery sloop
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great set of stories
    Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    All the stories are in interesting worlds that we discover as we go along on a journey with the characters. Some are quite heartfelt while others leave you with an ominous feeling of uncertainty. Senseless was my favorite.
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  • Michael Bush
    2.0 out of 5 stars great book by an excellent author
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    good story's by Gibson
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Top reviews from other countries

  • F. M. Havicon
    5.0 out of 5 stars A rare treat to find a cohesive collection of shorts adhering to the real rules of short story writing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Over recent decades the short story art form has eroded, at the hands of such editors as Gardner Dozois, into a rather messy word-bloated format that is almost tiresome to read. Then there are writers like Gary Gibson (whom I didn't know anything about until buying this anthology en spec, on Amazon's "you may also like" list). You can see the talent for the short story form he possesses even from the the small example of the book offered in the kindle app. Disciplined and economic use of prose, plot pushed on as much in dialogue as in nuance, with space left over to include a little whimsical humour. The advantage of having a collection from the same author is that you don't have to change mental gear between different authors, with slightly different styles, and you can begin to anticipate the enjoyment of the next story along. As Gibson says in the foreword to this collection, short stories aren't written much these days because all the money and interest is in novels. But I'd rather have a slim volume like this than a 600 page bloatware novel any day! I wouldn't rank Gibson up among the top tier of short fiction writers,such as Bob Shaw, Larry Niven, and John Varley, but he is well placed in the also-rans, though I've not read his novels so can't say further than that. With enough good reviews he may write more.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good sampler.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I can see the author's problem with writing short stories, the tile story "Scienceville" appears to end scrappily, looking somewhat cut-up.
    The remaining stories are all interesting and intriguing. They certainly make you think .
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  • MissisK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Scienceville & a few other ripping yarns
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I really, really, really enjoyed these short stories. Excellent, engaging, intriguing, lived them. Most definitely will be reading more of Gary Gibson’s books. Well done Sir!
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  • Brian Milton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A great wee collection of short stories. I enjoyed all of them but it's a toss up between Scienceville (conspiracy oddness and pulp fun) and The Long Fall (alternative worlds and apocalypses) for my favourite.
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  • Amazon Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars wont suit most people
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    poor choice of stories
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