The Eagle Has Landed: 50 Years of Lunar Science Fiction

by Neil Clarke (Editor)

Overview

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, the endlessly-mysterious moon is explored in this reprint short science fiction anthology from award-winning editor and anthologist Neil Clarke (Clarkesworld, The Best Science Fiction of the Year).


On July 20, 1969, mankind made what had only years earlier seemed like an impossible leap forward: when Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to land on the moon, and Neil Armstrong the first person to step foot on the lunar surface.


While there have only been a handful of new missions since, the fascination with our planet’s satellite continues, and generations of writers and artists have imagined the endless possibilities of lunar life. From adventures in the vast gulf of space between the earth and the moon, to journeys across the light face to the dark side, to the establishment of permanent residences on its surface, science fiction has for decades given readers bold and forward-thinking ideas about our nearest interstellar neighbor and what it might mean to humankind, both now and in our future.


The Eagle Has Landed collects the best stories written in the fifty years since mankind first stepped foot on the lunar surface, serving as a shining reminder that the moon is and always has been our most visible and constant example of all the infinite possibility of the wider universe.


Table of Contents


Introduction


Bagatelle by John Varley

The Eve of the Last Apollo by Carter Scholz

The Lunatics by Kim Stanley Robinson

Griffin’s Egg by Michael Swanwick

A Walk in the Sun by Geoffrey A. Landis

Waging Good by Robert Reed

How We Lost the Moon by Paul McAuley

People Came From Earth by Stephen Baxter

Ashes and Tombstones by Brian Stableford

Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl’s by Adam Troy Castro

Stories for Men by John Kessel

The Clear Blue Seas of Luna by Gregory Benford

You Will Go to the Moon by William Preston

SeniorSource by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The Economy of Vacuum by Sarah Thomas

The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt

Fly Me to the Moon by Marianne J. Dyson

Tyche and the Ants by Hannu Rajaniemi

The Moon Belongs to Everyone by Michael Alexander and K.C. Ball

The Fifth Dragon by Ian McDonald

Let Baser Things Devise by Berrien C. Henderson

The Moon is Not a Battlefield by Indrapramit Das

Every Hour of Light and Dark by Nancy Kress

In Event of Moon Disaster by Rich Larson


Permissions

About the Editor

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597806534
Publisher:	Night Shade Books
Publication date:	07/18/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	600
Sales rank:	230,201
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Neil Clarke is the editor of Clarkesworld and Forever Magazine and owner of Wyrm Publishing, and a six-time Hugo Award Nominee for Best Editor (short form). He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.

Table of Contents

Introduction Neil Clarke ix

Bagatelle John Varley 1

The Eve of the Last Apollo Carter Scholz 22

The Lunatics Kim Stanley Robinson 44

Griffin's Egg Michael Swanwick 67

A Walk in the Sun Geoffrey A. Landis 135

Waging Good Robert Reed 150

How We Lost the Moon, A True Story by Frank W. Allen Paul McAuley 188

People Came from Earth Stephen Baxter 201

Ashes and Tombstones Brian Stableford 212

Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl's Adam Troy Castro 225

Stories for Men John Kessel 269

The Clear Blue Seas of Luna Gregory Benford 336

You Will Go to the Moon William Preston 365

SeniorSource Kristine Kathryn Rusch 378

The Economy of Vacuum Sarah Thomas 393

The Cassandra Project Jack McDevitt 405

Fly Me to the Moon Marianne J. Dyson 418

Tyche and the Ants Hannu Rajaniemi 441

The Moon Belongs to Everyone Michael Alexander K.C. Ball 455

The Fifth Dragon Ian McDonald 500

Let Baser Things Devise Berrien C. Henderson 516

The Moon is Not a Battlefield Indrapramit Das 529

Every Hour of Light and Dark Nancy Kress 546

In Event of Moon Disaster Rich Larson 562

Permissions 575

About the Editor 579

Editorial Reviews

05/13/2019

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Clarke has compiled an eclectic selection of the past 50 years in lunar science fiction, written by a who’s who of speculative fiction writers. Entries include standard adventure fare (“The Lunatics” by Kim Stanley Robinson), the ordinary and extraordinary earthly exploits of retired moon-landing astronauts (“The Eve of the Last Apollo” by Carter Scholz and “Fly Me to the Moon” by Marianne J. Dyson), and philosophical examinations of a future that may yet come to pass (“The Fifth Dragon” by Ian McDonald). Standouts are a cautionary tale of intergalactic imperialism in “The Moon Is Not a Battlefield” by Indrapramit Das and a darkly humorous take on accidental cloning in Rich Larson’s “In Event of Moon Disaster.” There are also widely varied takes on the future that was promised by the space age, but failed to arrive. This uneven but worthwhile collection will appeal to fans of futuristic science fiction and historic space race aficionados. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Eagle Has Landed
 
“This solid and well-rounded anthology is highly recommended.”—Booklist, starred review
 
“An eclectic selection of the past 50 years in lunar science fiction, written by a who’s who of speculative fiction writers . . . will appeal to fans of futuristic science fiction and historic space race aficionados.” —Publishers Weekly
 
Praise for Neil Clarke’s Anthologies with Night Shade Books
 
“Readers should savor the stories a few at a time to get the most out of Clarke’s superior selections . . . but there are no inferior pieces here. This is a fine, thoughtful book.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review for Not One of Us
 
“Well-known SF authors grace this . . . top-notch selection of imaginative and thought-provoking stories.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review for More Human Than Human
 
“Clarke’s stellar reprint anthology explores the expansive variety of space exploration stories. . . . Outstanding works in which extreme environments bring out the best and worst of human nature.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review for The Final Frontier

“Twenty one fascinating tales from some of science fiction’s new stars. The reprint collection is multicultural and diverse, with tales of all kinds and from some unusual places. . . . Many standouts in this one and likely something here for all sorts of different kinds of folks.”
—Manhattan Book Review, 4.5/5 Stars for The Final Frontier
 
“This hefty anthology of imperial SF covers great space battles, small dramas within an empire, hopeless bureaucracy, and even living space stations, zooming in and out to capture every nuance . . . The diverse array of stories ensures that there’s plenty of interest for any fan of large-scale SF.” 
—Publishers Weekly on Galactic Empires

“Masterful editor Neil Clarke has assembled an exotic, bountiful treasure chest of reprint tales dedicated to that mode of SF that can arguably be said to constitute the very core of the field, the space opera.”
—Asimov’s on Galactic Empires
 
“Clarke has assembled a wide range of authors – from old masters like Robert Silverberg to more recent talents such as Aliette De Bodard – each offering a different take on the central premise. . . There isn’t a bad piece amongst them . . . the Galaxy really is there for the taking.”
—Starburst on Galactic Empires, reviewed by Alister Davison

“As editor Clarke points out in his introduction, when most people hear the term galactic empire, they immediately picture Darth Vader and Star Wars. But there is a long history of star-faring empires in the genre, with stories that imagine our human tendencies to explore and conquer among the stars. . . . The stories gathered here, all of which have appeared elsewhere, show the huge range of possibilities of the chosen theme.” 
—Library Journal on Galactic Empires

“The first must-read anthology of the year, no question, is Neil Clarke’s Galactic Empires, an ambitious (read: huge) collection of SF tales featuring far-flung confederations in the stars. The TOC is a who’s-who of virtually everyone doing important work at short length in science fiction.” 
—John O’Neil, Black Gate on Galactic Empires

“Brings together some of the best voices writing in the genre today. . . . a stunning collection of short fiction.”
—WorldsInInk on Galactic Empires
 

From the Publisher