Aurora Award Nominee, 2006
Gathered here for the first time are the finest science-fiction stories, including the previously unpublished novelette "Alexander's Road," by the award-winning Karl Schroeder. The Engine of Recall tales are of ordinary people in astonishing circumstances. Whether stranded alone on the frigid oceans of Saturn's moon Titan, or searching for stolen nuclear bombs under the rusting oil derricks of Azerbaijan, Schroeder's characters assert their humanity in inhuman circumstances.
Combining classic adventure and sophisticated speculation, the ten stories in this collection are sure to satisfy a broad range of readers.
Includes an introduction by Stephen Baxter.
The original story "Alexander's Road" was nominated for the Aurora Award -- Canada's top Science Fiction award -- for best short work in English.
Industry Reviews
"Delightful and engaging, both intellectually and viscerally: a superb achievement." --Kirkus on Ventus (starred review) "With its 10 powerful short stories, The Engine of Recall serves as an ideal introduction to the talents of Toronto science fiction writer Karl Schroeder. While his novels have met with considerable success (Permanence was awarded the Aurora Award and his first novel, Ventus, was named a New York Times Notable Book), his shorter works have not been collected prior to this volume, edited by Robert J. Sawyer for his eponymous imprint. . . . . . The disparate stories are united by the keen edge of Schroederas writing and the fundamental humanism at the storiesa core. Schroeder writes with a terse economy of language, a precision that one expects from the genre but rarely encounters. Few words are wasted, and the language underscores the close attention to characterization." -- Quill & Quire "Delightful and engaging, both intellectually and viscerally: a superb achievement."-- Kirkus on Ventus (starred review)"With its 10 powerful short stories, The Engine of Recall serves as an ideal introduction to the talents of Toronto science fiction writer Karl Schroeder. While his novels have met with considerable success (Permanence was awarded the Aurora Award and his first novel, Ventus, was named a New York Times Notable Book), his shorter works have not been collected prior to this volume, edited by Robert J. Sawyer for his eponymous imprint. . . . . . The disparate stories are united by the keen edge of Schroeder's writing and the fundamental humanism at the stories' core. Schroeder writes with a terse economy of language, a precision that one expects from the genre but rarely encounters. Few words are wasted, and the language underscores the close attention to characterization." -- Quill & Quire "Delightful and engaging, both intellectually and viscerally: a superb achievement."-- "Kirkus on Ventus" (starred review)"With its 10 powerful short stories, "The Engine of Recall" serves as an ideal introduction to the talents of Toronto science fiction writer Karl Schroeder. While his novels have met with considerable success (Permanence was awarded the Aurora Award and his first novel, Ventus, was named a New York Times Notable Book), his shorter works have not been collected prior to this volume, edited by Robert J. Sawyer for his eponymous imprint. . . . . . The disparate stories are united by the keen edge of Schroeder's writing and the fundamental humanism at the stories' core. Schroeder writes with a terse economy of language, a precision that one expects from the genre but rarely encounters. Few words are wasted, and the language underscores the close attention to characterization." -- "Quill & Quire"
