And they wonder why we so blithely ignore their idiotic, ideologically-driven opinions. An SJW “reviews” RIDING THE RED HORSE:
Disappointing and uneven collection
By Elisabeth Carey on June 12, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition
Theodore Beale (Vox Day) is nominated for Best Editor, Long Form, and also Best Editor, Short Form.This collection is included in the Hugo Voters packet in support of Theodore Beale’s nomination for Best Editor, Short Form.
Unfortunately, it’s a very uneven collection. It includes the very good The Hot Equations, by Ken Burnside, and the very disappointing Turncoat by Steve Rzasa. There is, early on, a casual endorsement of the probable “necessity” of genocide on the grounds that Those People aren’t smart enough to modify their behavior. A point Beale’s fans will have difficulty with is that such inflammatory language makes it less likely that readers will take in the point the author was attempting to make. A better editor would have caught it and told the author to dispense with pointless provocation and just make his point.
If this is the best evidence Beale has to offer, he has no place on the ballot.
I don’t know about you, but I’m convinced. Then again, if one takes the opinion of actual mil-SF fans and science fiction readers into account, there can be very little doubt that if the Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form, was actually based on editorial merit, I would not only have a place on the ballot, but win the award on the basis of RIDING THE RED HORSE.
- “The first great mil-SF anthology since Jerry Pournelle tapered off in the 90s.”
- “This is a great collection of short stories. I’m not a huge fan of military sci-fi but I very much enjoyed this collection.”
- “If you’ve been waiting for a new anthology in the spirit of Pournelle & Carr’s THERE WILL BE WAR series, stop waiting and buy this. Includes new and classic combat SF, nonfiction articles on warfare and science, and good introductions by Vox Day.”
- “First science fiction anthology
I’ve read and enjoyed since the Asimov days. Every SF story was fast
moving and kept my interest including interest in the technology
envisioned by the authors.” - “As an anthology of futuristic
military-scifi, interspersed with essays ranging from an introduction to
the 4th Generation of War to the advancement of laser technology and
how it will shape the wars of our future, Riding the Red Horse really
hits the spot for both entertainment and intrigue.”
Now, it is true, there are those who agreed with Elisabeth Carey and gave the anthology but a single star. Their opinions speak eloquently for themselves; these are the reviews in their entirety:
- “What a piece of tripe. Exactly
the kind of fiction that appeals to men who are insecure in their
masculinity. My only regret is that one can’t rate this book any less
than one star.” - “Bad”
But what will be will be. It is of little import one way or the other. What is much more important is that Jerry Pournelle was sufficiently impressed with RIDING THE RED HORSE that he decided Castalia House was the right place to reprint and revive his excellent THERE WILL BE WAR anthology series. And as far as I’m concerned, that’s the only award that matters and the only vote that counts.
I should mention that RIDING THE RED HORSE Vol. 2 is shaping up to be even more formidable than the original anthology. Many of the Vol. 1 contributors are back with a vengeance, and the new contributors include Martin van Creveld, Larry Correia, David Van Dyke, and Sarah Salviander.