Single author short story collections are a really good way of getting to know a writer. Good short stories are tricky to do, as writers are inclined to over-complication even when presented with a short format. The Constellation of Alarion is a collection of tight, well-paced fantasy and sci-fi tales which not only showcase author John Houlihan’s very promising talent, they are also compelling and fun.
We open with a short but sweet piece called Carers. It’s a very straightforward mankind vs AI tale, but set in a much more down-to-earth scenario. It’s a great opener to the collection and sets the pace nicely. Charioteer on the other hand is a little over-long and little top-heavy. It’s space fantasy and as the name suggests, is all about a violent sport as well as sibling rivalry. Suffers slightly from being a great idea shoved into too tighter space, but never the less it’s quite fun.
Trial by Combat takes a similar idea to Charioteer and though it’s shorter, it’s a much stronger and complete tale. Lovely detail and very entertaining. Post Lies is a classic spy-fi paranoia tale, updated to the modern days, and is one of this collection’s highlights. Tolerance is a character-driven take on a post-singularity, pro-AI society and it’s tight and well-paced, avoiding the obvious distractions from that genre. Dead Reckoning is a solid mash-up of ideas, including fantasy, post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and military drama. This is a world we’d love to see more of. Similarly, Trigger is a dark tale about the end of all things. It’s a very strong story and though it leans heavily into its depressing premise, it’s compelling and entertaining.
The titular story The Constellation Of Alarion is a compressed go at a full-on space opera world and though it’s way too brief, it’s nonetheless solidly put together. The collection rounds off with an experimental story called Bomber Command. It doesn’t really fit this anthology, but it’s quite fun to read. Overall this is a very soundly put-together set of stories and well worth a look, especially if you are a fan of the likes of Mike Resnick or Peter F Hamiliton. Certainly John Houlihan is a name to look out for.
