Dirt in the Sky by Drew Zachary

Captain Markham Spencer works the boring night shift as head of security on a space station.  One night, he has to go and help biologist Gordon Watts find his quarters, as the scientist can’t seem to remember the layout of the station.  Markham doesn’t mind escorting the attractive scientist, though.  In fact, he’d like to get too know Gordon a lot better…

Dirt in the Sky was a cute story.  I enjoyed watching Markham attempt to woo the absent-minded, easily flustered Gordon.  The interactions between the two men were amusing and sweet, making Drew Zachary’s contribution to this Taste Test a lot of fun to read.

Periphery by Chris Owen

Ellery Train and his shipmate, Greg Peal, are trying to return from a transport job when their ship goes dead.  When they are unable to repair it, they leave a distress beacon and settle in to wait for their imminent deaths.  Will Ellery finally have the courage to share his deepest secret with Greg?

Periphery was my favorite story in this anthology.  Ellery and Greg’s combination of bravery, sorrow, and deep friendship in the face of their hopeless circumstances was believable and sad.  Ellery’s longing for his friend, his regret in the face of death, were incredibly moving.  Chris Owen nearly reduced me to tears with this one, but in this case that’s not a bad thing.   

Space Station Explorer by Vic Winter

Rand Prance, the anti-social maintenance man of the one-man space station Explorer, dreads the two week vacation he’s forced to take after every six months of active duty.  He loves his job and dislikes being with people, so a planet-side vacation isn’t his idea of a good time.  This time, his bosses have sent the wisecracking Joe Agnas to replace him.  Joe infuriates him from the first moment they meet.  Can these two mechanics find a way to get along?

I liked Space Station Explorer mainly because of Rand.  He was everything most heroes aren’t—neurotic, crabby, and rude—yet for some reason I really wanted him to be happy.  Pushy, smart-alec Joe made a good match for him, joking when Rand got too crabby.  Vic Winter’s story made for some fun comic relief to wrap up the anthology.

Far Galaxies is well worth a look if you like futuristic stories.  The three authors all write very well, and their wide variety of themes and tones made this anthology quite a journey!