Walking the clouds An anthology of indigenous science fiction

This is a fascinating collection of stories, many of them excerpts from longer works. Most readers' first impulse will be to seek out the rest of the stories. There are some well-known names, such as Nalo Hopkinson and Sherman Alexie (the title's indigenous has a genuinely global range, from First Nations to Aboriginal Australian). The introductory text, which places the stories in a historical and genre-based context, is thoughtful and in-depth, while the stories are delightful, engaging, and, best of all, thought-provoking. The collection opens with Custer on the Slipstream, by Gerald Vizenor, which resurrects General Custer, plays havoc with the linear progress of time, and exposes a fatal flaw in white oppression. It closes with an excerpt from an epic poem, Star Waka, by Robert Sullivan, which approaches the possibilities of space travel. There are tricksters, travelers, foolish children who learn grand lessons, and teachers all in all, a grand collection, well worth close reading.--Schroeder, Regina Copyright 2010 Booklist

Dillon's superb anthology, the first devoted to indigenous SF, highlights long-overlooked authors alongside better-known figures such as Nalo Hopkinson and Leslie Marmon Silko. The categories include "Slipstream," a genre Native American SF helped create, and "Apocalypse," something many Aboriginal populations feel has already happened to them. Gerald Vizenor's "Custer on the Slipstream" (1978) is the first of several stories dealing with Custer and Crazy Horse. Native views of space and time and reversing the notion of first contact are likewise recurring themes, with both appearing in an engaging excerpt from Gerry William's 1994 novel The Black Ship. Another regular visitor is the Ghost Dance, meant to drive whites from the Americas; Sherman Alexie shows a world where this worked, albeit delayed, in "Distances" (1993). Every piece is a perspective twister and a thought inducer built on solid storytelling from ancient and newer traditions, and the anthology will encourage readers to further investigate indigenous speculative works. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.