Tales of the United States Space Force: 23 Stories and Mythbusting Articles by: (long list of authors)

I recently read this somewhat mixed anthology and I had somewhat mixed feelings. The book is about the new branch of the armed services called the Space Force. One of the articles in this anthology explains exactly how it fits in to all the other branches but I didn’t pay enough attention. Perhaps it’s under the Air Force or next to it the way the Marines are near the Army? The fact that I read about the structure but still can’t tell you what it is, is kind of my trouble with this book.

Besides articles about the actual Space Force, there are fictional stories about the space force, very futuristic and many of them very entertaining. “The Eyes of Damocles” by Brian Trent is the first fiction story. It has an entertaining twist and an exciting finale. I had to seriously suspend my critical faculties when the story insisted that self-driving vehicles couldn’t be hacked, but the payoff was a lot of fun. The worst problem with this first story, in one way, was that the Forward and Preface were so long that I nearly gave up before I got to it.

“The High Ground” by Henry Herz was a lot of fun as well as being a palatable way to work in some of the actual facts about how the Space Force is organized. It also makes the point, as do several other stories and essays, that the Delta symbol for the Space Force was not stolen from Gene Roddenberry; in fact the actual line of descent runs the other way. Excruciating detail about the origin of the symbols is provided in the essay “Did USSF Steal the Seal.”

‘A responsibility shared was a responsibility ignored…’

I love this fragment from the story “Luna Lacuna” by Laura Montgomery. It is a throwaway line, showing us something about one of the characters. Ways that people carry their responsibilities in (science) fictional environments is one of Ms. Montgomery’s specialities, and this story is no exception. The central premise of the story, asking whether there is a secret moon base, also involves lots of old imaging of the moon. The story hit a nerve there. I remember my father practically bouncing into the house saying he had pictures of the moon from Surveyor 7. Surveyors 1 thru 6 had failed quite thoroughly. He was so excited, wanting to show his children these incredible artifacts. They were so … gray. Nowadays I can often see craters in 3D in space pictures, but I couldn’t that night. Anyway, the story includes a lot of imaginative detail about the duties people would have, if there were lots of launches going on all the time, and Ms. Montgomery finds clever ways to slip this information into the story. So, fun.

“The Pattern,” by Avery Parks, turns on the problems of debris in space, including old satellites, and micrometeorites, and the threat they represent. The neurodivergent protagonist studies patterns in data to identify coming trouble. Several other stories also turn on questions of debris.

“Not a War” by Harry Turtledove features drugs in the asteroid belt. It also discusses avoiding stuff that’s been shot at you in space. Some different tactics for dodging bullets are explained. Interesting.

As a way to find out about the Space Force this book works, but the mix of essays and fiction is not my first choice. I’m not familiar with many of these authors though I think a serious Science Fiction fan would be; that probably skews my review. Also, there’s a bit of annoying wokeness in some of the stories.

My summary would be that the book is worth reading, but it’s probably best taken in small doses.