I’ve been reading The World’s Best Science Fiction 28 when I get the chance, and the latest story I read, “The Emperor of Mars” was quite a treat. Sure, the plot was a bit predictable (I’m not sure that it wasn’t supposed to be), but it was a real treat for me, as someone who has a soft spot for the Golden Era of Sci-Fi. Spoilers and a short review after the jump.

I knew, as soon as the setup hit where this story was going, but I the real treat came somewhat later. When Jeff found the DVD of Mars related literature and audio on the Phoenix, I couldn’t help but think about the possibilities. The idea of someone finding an old disc of is really inspiring, especially with things like CCP’s “Skyward Sphere”, Richard Garriott’s “Operation Immortality”, and other, similar initiatives. Still, the idea of someone on Mars finding such an artifact, is a story that should have been told, and Allen M. Steele did an excellent job by feeding in the extra piece of madness.

While there was certainly a fair amount of obvious name-dropping, Allen captured both the external perspective of someone suffering severe depression and escaping into the fantasy of science fiction. This seemed especially potent as science fiction is often used as a form of escapism even for those not suffering severe depression.

As all really good reads, this story made me think. My mind wandered in two very different directions. First, what must it look like to someone on the outside when gamers talk about fantasy events and characters as real people? How easily is it misinterpreted as someone losing touch? Second, what would it be like for someone in the far future to come across a time capsule? This story definitely gives one peek, but what if the information they found was mine? That’s something I’m sure I’ll never know, but I someone hope that someone else will.