Shikari in Galveston
Encyclopedia
Shikari in Galveston is an alternate history short story
written by S. M. Stirling
. It is a prequel to The Peshawar Lancers
.
Shikari in Galveston takes place in Texas
a century after a meteor shower devastated North America and Europe. The disaster led to a society in Texas that has evolved into a mixture of Native American and European society. The British Empire, or the Angrezi Raj, has been expanding its influence into the area using Galveston
as a base.
British cavalry officer Eric King, is assembling a hunting party which includes the revenge seeking Sonjuh, who lost her family to the cannibals and Robre, a young hunter of the Cross Plains tribe who hopes to earn a rare rifle from King. Meanwhile Russian agents plan to incite a tribe of cannibals to destroy the British allied tribes of former Texas.
and H. Rider Haggard
, fiction that can no longer be set in the explored, post-colonial world.
said the story "succeeds in delivering action-packed adventure and hair's-breadth escapes" but stated the story ended too soon and read more like a compact version of a novel. Steven H Silver
said that the story reads like a Haggard set in an unexplored African continent, but complained that Stirling focuses on the world and the technology rather than the characters.
Worlds That Weren't which included stories by Harry Turtledove
, Mary Gentle
, and Walter John Williams.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by S. M. Stirling
S. M. Stirling
Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.-Personal:Stirling was born on...
. It is a prequel to The Peshawar Lancers
The Peshawar Lancers
The Peshawar Lancers is an alternate history, steampunk, post-apocalyptic fiction adventure novel by S. M. Stirling, with its point of divergence occurring in 1878 when the Earth is struck by a devastating meteor shower...
.
Plot summary
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
a century after a meteor shower devastated North America and Europe. The disaster led to a society in Texas that has evolved into a mixture of Native American and European society. The British Empire, or the Angrezi Raj, has been expanding its influence into the area using Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
as a base.
British cavalry officer Eric King, is assembling a hunting party which includes the revenge seeking Sonjuh, who lost her family to the cannibals and Robre, a young hunter of the Cross Plains tribe who hopes to earn a rare rifle from King. Meanwhile Russian agents plan to incite a tribe of cannibals to destroy the British allied tribes of former Texas.
"Why Then, There"
Accompanying Shikari in Galveston in Worlds That Weren't was an afterword by Stirling entitled Why Then, There. Stirling makes it clear that he uses alternate history to write adventure fiction in the tradition of Edgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
and H. Rider Haggard
H. Rider Haggard
Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. He was also involved in agricultural reform around the British Empire...
, fiction that can no longer be set in the explored, post-colonial world.
Literary significance and reception
Rick Kleffel called the story "fascinating and thought-provoking" and described an action scene as a "reader's equivalent of a wild thrill sequence from great popcorn movie", but complained about the language making the story difficult to read. Strange HorizonsStrange Horizons
Strange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue....
said the story "succeeds in delivering action-packed adventure and hair's-breadth escapes" but stated the story ended too soon and read more like a compact version of a novel. Steven H Silver
Steven H Silver
Steven H Silver is an American science fiction fan and bibliographer, publisher, and editor. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer ten times and Best Fanzine three times without winning....
said that the story reads like a Haggard set in an unexplored African continent, but complained that Stirling focuses on the world and the technology rather than the characters.
Publication history
Shikari in Galveston was originally published in 2003 in the alternate history anthologyAnthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Worlds That Weren't which included stories by Harry Turtledove
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
, Mary Gentle
Mary Gentle
-Literary career:Mary Gentle's first published novel was Hawk in Silver , a young-adult fantasy. She came to prominence with the Orthe duology, which consists of Golden Witchbreed and Ancient Light ....
, and Walter John Williams.
External links
- Worlds That Weren't on Google Books - includes Shikari in Galveston
- Sample section on author's website