Infinity Wars edited by Jonathan Strahan. Book review

Infinity wars is not all about military, gung-ho action, although there is an element of that within many of the stories. The collection is chiefly about exploring the subject from many different angles, sometimes very indirectly, as civilians far from the action gradually find their lives changing in a world where the effects of war begin to impose on their lives. But there is also room for considering how the actions of an individual might have a direct impact on the morale of the population or even influence potential military interaction between political powers.

Certainly, the stories are very much about the individual, and the morality, and horror of conflict. But there is also time for humour and moments of tenderness, with the sinister, urgent undercurrent of tension of something dire about to happen. There is also a good variety of writing styles, so that although the collection is linked under one theme there is no sense of sameness.

The stories do give pause for thought, because, no matter how sophisticated we become, the cause of war boils down to people starting and fighting them. The responses to conflict large or small also remains the same in principle, the difference is just the type of technology which is used to fight them.