Mirabile (novel)
Fix-up novel of short stories set on planet Mirabile.
Mirabile, a science fiction novel by American author Janet Kagan, was released in 1991. It collects a series of short stories originally printed in *Asimov's Science Fiction* starting in 1989, all set on the same planet. Tor Books published the compilation.
The story takes place on the planet Mirabile, which was settled by generation ships. These ships carried seed banks and frozen embryos of every Earth species the colonists might need, all genetically engineered to generate the correct species when triggered. However, many of the instructions were lost during the journey. Decades after the colonists arrived, the engineered animals and plants continue to cause trouble—both on their own and through clashes with Mirabile's native life.
The book includes the stories "The Loch Moose Monster" (1989), "The Return of the Kangaroo Rex" (1989), "The Flowering Inferno" (1990), "Getting the Bugs Out" (1990), "Raising Cane" (1991), and "Frankenswine" (1991).
Critics offered mixed reactions. Gardner Dozois described the stories as among the most popular ever published in *Asimov's*. Jo Walton called them "sweet" and praised the narrator's "amazing authentic voice, distinctive, individual and funny," but considered the work "fairly slight," comparing it unfavorably to Kagan's earlier novel *Hellspark*. James Nicoll called it "truly glorious," though he noted that the attempts to stitch the short pieces into a novel felt perfunctory. In 2013, the *New York Review of Science Fiction* placed *Mirabile* on its list of 200 significant science fiction books by women.
- Author
- Janet Kagan
- Published
- 1991
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Type
- Fix-up novel
- Publisher
- Tor Books
- Setting
- Planet Mirabile
Lore & Background
When humanity sent generation ships to colonize the planet Mirabile, the cargo included seed banks and cryopreserved embryos of every Earth species the colonists might need, genetically engineered to produce more Earth species on cue. However, many of the instructions were lost en route, and decades after arrival, the genetically-engineered fauna and flora are still causing problems — both by themselves, and in conflicts with native Mirabilan biota.
The novel collects six stories: 'The Loch Moose Monster' (1989), 'The Return of the Kangaroo Rex' (1989), 'The Flowering Inferno' (1990), 'Getting the Bugs Out' (1990), 'Raising Cane' (1991), and 'Frankenswine' (1991).
Reception has been mixed. Gardner Dozois said the stories were 'some of the most popular (...) ever published in Asimov's'. Jo Walton calls them 'sweet' and praises the narrator's 'amazing authentic voice', but judges the work as 'fairly slight', comparing it unfavorably to Kagan's 1988 novel Hellspark. James Nicoll praised it as 'truly glorious', but noted that 'the efforts to transform the original short pieces into a novel are perfunctory'.
Reader's Guide
Mirabile is significant as a fix-up novel that collects Janet Kagan's popular short stories from Asimov's Science Fiction, originally published between 1989 and 1991. The work is noted for its inventive premise of genetically engineered Earth species malfunctioning on a colony world, creating both humorous and challenging situations. Its legacy includes being listed in 2013 by the New York Review of Science Fiction as one of 200 significant science fiction books by women. Critical reception is divided: while some praise the stories' popularity and the narrator's voice, others find the novel slight or note that the integration of the short pieces into a cohesive novel is perfunctory. The book remains a reference point for discussions of fix-up novels and women's contributions to science fiction.
Did You Know?
- Mirabile is a fix-up of short stories originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction beginning in 1989.
- The novel includes the story 'The Loch Moose Monster', published in 1989.
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