Iron Pegasus by Brenda Cooper - A Short Story Review

Cynthia and her robot companion Harry are travelling between asteroids, in their mining ship, when they receive a distress call and are obligated to reply.

There is something off about the situation as it is being transmitted by the companion robot of the ship in question.

I enjoyed the lived-in feel of the asteroid belt, sure there are folks about, making a living from the ores but the distances are incredible and it is a very lonely career.

I enjoyed how practical and yet human Cynthia’s relationship was with her robot companion.  They are very much a team.


This was an excellent mystery with an undertone of danger that required careful navigation.

A terrific addition to the collection.  I am very happy that I made the purchase.

Brenda Cooper’s website - http://www.brenda-cooper.com/

Brenda Cooper

The Hebras and The Demons and the Damned by Brenda Cooper

Even though this is a story about colonists trying to survive on a new planet it really lacked the SFness I like.

To me, there has to be some technology involved otherwise it's just literary fiction hiding on another world.

These colonists are trying to cope with the indigenous wildlife by domesticating a herd of "space-horses" while being aware that they could be attacked by a pack of "space-wolves" at any moment.

This is rally just a western, a ranching story; I'm well aware of the Space Western sub-genre but at least that type of fiction has fun blending the tech with the tumbleweeds.

I was constantly taken out of the story by my thoughts that this could just as easily been set in Africa or Wyoming in the 19th century.

Sure, it all works as SF, but just not for me. I guess I found it too western and not enough space.

Cooper's writing, however, is superb, she kept me engaged enough that I kept reading to the end. I'm not afraid to quit a story if I'm not enjoying it. Cooper had a confident way of telling the story that kept me reading.

To me, the best example of space-western is Firefly.

Would I read more from Cooper? Absolutely, she's that good.

Brenda Cooper

The author's website is HERE.

Brenda Cooper's Bibliography is HERE

First published in Analog December 2010