Rating: 
Summary: An astonishingly good collection
Review: -----------------------------------------------------------
I'm slow reading Axiomatic, I guess, because I put it on my "to read"
list back in 1995, when the Commonwealth edition was published,
and missed the US release.Better late than never -- it's a terrific collection, a must-read for
short-story and Egan fans. And I do mean *short* -- the longest story
here is 28 pages, and the average length is 16. All were first published
in 1990-92, when Egan was making his reputation. If you read the
Dozois Year's Best, you've seen "The Caress", in which a leopard-
woman chimera is created by a millionaire with way too much time
on his hands, to "realize"the eponymous, & famous, 1896 Belgian
Symbolist painting -- Egan's harried policeman-protagonist is drafted
to play the male caressor. This was his sixth(!)-published story, and it
has many of his trademarks: more good ideas than most novels, an
understated future-Australia setting, clean, transparent prose and a
helluva story. Well -- I could rattle on about individual stories, but in my usual
slothful fashion I'll refer you to others who've already done so --
personally, I don't find 2-3 line summaries of short stories to be
helpful (but YMMV). What I *can* say is, you'll find all of the
virtues of Egan's novels here, and few of the faults. There's really
not a weak story in the bunch. You can sample the excellent
scientific-romance "Closer", and "The Moral Virologist", a rather
loathsome Tiptree-inspired ("Last Flight of Dr. Ahn"/ "Screwfly
Solution") piece (plus some later stories) at Egan's website:
www.netspace.net.au/~gregegan/ [Google if Amazon censors it] Happy reading!
Pete Tillman
Rating:
Summary: Speculative fiction the way it should be
Review: Axiomatic was the first of Greg Egan's books I read. Halfway through the first story it grabbed me the way my first Bradbury, Niven or Brin did - and refused to let go. Be prepared to suspend your sense of disbelief, for Egan puts some pretty strange worlds together. Not all the stories are on target but those that are score bullseyes. If you like speculative fiction where the story can come second to the idea or the world in which it takes places, then Egan is for you. Also highly recommended (give it some time, it will reward you): Permutation City - cyberspace used as never before!
Rating:
Summary: A great mix of Science and fiction - with twist and humour
Review: For me this was my first Grea Egan experience and I was plesently suprised. If you like science fiction with a serious bit of SCIENCE in it then this is for you, there is a fair bit of narrative that analyses the impact of technology on the human species and ponders those 'What if ?' questions. All neatly done with though provoking scenarios neatly rapped up in a great little short stories. A great book for lunchtimes and short breaks Cheers and enjoy
Rating:
Summary: Great little short stories
Review: Greg Egan's strength certainly lies in short stories. His ideas are fascinating, and though his characterisation is minimal and serves only to advance the plot or his ideas, the ideas alone make this worth a read. Concept-driven hard SF at its best
Rating:
Summary: The most stunning sf collection in years.
Review: I can't think of a single book packed with more ideas than Axiomatic. Greg Egan thinks like no one else alive.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Hard SF
Review: I found "Permutation City" at a used book store last summer and was so taken by it I ended up buying all of Egan's books, going so far as to order "Axiomatic" and "Dispora" from a British bookstore, since they're not yet availabke in the US. It was worth the trouble--"Axiomatic" is a collection no SF fan should be without. Egan is one of the very few writers doing true science fiction, where the science is an integral part of the story. You'll be rereading these stories for years.
Rating:
Summary: A collection of gems
Review: I'm writing this review not having read the book for a long time, but it grows in my estimation with time, and I often think about the stories. They are classic examples of "Hard SF," but have the perfection of logical puzzles or chess problems. They seem to spring from abstract speculations about physics, biology, or philosphy, but are turned into affecting and involving vignettes and characters that often leave you stunned and moved. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: A collection of gems
Review: I'm writing this review not having read the book for a long time, but it grows in my estimation with time, and I often think about the stories. They are classic examples of "Hard SF," but have the perfection of logical puzzles or chess problems. They seem to spring from abstract speculations about physics, biology, or philosphy, but are turned into affecting and involving vignettes and characters that often leave you stunned and moved. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing collection of great stories!
Review: If you love sci-fi books you have to think to fully understand - this book is for you! Actually, I'd say, most of Greg Egan's books are for you. This is a collection of short stories, unlike any I have ever read (and I love reading these collections! ). Almost every single one of them is extraordinary. At times I had to slow down, and try to grasp what he means in order to continue, but once I got it, it just made the story more enjoyable. If you're a hard core sci-fi reader - buy this book! You won't regret this desicion. :)
Rating: 
Summary: A good, if one-note, collection
Review: Please note: In protest against Amazon's policy of forcing customer reviewers to indicate a numerical rating, I now rate all books I review "three stars." These are good stories: thought-provoking, readable, and inventive. The title story, "Axiomatic," does something that only science fiction ever does: uses speculation about a new technology to make a rather chilling observation about human behavior. However, the collection is thematically repetitive. Egan seems preoccupied with epistemological questions (how do we know what we know? how do we use information to understand the world and ourselves?) and questions of identity (what is an individual person? how do various technologies affect character?). Many of his characters seem to lead fragmented existences, their personalities and experiences taken over by drugs or hardware so that they aren't private or continuous. I find this interesting, but after a while it's hard to remember which story is which; they all begin to blur together. This is not necessarily all bad -- Philip Dick made an entire brilliant career of obsession with some of the same themes. But Egan isn't Dick, and the collection, while worth reading, eventually disappoints.
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