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The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection (The Year's Best Science Fiction #26)
by
Gardner R. Dozois ,
Stephen Baxter, C.C. Finlay (Goodreads Author), James L. Cambias, Michael Swanwick, Maureen F. McHugh, Geoff Ryman, Gwyneth Jones
,
more…
The thirty stories in this collection imaginatively take us far across the universe, into the very core of our beings, to the realm of the gods, and the moment just after now. Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including: Paolo Bacigalupi, Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Aliete de Bodard, James L. Cambias, Greg Egan, Charles Col
Hardcover, 688 pages
Published
June 23rd 2009
by St. Martin's Press
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Definitely Read (5 stars):
Shining Armour | Dominic Green - Old man, exercises, city defense
The Ray-Gun: A Love Story | James Alan Gardner - Best opening I've read in a long long time. Warning: Talks about sex (not explicitly). Sags a tiny bit in the middle. Makes up for it overall.
Probably Read (4 stars):
An Eligible Boy | Ian McDonald - Indian Dating
Balancing Accounts | James L. Cambias - Robot Special Delivery
Special Economics | Maureen F. McHugh - Pesky capitalism
Days of Wonder | Geoff Byman...more
Shining Armour | Dominic Green - Old man, exercises, city defense
The Ray-Gun: A Love Story | James Alan Gardner - Best opening I've read in a long long time. Warning: Talks about sex (not explicitly). Sags a tiny bit in the middle. Makes up for it overall.
Probably Read (4 stars):
An Eligible Boy | Ian McDonald - Indian Dating
Balancing Accounts | James L. Cambias - Robot Special Delivery
Special Economics | Maureen F. McHugh - Pesky capitalism
Days of Wonder | Geoff Byman...more
My favorite story from this collection was "N-Words" by Ted Kosmatka. It's another take on "The Ugly Little Boy," except in this case the Neandertal children aren't swarthy and brutish-- "they had spent ten times longer in light-starved Northern Europe than a typical Swede's ancestors" and their brains were larger than modern humans, so they were smart and sensitive, as well as ultra-strong. But they were more calorie-expensive than us, so they died out when hard times came. Basically Betamax to...more
There's a fundamental problem with publishing something under the title of "Year's Best," which is that "best" is one of those words that's completely subjective. As you read a collection that is supposed to be the best of the year, when you inevitably hit a story you don't care for, you find yourself saying, "Really? This is the best that 2008 had to offer?" And when you notice that stories you read that year and really, really loved aren't included, you feel like there's been a slight. (And th...more
Feb 11, 2012
Mike Ehlers
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
hugo-nebula-campbell
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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My favorites were Rosenblum's "The Egg Man", and "Lester Young and the Jupiter's Moons' Blues" by Gord Sellar, the latter comparable to Howard Waldrop at his best. There were several other entertaining and inspiring stories. These included works by Baxter, Alastair Reynolds, Dominic Green, Karl Schroeder, Paul McAuley, an entertaining noir diversion by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, a very human story by Kress, and a tight little whodunnit by Aleitte de Bodard. Even if the best stories weren't the best...more
The 600+ pages of this book have something for every reader in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. While I don't remember which story led me to this collection, I enjoyed most of it, skimming over only a few stories that didn't grab me. These anthologies are a good way to discover new writers, and there are some that I will definitely be on the lookout for.
The 2008 edition of the best annual SF anthology around. Good stories by Kress, Finlay, Gardner, Reynolds and McDonald, among others As I lose contact with the world of short SF, Dozois's anthology is still worth the time, and at more than 600 pages of trade paperback small print, worth the money as well.
Actually listened to Hannu Rajaniemi's His Master's Voice on Escape Pod, but it's in this book too:
http://escapepod.org/2009/12/03/ep227...
Tech enhanced dog & cat. Interesting but confusing. Reminded me of Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely's gorgeous but violent WE3 comic.
http://escapepod.org/2009/12/03/ep227...
Tech enhanced dog & cat. Interesting but confusing. Reminded me of Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely's gorgeous but violent WE3 comic.
1/15/12: "Turing's Apples" by Stephen Baxter
1/16/12: "From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled" by Michael Swanwick
1/16/12: "Five Thrillers" by Robert Reed
1/17/12: "City of the Dead" by Paul J. McAuley
1/18/12: "Crystal Nights" by Greg Egan
1/21/12: "G-Men" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
1/16/12: "From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled" by Michael Swanwick
1/16/12: "Five Thrillers" by Robert Reed
1/17/12: "City of the Dead" by Paul J. McAuley
1/18/12: "Crystal Nights" by Greg Egan
1/21/12: "G-Men" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
In "The Political Prisoner" by Charles Coleman Finlay, "The Ray-Gun a love story" by James Alan Gardner and "The Tear" by Ian McDonald are three of the most awesomest and favorite short stories I have read.
The one sci-fi anthology to read every year. Filled w/ technology years ahead of anything else and littered w/thought provoking examinations of what it means to be human.
Short stories are great to read during busy times of year and this book provided some great short escapes during the hectic Thanksgiving-to-Christmas time this year.
I've read several of these...this is just the latest that I got my hands on. Always a fun read even if Dozois tends to enjoy some things that I don't.
Just not enough good stuff for me to give it a higher rating this year.
I haven't read much short SF lately. It was good to be back.
Excellent collection of science fiction stories as usual.
great stuff as always
Nice diverse collecction
Always good!
About half of the stories in this anthology are quality SF. I like SF that leans toward hard or at least has some elements of technology, evolved or alien beings, or interesting concepts. I especially liked Five Thrillers by Robert Reed, Balancing Accounts by James L. Cambias, The Ray Gun: A Love Story by James Alan Gardner, Boojum by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, and at least five others. The remaining stories were either boring, poorly written, or both. Four stars could be a little bit gen...more
For my taste, winners include Turing's Apples, Ray Gun (best), N-words (second best), I also like the "Political Prisoner" for its grim evocation of a theocratic police state. I liked the "Lester Young" story too, even though it was raw and unpolished. It had some interesting ideas and mood setting. Not a great ending. Anyway it's important that stories like that see the light. There are too many polished science fiction writers out there with small ideas. If I want that I'll read the New Yorker...more
Another cracking collection. I buy these every year, and while individual stories may not always be my cup of tea, there's always loads I like.
There are two stories by Ian McDonald, one of my favourite authors, one which I had already read in Cyberabad Days, another which was new. There are plenty of other great stories, and no story is too long. It's ideal for long journeys as you won't get bored!
There are two stories by Ian McDonald, one of my favourite authors, one which I had already read in Cyberabad Days, another which was new. There are plenty of other great stories, and no story is too long. It's ideal for long journeys as you won't get bored!
i didn't love every story, but i certainly enjoyed many more than i disliked. i originally was interested in this collection for the hannu rajemini story after hearing it on escape pod. it remains one of my favorite short stories. only real downside is this was not something i ever wanted to carry on the subway due to it's size, so it took quite a while to get through just reading at home.
Surprised to find in this year's anthology a story I'd already read: Five Thrillers. (But the copyright page says original publication of Five Thrillers was in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, to which I do not subscribe. Mysterious.)
Also in this year's anthology: a few clunkers, stories that seemed overlong or under-plotted. But overall worth reading.
Also in this year's anthology: a few clunkers, stories that seemed overlong or under-plotted. But overall worth reading.
3 stories that stood out and should satify the harhest critics out there or if you dont have the time to read the entire book which is rather lengthy. they are:
- the monkey short story
- the erdmann nexus
- the ray gun
- the monkey short story
- the erdmann nexus
- the ray gun
Demoted to two stars only when compared to other years from the same collection, because I usually come away wowed, and didn't feel that with this one.
For me, this was a mixed bag. Some of the stories were very good, some were mediocre, some were way too long. In fact, I'd say that long stories must have been favored.
Most of these stories are brilliant. Some are of the "can't put it down till you're finished" variety, the only one I didn't like was the very last one that just didn't grab me after the first few pages I quit trying to understand what was going on. But over all a great collection.
Best SF22 follows on in the footsteps of the 21 previous volumes, and again shows the huge breadth and depth of the SF field.
SF21 reignited my hunger for short SF fiction, and this continues to feed that hunger.
SF21 reignited my hunger for short SF fiction, and this continues to feed that hunger.
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Gardner Raymond Dozois (born July 23, 1947) is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004. He has won multiple Hugo and Nebula awards, both as an editor and a writer of short fiction.
Wikipedia entry: Gardner R. Dozois
http://us.macmillan.com/author/gardne...
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Wikipedia entry: Gardner R. Dozois
http://us.macmillan.com/author/gardne...
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