false 3 0 false false Mon May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 30 06:17:08 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 15:42:33 -0700 2008 Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse), you can't easily ask how each story is helping to advance or otherwise round-out the speculation or evaluation of that given theme. But that's OK; that's not why we pick up and read a collection like this. And it's a hazard we're willing -- nay: happy -- to take on.

That said, the rating for the collection here is a computed average of my ratings on the individual stories themselves. Out to four decimal places, the 24th Annual Collection scores: 3.3929

And now the individual ratings (with comments where I have them) based on the 5-star GoodReads scale:

(1) Cory Doctorow - "I, Row-Boat": ★★★

(2) Robert Charles Wilson - "Julian: A Christmas Story" ★★★
- Not sure how this one sits with me; a re-read might better inform whether it's holding up Christianity or vs. some ethical secularism but... Tough to say on the first hit. Also: steampunkish and yet not; definitely a post-Peak Oil tale and I wonder to myself if it wasn't short-listed for inclusion in Wastelands or not...

(3) Michael Swanwick - "Tin Marsh": ★★

(4) Ian McDonald - "The Djinn's Wife": ★★★★
- If you're too intimidated by River of Gods then this will almost serve as a substitute.

(5) Benjamin Rosenbaum - "The House Beyond Your Sky": ★★★
- Attempts depth but comes off as a bit opaque. A compact, dense story though and probably worth a re-read sometime.

(6) Kage Baker - "Where The Golden Apples Grow": ★★★
- Interesting and twisted take on the "Prince and the Pauper" fairy tale (though with two paupers). I wanted to like it a lot more but I found the story a bit predictable and maybe just a little pedantic. But I'm curious to see more by this gifted writer.

(7) Bruce McAllister - "Kin": ★★
- Couldn't relate; felt forced. Also: where's "the greater good" in exceptions?

(8) Alastair Reynolds - "Signal to Noise" ★★★★★
- Wow; head-spinningly good.

(9) Jay Lake & Ruth Nestvold - "The Big Ice": ★★★
- Action for action; great for what it is.

(10) Gregory Benford - "Bow Shock": ★★★

(11) Justin Stanchfield - "In the River": ★★★★★
- This is a good one to rub up against Blindsight for comparison.

(12) Walter Jon Williams - "Incarnation Day": ★★★★
- Nice use of voice and tone; also: it's like a post-human Pinocchio!

(13) Greg Van Eekhout - "Far as You Can Go": ★★★★

(14) Robert Reed - "Good Mountain": ★★★
- Had trouble getting into this one; too far afield?

(15) David D. Levine - "I Hold My Father's Paws": ★★★

(16) Paul J. McAuley - "Dead Men Walking": ★★

(17) Mary Rosenblum - "Home Movies": ★★★
- A la PKD, but not enough D.

(18) Daryl Gregory - "Damascus": ★★★
- I liked this better as that X-Files episode. (You know the one I'm talking about? the one from Season Two?) Also: I don't get the title. (Seems such a shame, had so much potential...)

(19) Jack Skillingstead - "Life on the Preservation": ★★
- I wanted to like it but it seemed like a bit of a warm-up...

(20) Paolo Bacigalupi - "Yellow Card Man": ★★★★
- Heavy and cynical and intense and sometimes a little hard to follow. Worth a re-read to pull it all together.

(21) Greg Egan - "Riding the Crocodile": ★★★

(22) Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette - "The Ile of Dogges": ★★
- Trying to hard to be exactly what it is?

(23) Ken MacLeod - "The Highway Men": ★★★★

(24) Stephen Baxter - "The Pacific Mystery": ★★★★

(25) Carolyn Ives Gilman - "Okanoggan Falls": ★★★★

(26) John Barnes - "Every Hole Is Outlined": ★★★★

(27) A.M. Dellamonica - "The Town on Blighted Sea": ★★★★★

(28) Alastair Reynolds - "Nightingale": ★★★★★

BONUS ROUND: pace of reading (for comparison purposes only)



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