Best SF: 1968

The Year's Best Science Fiction #2

by Brian W. Aldiss (Editor), Harry Harrison (Editor), Samuel R. Delany (Contributor)

Contents:

Introduction by Harry Harrison
Budget Planet by Robert Sheckley
Appointment on Prila by Bob Shaw
Lost Ground by David I. Masson
The Rime of the Ancient SF Author, or Conventions and Recollections by J. R. Pierce
The Annex by John D. MacDonald
Segregationist by Isaac Asimov
Final War by K. M. O'Donnell
2001: A Space Odyssey, review by Lester del Rey
2001: A Space Odyssey, review by Samuel R. Delany
2001: A Space Odyssey, review by Ed Emshwiller
Apeman, Superman-or 2001's Answer to the World Riddle by Leon E. Stover
The Serpent of Kundalini by Brian W. Aldiss
Golden Acres by Kit Reed
Criminal in Utopia by Mack Reynolds
One Station of the Way by Fritz Leiber
Sweet Dreams, Melissa by Stephen Goldin
To the Dark Star by Robert Silverberg
Afterword: The House That Jules Built by Brian W. Aldiss

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Adventure

245 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1969

About the author

Pseudonyms: Jael Cracken, Peter Pica, John Runciman, C.C. Shackleton, Arch Mendicant, & "Doc" Peristyle.

Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.

Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads

Reviews

[Spinwallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

the second story: appointment on prila by bob shaw is brilliant
very good collection

[Philip Wyeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

So-so collection here, and considering how big some of the names are, a bit of a disappointment overall.

BEST
-“Appointment on Prila”: Bob Shaw delivers a real winner! After an intentionally mystifying first act, this tale finds tactile urgency during an imperiled interplanetary mission. It's got the perfect mix of all the thoughtful elements that make for great science fiction reading.
-“The Annex”: John D. MacDonald delivers a dark and cryptic Kafka-esque experience. “The Annex” is an intense and concerning journey into a man's mind as he wanders through a city at night. It's perhaps a bit too obscure, with references and details that don't always lead to concrete takeaways or resolution... But still, this hits as a story where Brian Aldiss's equally mysterious tale misses the mark.

VERY GOOD
-"Sweet Dreams, Melissa": Strong but very short piece which I suppose is a dramatized or humanized thought exercise. Still, it was effective and made me curious to see what else Stephen Goldin has written.
-"Criminal in Utopia": Mack Reynolds offers an engaging mini-adventure with good pacing, clever flavors, real danger, and a good twist at the end that warrants a thumbs-up. True, it may not have aged perfectly, but at least the story was a real science fiction piece with a satisfying balance of the requisite genre elements.

OKAY
-"Segregationist": Asimov's short contribution is clever but lazy. Yes, you'll go back and read the story a second time, but it won't be as rewarding as you would have hoped, or as it should be.
-"One Station of the Way": Fritz Leiber does a bit better than Sheckley while working off the premise of gods and planets. Still, I found the writing style in the first quarter of the story too intentionally awkward, and the abrupt tone shift to what the story was really about didn't grab me. A decent attempt, but just not executed or embodying of my personal preferences.
-"To the Dark Star": One of the few actual “science fiction” stories in this collection courtesy of Robert Silverberg. Has a good mix of human drama, aspirational science with a philosophical bent, and a critical moment upon which the drama hinges. But... it's not as “active” as it could have been, and I think a similar story by Harry Harrison called “The Gods Themselves Throw Incense” is executed more successfully.

NOT SO GOOD
-"Budget Planet": I am a Robert Sheckley fan, especially his novel The Status Civilization, which was immediate, intimate, not overly long, and had a nice balance of ideas and world-building. But the story here comes off as a heavy-handed allegory, and isn't as clever or thoughtful as intended. I expect better from Sheckley, and less silliness when he's being playful.
-"Lost Ground": I guess you could call this ambitious in scope, but David I. Masson's unique riff on time travel was more like fantasy with a slice of steampunk than sci-fi, so not my personal style. Cleverly imaginative, but mostly pointless.
-"2001: A Space Odyssey - Some Selected Reviews": I can understand the inclusion of essays about such a groundbreaking film at the time, but the pro and con reviews didn't hold any interest for me, even though I love the film.
-"Golden Acres": Kit Reed delivers a fast-moving and fantastical grim tale of what becomes of the unwanted elderly. Again, hard to think of this as “science fiction,” let alone for inclusion in a year's best collection of the genre. The tone is uniquely light and brisk despite the dark subject matter, but I suppose I prefer how this topic was packaged in the movie Happy Gilmore...

THE DUDS
-"Final War": I truly appreciate Barry N. Malzberg (billed here as K.M. O'Donnell), but could not get into this novella at all. In fact, at first I nearly mistook it for the equally uncompelling satirical take on the military by George Alec Effinger called “Curtains.” I skimmed through this; nothing was retained.
-"The Serpent of Kundalini": Completely baffling journey of a character named Charteris, who the author apparently also used in other stories. Reads more like Jean-Paul Sartre or some other alienated mid-20th century European literary writer, than anything related to science fiction. Brian W. Aldiss also wrote the afterward for this collection, and I found it much more enjoyable.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Golden Era of Science Fiction is generally considered to be from 1938 to 1946 (or so Google tells me) but for me, the Golden Era was in the late 1960s to 1980. Once we got to see what was on the other side of the moon, a lot of previous Golden Era sci-fi seemed embarassing. 1968 was a banner year for sci fi and not just because the movie 2001: A Space Oddessy had been released.



Here we have all that the wacky worlds of 1968 had to offer sci fi -- from the good, solid satire of "Budget Planet"; the kick-ass "Segregationist" by the late, great kick-ass writer Dr. Isaac Asimov and the Twilight Zone-esque of Stephen Goldin's "Sweet Dreams, Melissa."

There are a couple of bummers here, such as a bad poem mocking science fiction writers and sci fi conventions which is totally outdated; and not one, not two -- but FOUR reviews of 2001: A Space Oddessy. I know it was an important film, but GEEZ...



There are also a couple of oft-anthologized stories such as Fritz Leiber's lengthy "One Station of the Way" -- one of those very American stories that goes on forever and seems to be leading up to something important and then fizzles and everybody else loves it except me. Or so it seems. But other than these hiccups, this is a healthy dose of genuine sci fi. I wish my library had more in this series than just two books. I may be forced to actually buy some.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, I think Harrison, rather than Aldiss, should be listed first.
In any case, it's a mixed bag, as are most short story collections. Rounded up because the Sheckley and Asimov are pretty good. I think that I chose to read this either because it fell into my hands, or because it was published after the Star Trek tv series and before we landed on the Moon. As it happens, it includes referents to the ground-breaking movie '2001.' (Four reviews. Del Rey despised it. The others admired its cinematography.) Also includes intro & afterward.

[Odhran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not particularly taken with any of the stories in this book - they were all fairly humdrum, including a few stylistic clunkers and "BUT WAIT GOD WAS A SCIENTIST"-kinda twists. And the Aldiss afterword is exactly the opposite of what science fiction should be (fuck primitivism.) Not terrible, just meh.

[Ed]

ISFDB 244209. OCLC 41268796.