What do you think?
Rate this book
Annual World's Best SF #17
The 1988 Annual World's Best SF
Book by
303 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Donald A. Wollheim
297 books36 followersDonald Allen Wollheim was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. He published his own works under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell.
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 10, 2021
Those of you who have seen my reviews in the past know that I am a few years behind in my reading (darn work, anyway!). I am reading the books I own, in the order that I purchased them, hence the 1988 Best SF, in 2021.
I originally purchased Donald Wollheim's "Annual" books, knowing I would not be able to read them at the time I bought them, because they were always of the highest quality, and this one did not disappoint me.
The book is full of top-notch, and some of my favorite, authors, making a four-star review a slam dunk. But, the final story, by an author with whom I was not familiar, kicked my star rating to a five. High praise, indeed!
My all-time favorite short story has been "The Little Black Bag," written by C. M. Kornbluth. "All Fall Down," by Don Sakers, the final story in this excellent volume, pushed my thought process very hard. Admittedly, I am going to stay with Kornbluth, but this story is darn close.
I won't go into detail about the plot, because I encourage you to try to find the story, and read it for yourself, without any outside influence on your enjoyment. Just to whet your appetite, the main protagonist is a member of the most intelligent species in the universe, trees!
I have read, and enjoyed, "The Little Black Bag," many times. I can guarantee you, gentle reader, that I will do the same with "All Fall Down." And, I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy it, too.
I originally purchased Donald Wollheim's "Annual" books, knowing I would not be able to read them at the time I bought them, because they were always of the highest quality, and this one did not disappoint me.
The book is full of top-notch, and some of my favorite, authors, making a four-star review a slam dunk. But, the final story, by an author with whom I was not familiar, kicked my star rating to a five. High praise, indeed!
My all-time favorite short story has been "The Little Black Bag," written by C. M. Kornbluth. "All Fall Down," by Don Sakers, the final story in this excellent volume, pushed my thought process very hard. Admittedly, I am going to stay with Kornbluth, but this story is darn close.
I won't go into detail about the plot, because I encourage you to try to find the story, and read it for yourself, without any outside influence on your enjoyment. Just to whet your appetite, the main protagonist is a member of the most intelligent species in the universe, trees!
I have read, and enjoyed, "The Little Black Bag," many times. I can guarantee you, gentle reader, that I will do the same with "All Fall Down." And, I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy it, too.
November 5, 2018
Introduction - Wollheim posits that science fiction written late in a century never accurately predicts what the biggest technology of the next century would be, i.e. late 18th century authors didn't think of the steam engine; late 19th century authors didn't really dip into the ubiquity of cars and airplanes, rockets, atomic power, etc. What will authors of 1988 miss about the 21st century? My guess was either smartphones, personal computers and/or hacking of elections.
The Pardoner's Tale by Robert Silverberg - aliens have swiftly taken over the Earth and walled off what major cities are left. Most of humanity are slaves of some kind or another. A hacker called a pardoner can free you from whatever task you've "won" in a job lottery and can even get you out of the city...for a price.
In a way this story had all the silly lingo of cyberpunk, like Silverberg was trying to keep up with the kids and it didn't quite work, but overall the story worked really well for me. The idea that humanity almost instantly lost and now has to do incredibly dangerous tasks for their overlords created a bleak hopeless atmosphere that the supremely confident main character's cockiness doesn't quite dispel. Silverberg revisits this world later in subsequent stories and I'm glad he does.
Rachel in Love by Pat Cadigan - a researcher focusing on human consciousness loses his beloved daughter in a car accident, and implants a copy of her mind into a chimpanzee. The story begins with the researcher's death from natural causes, and Rachel is forced to live on her own for the first time. The story kind of reminds me of Rise of the Planet of the Apes with its views on how people treat chimpanzees seen through the eyes of an unusually intelligent one. At first I found Rachel being both a teenage girl and a teenage chimp at the same time hard to follow, but by the end I had gotten into the rhythm of the story, and was rooting for her to make a life of her own.
America by Orson Scott Card - a tale about a 15 year old boy and a 42 year old woman, and their subsequent meeting 40 years later. He is the scion of a business empire and devout Mormon forced to help out his hated father . She is an indigenous social worker in Latin America. The spirit of America itself (?) forces these two into an affair which spawns a child who will eventually create separate but equal (?) homelands for its European and Native citizens.
I'd read this story before decades ago and I still find it very off-putting. The Americas deciding on creating a half-white savior figure is bizarre, the central underage romance is portrayed as forced onto both parties, the last holdout of the Anglos in North America being Deseret is never explained, and their meeting 40 years later feels almost completely unnecessary. The best and most memorable part of the story is the first line.
Crying in the rain by Tanith Lee - in the future there is such severe pollution that rain can kill you. The story is a reminiscence of a woman about her mother and how she found a better life for her away from the deadly poverty and pollution. Her mother was straight up abusive at times, both verbally and physically, yet could also be tender and supportive. Her new husband is distant and her new existence sounds lonely and emotionless. It's a very interesting story about everything from the role of a parent to income inequality.
The Sun Spider by Lucius Shepard - a rugged manly scientist with flowing long hair and a silky cape plus his bored unsatisfied wife arrive on a station orbiting the sun, looking for alien life. He finds a giant alien spider living in the sun, she learns how to love again.
Honestly I was pretty meh on this story. It felt like old fashioned sci-fi, but not in a fun way. The Sun Spider's motivations and powers were vague, the main characters were a deeply unhappy couple that only reconnect after one dies and becomes reborn, and the bad guy's whole motivation was to be #2 in discovering the Sun Spider. Great. Meh. I had more fun picturing a dude with long hair and a cape macking on bored space housewives.
Angel by Pat Cadigan - the narrator is a hermaphrodite on the run with their lover, an alien named Angel, who was sentenced to live on Earth after he refused to mate with his own kind.
It took way too long to find out just what Angel is and what he's doing, instead it's a lot of set-pieces of Angel using his supercool superhacker powers to get him and the narrator out of jams. I was pretty bored by this one.
Forever Yours, Anna by Kate Wilhelm - an odd story about a handwriting expert who falls in love with a woman he's never seen based solely on her handwriting and fragments of letters to her lover. If you can get over the central premise of falling in love through handwriting, the mystery of what happened to her is pretty compelling, and I didn't see the ending coming.
Second Going by James Tiptree, Jr - first contact is established with weird octopoid aliens on Mars, who come to Earth for a brief visit before going back to wandering the stars. Most of the story is devoted to the Angli's seemingly endless collection of quirks, including taking about a million random human volunteers with them and knowing all of their individual gods personally, culminating in a pretty neat surprise twist at the end. Honestly I felt that a good trimming in the middle (I honestly stopped caring about their kookiness about halfway through, they're weird, I get it) could've turned this from a pretty good to a great story.
Dinosaurs by Walter Jon Williams - something like 9 million years in the future mankind has radically changed. Drill, the "human" main character of the story is 18 feet tall, jet black floppy naked skin, with a floating detached id and memories. Drill's hobby is being an ambassador to "lesser" races, and his latest charges are flipping out over humanity's "war crimes" and "casual disregard to genocide".
Honestly I loved this story. It was weird, I had no idea where it was going, I loved learning about humanity's planned evolution and where it went wrong. It has things to say about privilege and class. My favorite story of the collection.
All Fall Down by Don Sakers - a representative from a race of sentient trees grapples with whether to help humanity defeat a 100% fatal plague or to just let them die out. It possesses a human child and follows a scientist on a brief survey of some planets before making its decision.
Being placed right next to the sublime Dinosaurs may have soured my taste on this one, as it is very similar story-wise but reversed, in that the elderly millennia old species are compassionate aliens. Ultimately it kind of won me over in the end but its dense writing style and familiar plot will probably make me forget it completely in a couple of weeks.
Overall, good stuff. The Pardoner's Tale, Rachel in Love, Crying in the Rain, and Dinosaurs bump this up to 4 stars for me.
The Pardoner's Tale by Robert Silverberg - aliens have swiftly taken over the Earth and walled off what major cities are left. Most of humanity are slaves of some kind or another. A hacker called a pardoner can free you from whatever task you've "won" in a job lottery and can even get you out of the city...for a price.
In a way this story had all the silly lingo of cyberpunk, like Silverberg was trying to keep up with the kids and it didn't quite work, but overall the story worked really well for me. The idea that humanity almost instantly lost and now has to do incredibly dangerous tasks for their overlords created a bleak hopeless atmosphere that the supremely confident main character's cockiness doesn't quite dispel. Silverberg revisits this world later in subsequent stories and I'm glad he does.
Rachel in Love by Pat Cadigan - a researcher focusing on human consciousness loses his beloved daughter in a car accident, and implants a copy of her mind into a chimpanzee. The story begins with the researcher's death from natural causes, and Rachel is forced to live on her own for the first time. The story kind of reminds me of Rise of the Planet of the Apes with its views on how people treat chimpanzees seen through the eyes of an unusually intelligent one. At first I found Rachel being both a teenage girl and a teenage chimp at the same time hard to follow, but by the end I had gotten into the rhythm of the story, and was rooting for her to make a life of her own.
America by Orson Scott Card - a tale about a 15 year old boy and a 42 year old woman, and their subsequent meeting 40 years later. He is the scion of a business empire and devout Mormon forced to help out his hated father . She is an indigenous social worker in Latin America. The spirit of America itself (?) forces these two into an affair which spawns a child who will eventually create separate but equal (?) homelands for its European and Native citizens.
I'd read this story before decades ago and I still find it very off-putting. The Americas deciding on creating a half-white savior figure is bizarre, the central underage romance is portrayed as forced onto both parties, the last holdout of the Anglos in North America being Deseret is never explained, and their meeting 40 years later feels almost completely unnecessary. The best and most memorable part of the story is the first line.
Crying in the rain by Tanith Lee - in the future there is such severe pollution that rain can kill you. The story is a reminiscence of a woman about her mother and how she found a better life for her away from the deadly poverty and pollution. Her mother was straight up abusive at times, both verbally and physically, yet could also be tender and supportive. Her new husband is distant and her new existence sounds lonely and emotionless. It's a very interesting story about everything from the role of a parent to income inequality.
The Sun Spider by Lucius Shepard - a rugged manly scientist with flowing long hair and a silky cape plus his bored unsatisfied wife arrive on a station orbiting the sun, looking for alien life. He finds a giant alien spider living in the sun, she learns how to love again.
Honestly I was pretty meh on this story. It felt like old fashioned sci-fi, but not in a fun way. The Sun Spider's motivations and powers were vague, the main characters were a deeply unhappy couple that only reconnect after one dies and becomes reborn, and the bad guy's whole motivation was to be #2 in discovering the Sun Spider. Great. Meh. I had more fun picturing a dude with long hair and a cape macking on bored space housewives.
Angel by Pat Cadigan - the narrator is a hermaphrodite on the run with their lover, an alien named Angel, who was sentenced to live on Earth after he refused to mate with his own kind.
It took way too long to find out just what Angel is and what he's doing, instead it's a lot of set-pieces of Angel using his supercool superhacker powers to get him and the narrator out of jams. I was pretty bored by this one.
Forever Yours, Anna by Kate Wilhelm - an odd story about a handwriting expert who falls in love with a woman he's never seen based solely on her handwriting and fragments of letters to her lover. If you can get over the central premise of falling in love through handwriting, the mystery of what happened to her is pretty compelling, and I didn't see the ending coming.
Second Going by James Tiptree, Jr - first contact is established with weird octopoid aliens on Mars, who come to Earth for a brief visit before going back to wandering the stars. Most of the story is devoted to the Angli's seemingly endless collection of quirks, including taking about a million random human volunteers with them and knowing all of their individual gods personally, culminating in a pretty neat surprise twist at the end. Honestly I felt that a good trimming in the middle (I honestly stopped caring about their kookiness about halfway through, they're weird, I get it) could've turned this from a pretty good to a great story.
Dinosaurs by Walter Jon Williams - something like 9 million years in the future mankind has radically changed. Drill, the "human" main character of the story is 18 feet tall, jet black floppy naked skin, with a floating detached id and memories. Drill's hobby is being an ambassador to "lesser" races, and his latest charges are flipping out over humanity's "war crimes" and "casual disregard to genocide".
Honestly I loved this story. It was weird, I had no idea where it was going, I loved learning about humanity's planned evolution and where it went wrong. It has things to say about privilege and class. My favorite story of the collection.
All Fall Down by Don Sakers - a representative from a race of sentient trees grapples with whether to help humanity defeat a 100% fatal plague or to just let them die out. It possesses a human child and follows a scientist on a brief survey of some planets before making its decision.
Being placed right next to the sublime Dinosaurs may have soured my taste on this one, as it is very similar story-wise but reversed, in that the elderly millennia old species are compassionate aliens. Ultimately it kind of won me over in the end but its dense writing style and familiar plot will probably make me forget it completely in a couple of weeks.
Overall, good stuff. The Pardoner's Tale, Rachel in Love, Crying in the Rain, and Dinosaurs bump this up to 4 stars for me.
April 1, 2011
This collection is stuffed with something for everyone. "The Pardoner's Tale," set in a future where people's jobs are conscripted and everyone has to do a turn at backbreaking labor no matter what your health condition is, The Pardoner could give you a break, for a price. "Rachel in Love" is a sweet story about a sentient simian. Personally, I found "America" by Orson Scott Card disturbing and a little sexually graphic. I believe "Crying in the Rain" was my favorite story in the book, I was so fascinated I couldn't lift my eyes from the page. I didn't fully understand "The Sun Spider" but it was interesting how the perspective shifted from the husband to the wife. "Angel" might be an angel or he might be something else, but he's sure nice to have around. I liked "Forever Yours, Anna" a lot because the science fiction-y twist didn't come until the end, and up until then it was kinda like a regular mystery. "Second Going" introduced us to a race of aliens called Angli, who seem very benevolent, but what exactly is their purpose here? Why did they choose to contact us? "Dinosaurs" was heartbreaking, and author Williams did a great job causing the reader to identify not with the humans in the tale, but with the aliens. The final tale, "All Fall Down" is somewhat of a sequel to a story in the 1984 collection called "The Leaves of October." It was fascinating to revisit the Hlutr, many years in the future, and see how they once again have to make a decision about whether the humans live or die.
January 21, 2022
How can people cope with the ever expanding universe of knowledge and access to power? Read and think--and enjoy. Science fiction is the food of the mind. It is not always prophecy and prediction.
Ah, 1988. The 80s are the decade I never experienced, but am still nostalgic for. Although, if the title of this book is accurate, I can't say I'm nostalgic for the science fiction of 1988. It wasn't terrible. Some of it was even good. But 'World's Best'? Nah.
The Pardoner's Tale
He wasn't worth a nickel anymore, but he was a free man. That's not such a terrible trade-off.
The editor throws around the word 'cyberpunk' in the introduction to the short story, Angel, later in this book, but I think that moniker better applies here. Biohacking! Fun little Neuromancer meets Half-Life 2. 3.5/5
Rachel in Love
Interesting idea, but it doesn't belong in a book with the title of 'World's Best'. 'High School Creative Writing Class's Best' might be acceptable... maybe that's too harsh. Maybe it's the title of this book that I have a problem with? 1/5
America
Gods are like that. It isn't enough for them to run everything. They want to be famous, too.
Oh, I guess the 'S' in 'SF' stands for 'speculative', not 'science'. This was more like alternate history meets magical realism. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't have expected it to come from a big name like Card. 3/5
Crying in the Rain
Her eyes were full of burning water.
Fallout vibes. Didn't do much for me, but it feels like the author attempted to write characters that were characters and not just stand-ins to explore the Big Idea. 3/5
The Sun Spider
even in a world of unanswerable questions, when love is certain--love, the only question that is its own answer--everything becomes quite simple, and, in the end, a matter of acceptance.
Another one that straddles the fence of science fiction. Reminded me of PKD's work with all the altered reality. Hmm, I may have just figured out why I bounced off most of PKD's stuff. Reminded me of The Gods Themselves with the petty academic squabbles. Lucius Shepard must've spent time in academia. 2/5
Angel
You're as much an exile as I am, only in your own land.
Earth as an exile planet for other species. Sounds about right. 3/5
Forever Yours, Anna
It was insane to fall in love with someone's signature, love letters to another man.
Is graphology science fiction? IT IS NOW. This one got me. Started off uninteresting, then had me hooked. And WHAT A TWEEST. 5/5
Second Going
"Hey, do other peoples have live gods?"
"Yes." His big eye looked sad. "Except yours. You first we find. No live gods here."
First contact WITH A TWEEST. Started off interesting, middle was meh, and then THE TWEEST WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE. 4/5
Dinosaurs
Ahh, classic SF. "What would society be like if...?" If human evolution took the form of organic specialization, to the point that we outsourced bodily functions (food, sex) and long-term memory to separate organs that we could treat as separate entities? Unrealistic, but fun. 3.5/5
All Fall Down
He is an odd creature, in whom passion and reason can coexist, each as forceful as the other.
The Lorax, but science fiction. 420/5 (4/5)
Ah, 1988. The 80s are the decade I never experienced, but am still nostalgic for. Although, if the title of this book is accurate, I can't say I'm nostalgic for the science fiction of 1988. It wasn't terrible. Some of it was even good. But 'World's Best'? Nah.
The Pardoner's Tale
He wasn't worth a nickel anymore, but he was a free man. That's not such a terrible trade-off.
The editor throws around the word 'cyberpunk' in the introduction to the short story, Angel, later in this book, but I think that moniker better applies here. Biohacking! Fun little Neuromancer meets Half-Life 2. 3.5/5
Rachel in Love
Interesting idea, but it doesn't belong in a book with the title of 'World's Best'. 'High School Creative Writing Class's Best' might be acceptable... maybe that's too harsh. Maybe it's the title of this book that I have a problem with? 1/5
America
Gods are like that. It isn't enough for them to run everything. They want to be famous, too.
Oh, I guess the 'S' in 'SF' stands for 'speculative', not 'science'. This was more like alternate history meets magical realism. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't have expected it to come from a big name like Card. 3/5
Crying in the Rain
Her eyes were full of burning water.
Fallout vibes. Didn't do much for me, but it feels like the author attempted to write characters that were characters and not just stand-ins to explore the Big Idea. 3/5
The Sun Spider
even in a world of unanswerable questions, when love is certain--love, the only question that is its own answer--everything becomes quite simple, and, in the end, a matter of acceptance.
Another one that straddles the fence of science fiction. Reminded me of PKD's work with all the altered reality. Hmm, I may have just figured out why I bounced off most of PKD's stuff. Reminded me of The Gods Themselves with the petty academic squabbles. Lucius Shepard must've spent time in academia. 2/5
Angel
You're as much an exile as I am, only in your own land.
Earth as an exile planet for other species. Sounds about right. 3/5
Forever Yours, Anna
It was insane to fall in love with someone's signature, love letters to another man.
Is graphology science fiction? IT IS NOW. This one got me. Started off uninteresting, then had me hooked. And WHAT A TWEEST. 5/5
Second Going
"Hey, do other peoples have live gods?"
"Yes." His big eye looked sad. "Except yours. You first we find. No live gods here."
First contact WITH A TWEEST. Started off interesting, middle was meh, and then THE TWEEST WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE. 4/5
Dinosaurs
Ahh, classic SF. "What would society be like if...?" If human evolution took the form of organic specialization, to the point that we outsourced bodily functions (food, sex) and long-term memory to separate organs that we could treat as separate entities? Unrealistic, but fun. 3.5/5
All Fall Down
He is an odd creature, in whom passion and reason can coexist, each as forceful as the other.
The Lorax, but science fiction. 420/5 (4/5)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2026
Introduction - I am really enjoying these later collections as we see DAW beginning to look forward to the turn of the century as well as look back. His comments are reflective; yet forward thinking. He does such a good job of priming your mind as well as exploring all the aspects of “what is science fiction” as well as its effect on its readers.
The Pardoner’s Tale - An amazing a fast paced cyberpunk tale that have very unique twist and is one heck of a great way to start off this collection- really great stuff.
Rachel in Love - A very smart and extremely well written and honest commentary about the place in the universe of man vs animal. I like that it wasn’t preachy but very open ended; it offered ideas and no definitive answers. Who is to say what “is” a person ? Is it their conscience, memory, actions, all and more - or none of the above?
America- A more socio-political story than sci fi, very lite sci fi to be honest, but in the end I can still enjoy a good story. However, this just fell flat , not for me at all.
Crying In The Rain - Tanith Lee strikes with a short but fierce story about a bleak, but possible, not so distant future- this should be read!
The Sun Spider - A truly great cerebral mind jumbling story of man’s reach into the un reachable and finding something they cannot fathom. Also, what is it to love someone ? It may not seem like it should all work, but it does, and it’s incredible.
Angel- A tale that feels a little like a fever dream, it’s real but filled with uncertain elements. It’s a great little story and one I really enjoyed.
Forever Yours, Anna- A great noir thriller with a sci fi finale. A very engaging read, and one that leaves the best elements up to your imagination.
Second Going - A first contact tale that goes in several directions I promise you won’t see coming and ends on a beautiful and poignant reflective note about life. Possibly the best story here in the collection.
Dinosaurs- A very unique story that is disorienting at first, but once you get into it the flow becomes easy to read. I think it’s one of the weaker stories, but still not bad. It’s more commentary focused than story focused.
All Fall Down - A follow up of sorts to the short story Leaves of October, which I liked, and I like this one even more. It’s a great tale with expansive concepts in time and existence and I was happy to be back in this universe. A very positive way to end the book.
Overall I would say a majority of these stories are top tier, but again as a whole the book is easily a must read for any sci fi fan.
The Pardoner’s Tale - An amazing a fast paced cyberpunk tale that have very unique twist and is one heck of a great way to start off this collection- really great stuff.
Rachel in Love - A very smart and extremely well written and honest commentary about the place in the universe of man vs animal. I like that it wasn’t preachy but very open ended; it offered ideas and no definitive answers. Who is to say what “is” a person ? Is it their conscience, memory, actions, all and more - or none of the above?
America- A more socio-political story than sci fi, very lite sci fi to be honest, but in the end I can still enjoy a good story. However, this just fell flat , not for me at all.
Crying In The Rain - Tanith Lee strikes with a short but fierce story about a bleak, but possible, not so distant future- this should be read!
The Sun Spider - A truly great cerebral mind jumbling story of man’s reach into the un reachable and finding something they cannot fathom. Also, what is it to love someone ? It may not seem like it should all work, but it does, and it’s incredible.
Angel- A tale that feels a little like a fever dream, it’s real but filled with uncertain elements. It’s a great little story and one I really enjoyed.
Forever Yours, Anna- A great noir thriller with a sci fi finale. A very engaging read, and one that leaves the best elements up to your imagination.
Second Going - A first contact tale that goes in several directions I promise you won’t see coming and ends on a beautiful and poignant reflective note about life. Possibly the best story here in the collection.
Dinosaurs- A very unique story that is disorienting at first, but once you get into it the flow becomes easy to read. I think it’s one of the weaker stories, but still not bad. It’s more commentary focused than story focused.
All Fall Down - A follow up of sorts to the short story Leaves of October, which I liked, and I like this one even more. It’s a great tale with expansive concepts in time and existence and I was happy to be back in this universe. A very positive way to end the book.
Overall I would say a majority of these stories are top tier, but again as a whole the book is easily a must read for any sci fi fan.
March 24, 2025
Since my most recent 1977 re-read I've been doing a very casual project to track down and read all of these. I got my hands on a few '80s paperbacks to start with (the '70s editions seem tougher to find so far...).
Most of these stories were very good to great and I continue to enjoy the experience of reading these collections. There were a couple of duds that I won't call out by name because YMMV and obviously Donald Wollheim disagrees. Epic final run: the last four by Kate Wilhelm, James Tiptree Jr. (as usual), Walter Jon Williams, and Don Sakers were my four faves.
Most of these stories were very good to great and I continue to enjoy the experience of reading these collections. There were a couple of duds that I won't call out by name because YMMV and obviously Donald Wollheim disagrees. Epic final run: the last four by Kate Wilhelm, James Tiptree Jr. (as usual), Walter Jon Williams, and Don Sakers were my four faves.
September 8, 2022
I have read a couple of these anthologies now and the short stories in this book are awesome!
In particular, I enjoyed "The Pardoner's Tale" by Robert Silverberg, loved "Rachel in Love" by Pat Murphy, and the story "Crying in the Rain" by Tanith Lee (I am a softy, these last two almost made me cry.) These three are, in my view, the best of this anthology.
The collection also displays works by other authors. I discovered James Tiptree, Jr. for example, that has a very comical satirical Sci-Fi story here entitled "Second Going" which made me think of some very opinionated people I know ;)
In particular, I enjoyed "The Pardoner's Tale" by Robert Silverberg, loved "Rachel in Love" by Pat Murphy, and the story "Crying in the Rain" by Tanith Lee (I am a softy, these last two almost made me cry.) These three are, in my view, the best of this anthology.
The collection also displays works by other authors. I discovered James Tiptree, Jr. for example, that has a very comical satirical Sci-Fi story here entitled "Second Going" which made me think of some very opinionated people I know ;)
January 12, 2025
Robert Silverberg - The Pardoner's Tale 3/5
Pat Murphy - Rachel in Love 3/5
Orson Scott Card - America 4/5
Tanith Lee - Crying in the Rain 3/5
Lucius Shepard - The Sun Spider 5/5
Pat Cadigan - Angel 4/5
Kate Wilhelm - Forever Yours, Anna 3/5
James Tiptree Jr - Second Going 5/5
Walter Jon Williams - Dinosaurs 5/5
Don Sakers - All Fall Down 4/5
Pat Murphy - Rachel in Love 3/5
Orson Scott Card - America 4/5
Tanith Lee - Crying in the Rain 3/5
Lucius Shepard - The Sun Spider 5/5
Pat Cadigan - Angel 4/5
Kate Wilhelm - Forever Yours, Anna 3/5
James Tiptree Jr - Second Going 5/5
Walter Jon Williams - Dinosaurs 5/5
Don Sakers - All Fall Down 4/5
July 29, 2025
cudowna, może nie najlepsza w moim życiu ale bardzo piękny zbiór!!!!
January 26, 2015
Reading a collection of the best of 1988, through which I lived, in the year 2015, which I have attained, was interesting. The concerns about the coming of the 21st century are apparent.
"Rachel in Love" is a borderline horror story.
I found "All Fall Down" to be the one I preferred the least, as it just seems kind of slow in pace. All, however, examine what it is to be human, as only sci fi can.
"Rachel in Love" is a borderline horror story.
I found "All Fall Down" to be the one I preferred the least, as it just seems kind of slow in pace. All, however, examine what it is to be human, as only sci fi can.
Read
August 9, 2011Favorite stories included the one called "America", predicting the synchronism of America with new foreigners and visa versa; another great, feminine Tanith Lee story of love and hope and human dignity in the face of environmental destruction;
September 19, 2013
This book contains the short story "Forever Yours, Anna" by Kate Wilhelm. I would like to add another star to my rating. This is a beautiful story with a surprise ending that I could never have guessed. It is what I consider an ahhhhh story, too good to end.
Read
April 9, 2009SF-Wol
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews