The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Eighth Annual Collection

If these are the best, then SF is in a sad state......

Far too many poorly written, rambling stories. Too many of the stories elaborate on their world histories to the point that the reader gets exhausted waiting for something, anything to happen. They remind me of 6th grade book reports with a 10,000 word minimum. I would cite specific examples, but that would mean reading them all again.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful sci-fi compilation

I've been reading Dozois' short story compilations for years and love them. I don't have the time to keep up with all the new science fiction coming out each year so it's great to read a short story whenever I have time. There is a lengthy summation of all the science fiction publishing for the year, if you're interested int that. But mainly it's a great collection of the best short fiction of the year. Looks great on the Nook.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great book! Gardner Dozois is an editor you can always count on!

I really enjoy reading these anthologies. They are released every year in June or July. I look forward to every issue!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Year's Best once again

Anyone not familiar with Dozois' annual collections of SF will be in for a treat and will most likely start the search for previous editions of his collections.

I can't think of a way to express the quality of this collection without denying the reader the joy of finding such a variety of stories in one book. I can almost guarantee there will be at least one story if not more from all the different flavors that comprise Science Fiction. I personally discovered these annuals several years ago while starving between series books by a few favorite writers and thought to myself, "Well, even bad Sci-fi is better than nothing at all to read and there will have to be at least ONE good story in this brick!". Much to my surprise I found that almost every single story, no matter how long or short, was at the very least thought provoking with a majority of them introducing a completely new perspective on their respective topics. While a good number of the authors contained in this and previous editions may prove difficult to track down for additional consumption, there are still several writers that are carried by most major book retailers to scratch that literary itch that these stories will inevitably compel. I frequently found myself debating the pro's and con's of each story's world in comparison to our own AND several of the other story's! There really is something for everyone in this collection.

I would recommend this as a great purchase for anyone interested in science fiction that doesn't already own it. It just may prove to be the perfect gift for a picky reader as the stories and styles vary in presentation but rarely in quality.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This anthology always lives up to its title

This anthology always lives up to its title as there are thirty strong short stories with 628 pages of contributions included. The Summation of 2008 is a deep fascinating essay that focuses on the good with overall strong creative writings especially in book anthologies; and the bad being the collapse of several print magazines with those surviving cutting back the number of pages in each copy and reducing the number of releases per year. The stories are for the most part super but in spite of the rise of the on line magazines most of the compilation comes from print magazines and book anthologies. My personal favorites are those I had not previously read (thus I discount the excellent "Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette, "The Gambler" by Paolo Bacogalupi, and "Eligible Boy" by Ian McDonald, etc.). "The Six Directions of Space" by Alastair Reynolds, "Five Thrillers" by Robert Reed and the "Erdmann Nexus" by Nancy Kress are tremendous; the rest are quite good too. This collection with its Honorable Mention list and reference guide is a short story delight.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

This anthology consistently lives up to its billing as the best with the usual strong Introduction by editor Garner Dozois providing an overview of the year especially in short stories with the emphasis on magazine survivability. In the 25th edition, Mr. Dozois praises the Internet for the rapid growth of on-line magazines that showcase famous and unknown authors especially those with no previous credentials. He also provides accolades to the big publishing firms for supporting anthologies and small presses who provide opportunities to new writers. Finally he gives credit to the Sci Fi channel as well. The stories as always are top rate coming from the vast sources now available. Incredulous as it seems Mr. Dozois improved the tome by finding remote tales and brings them to the attention of mainstream fans although most of the selected entries are by name authors. Especially poignant is ¿Last Contact by Stephen Baxter in which a mother and her astrophysicist daughter wait together for the Big Crunch to occur, ¿Finisterra¿ by David Moles with its warning to watch out for predators even living on an island in the sky, and ¿An Ocean is a Snowflake, Four Billion Miles away¿ by John Barnes where earthlings terraform Mars. With a wide gamut of selections spanning the genre, Mr. Dozois does 2007 proud a year that he insists will be remembered for its series of retrospect collections of great authors and the widening of sources beyond the print magazine. --- Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great anthology

The twentieth edition of what annually is one of the best anthologies is a strong collection of short stories that showcases the top tales of the year. The contributions come mostly from United States, Great Britain, and Australia and run the gamut of the genre. As usual Gardner Dozois provides a superb introduction that gives the perspective and condition of the genre. This time though much of the critical world claim the genre is dead, no earth-shattering innovation occurred, and magazines have suffered losses, Mr. Dozois shows that SF remains a viable powerful entity. Each tale is well written as expected from an anthology packaged by the award winning Mr. Dozois who leaves no stone (magazine or book?) unturned in his quest to provide THE YEAR¿S BEST SCIENCE FICTION at least the shorts.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good reading

Most of these stories are very enjoyable, escapist reading. I am looking forward to the 16th edition. The Science Fiction equivalent of Elery Queen Mystery Magazine, only stories with more depth.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great science fiction collection!

I always love Gardner Dozois' collections. This one, like his other anthologies, has good novellas and short stories that vary greatly in style and genre.

An annual "must-read"

If you think science fiction is Star Trek, Star Wars, ray guns and Bug-Eyed Monsters, think again. Open any one of these award-winning annual anthologies to any story and be prepared to have your thinking about science fiction changed forever.

Thought-Provoking and Eclectic

I loved this book! I adore short sf stories. My favourites in this collection were Mayflower II, Ten Sigmas, and The Clapping Hands Of God, all of which I found to be very thought-provoking. Most of the others were just good old-fashioned page-turning sf stories. The best thing about collections such as this one is that they provide an overview of the sf scene at that particular time, and they give me a sample of different authors for me to decide whether to read more of their work. I will definitely be checking out most of the authors here. All those sf books out there, and most of them I will never have time to read, unfortunately...guess it's like a NOW greatest hits collection. One question, I bought the book in the UK as 'The Mammoth Book Of SF 18'. Why is this so if there have been 22 collections? That's just a quibble, though, and I can't wait for number 23 later this year and to read the earlier ones! I like a classic story to have at least one classic line, and 'The Clapping Hands Of God' has two: 'Sometimes...I do not understand you people.' 'Hassan Maklouf was their leader, a man who had walked on eighteen worlds...On one, he had lost his soul.' Classic.

Excellent science fiction anthology

As always the latest compilation in this annual science fiction anthology remains one of the great anthologies as the current entries are top rate. For the most part, the thirty contributions are superb tales from a who¿s who of the genre. Especially fascinating is Paul McAuley¿s creative entry 'The Two Dicks,' in which Philip K. Dick writes mainstream fiction until he meets Richard Nixon. Other stories are well written as Gardner Dozier scores again with selections that run the gamut from alternative realties to artificial intelligence to ¿animal¿ intelligence that worms its way into the reader¿s mind. The introduction by Mr. Dozier provides a ¿Summation¿ of the trends in the year, which can be summarized as ¿stable¿. Science fiction fans who appreciate shorts will devour this must reading that once again lives up to its title. --- Harriet Klausner

excellent as usual

Each year this series is always one of the best anthologies on the market as evidenced by the numerous awards including several over the last year. As always the compilation provides readers with insight into what is happening in the genre. The twenty-eight chosen tales run the gamut displaying a widening genre that proves no boundaries exist except that of the imagination. The stories are all well written and fun to read especially contrasting styles and sub-genres. Of most interest to at least this reader is the increase of contributions that initially appeared on-line fans will be hard pressed to figure out which first appeared in electronic media vs. print without the insightful introduction that laments the slow decline of publications. As usual Mr. Dozois does his terrific yeomen job (sort of reminding this reviewer he and me need to get a life beyond the classic bookworm) of bringing together a broad sample of science fiction that showcases the trends of 2004 inside of superb tales. --- Harriet Klausner

2 stories worth it alone

2 stories alone are worth it - The Ice by Stephen Popkes - a beautiful, poignant and moving story of how a relevation early in life leads to a different direction in life, leaving the main character wondering what could have been, but still grateful and lucky for what he did have in his life. June Sixteenth At Anna's by Kristine Kathryn Rusch - an interesting, moving and fascinating look at loss and how the past seems fuller than the present. Both stories beautifully told

Spectacular!

The Year's Best Science Fiction: 16th Annual Collection was an amazing book. Greg Egan's Oceanic was a great tale about how anything can be misleading and fake, even a religion believed by everyone. Robert Charles Wilson's Divided by Infinity was about a man that had nothing to lose... Because he was immortal. My favorite story, The Days of Solomon Gursky by Ian McDonald was about a future where people could be brought back from the dead, but with very few rights, until the fight back. This book was full of masterful stories. Gardner Dozois did not make a single mistake.

Year's Best means Year's Best

If you think Star Trek is for children, and you know that sci fi is about possibilities and not just fact, and you know that sci fi stories have just as much to do with people and plot as they do with science, then this book is for you. I read Asimov's SFM regularly, and many of those same stories appear yearly in this book. I'm always satisfied to see such fresh writing.

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