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The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifth Annual Collection
Contents
xiii • Introduction: Summation: 1987 • essay by Gardner Dozois
1 • Rachel in Love • (1987) • novelette by Pat Murphy
28 • Dream Baby • (1987) • novelette by Bruce McAllister
57 • Flowers of Edo • (1987) • novelette by Bruce Sterling
80 • Forever Yours, Anna • (1987) • shortstory by Kate Wilhelm
93 • At the Cross-Time Jaunters' Ball • (1987) • novelette by Alexander Jablokov
119 • Dinosaurs • (1987) • novelette by Walter Jon Williams
143 • The Temporary King • (1987) • novelette by Paul J. McAuley
165 • Perpetuity Blues • (1987) • novelette by Neal Barrett, Jr.
193 • Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight • (1987) • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
220 • The Pardoner's Tale • (1987) • shortstory by Robert Silverberg
240 • Glass Cloud • (1987) • novelette by James Patrick Kelly
280 • The Evening and the Morning and the Night • (1987) • novelette by Octavia E. Butler
303 • Night of the Cooters • [War of the Worlds] • (1987) • shortstory by Howard Waldrop
322 • Angel • (1987) • shortstory by Pat Cadigan
338 • Shades • (1987) • novelette by Lucius Shepard
369 • The Faithful Companion at Forty • (1987) • shortstory by Karen Joy Fowler
378 • Candle in a Cosmic Wind • (1987) • novelette by Joseph Manzione
413 • The Emir's Clock • (1987) • shortstory by Ian Watson
428 • Ever After • (1987) • novelette by Susan Palwick
449 • The Forest of Time • (1987) • novella by Michael F. Flynn [as by Michael Flynn ]
495 • The Million-Dollar Wound • (1987) • shortstory by Dean Whitlock
505 • The Moon of Popping Trees • (1987) • novelette by R. Garcia y Robertson
536 • Diner • (1987) • shortstory by Neal Barrett, Jr.
551 • All the Hues of Hell • (1987) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe
564 • Halley's Passing • (1987) • shortstory by Michael McDowell
580 • America • [The Mormon Sea] • (1987) • novelette by Orson Scott Card
605 • For Thus Do I Remember Carthage • (1987) • shortstory by Michael Bishop
622 • Mother Goddess of the World • (1987) • novella by Kim Stanley Robinson
675 • Honorable Mentions: 1987 • essay by Gardner Dozois
xiii • Introduction: Summation: 1987 • essay by Gardner Dozois
1 • Rachel in Love • (1987) • novelette by Pat Murphy
28 • Dream Baby • (1987) • novelette by Bruce McAllister
57 • Flowers of Edo • (1987) • novelette by Bruce Sterling
80 • Forever Yours, Anna • (1987) • shortstory by Kate Wilhelm
93 • At the Cross-Time Jaunters' Ball • (1987) • novelette by Alexander Jablokov
119 • Dinosaurs • (1987) • novelette by Walter Jon Williams
143 • The Temporary King • (1987) • novelette by Paul J. McAuley
165 • Perpetuity Blues • (1987) • novelette by Neal Barrett, Jr.
193 • Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight • (1987) • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
220 • The Pardoner's Tale • (1987) • shortstory by Robert Silverberg
240 • Glass Cloud • (1987) • novelette by James Patrick Kelly
280 • The Evening and the Morning and the Night • (1987) • novelette by Octavia E. Butler
303 • Night of the Cooters • [War of the Worlds] • (1987) • shortstory by Howard Waldrop
322 • Angel • (1987) • shortstory by Pat Cadigan
338 • Shades • (1987) • novelette by Lucius Shepard
369 • The Faithful Companion at Forty • (1987) • shortstory by Karen Joy Fowler
378 • Candle in a Cosmic Wind • (1987) • novelette by Joseph Manzione
413 • The Emir's Clock • (1987) • shortstory by Ian Watson
428 • Ever After • (1987) • novelette by Susan Palwick
449 • The Forest of Time • (1987) • novella by Michael F. Flynn [as by Michael Flynn ]
495 • The Million-Dollar Wound • (1987) • shortstory by Dean Whitlock
505 • The Moon of Popping Trees • (1987) • novelette by R. Garcia y Robertson
536 • Diner • (1987) • shortstory by Neal Barrett, Jr.
551 • All the Hues of Hell • (1987) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe
564 • Halley's Passing • (1987) • shortstory by Michael McDowell
580 • America • [The Mormon Sea] • (1987) • novelette by Orson Scott Card
605 • For Thus Do I Remember Carthage • (1987) • shortstory by Michael Bishop
622 • Mother Goddess of the World • (1987) • novella by Kim Stanley Robinson
675 • Honorable Mentions: 1987 • essay by Gardner Dozois
705 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 1988
About the author
Gardner Dozois
650 books347 followersGardner Raymond Dozois was an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004. He won multiple Hugo and Nebula awards, both as an editor and a writer of short fiction.
Wikipedia entry: Gardner Dozois
http://us.macmillan.com/author/gardne...
Wikipedia entry: Gardner Dozois
http://us.macmillan.com/author/gardne...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 6, 2018
GARDNER DOZOIS - ANOTHER FRIEND I NEVER MET
I thought the internet was supposed to tell me everything I need to know instantly, as soon as I log on, but I only just discovered that Gardner Dozois died this year, on the 27th of May. He was 70.
On three shelves of a bookcase right behind me are 26 volumes of The Year’s Best Science Fiction, the giant annual anthology, stretching from number three in 1986 (you can’t get the first two) to number 28 in 2011 – at that point I decided I really ought to get round to actually reading all this stuff before I got any more. It’s a slow but ongoing project.
But these weren’t just great one-stop anthologies, no. They were where Gardner laid down his version of The Truth. Usually the Truth about Science Fiction, but other stuff would creep in too.
Every one of these books has a SUMMATION at the beginning. It followed a strict pattern – he never deviated in all those years. Gardner would tell you which publishers and which magazines went down the drain that year, and which hopeless idealists had started up new ventures. He mapped the uncomfortable attempted transition from print to online fiction. He also charted the often horrible story of How Science Fiction Ate Planet Earth, that is, how it moved from the tiny despised ghetto it was in the 1950s to become the almost boringly mainstream entertainment it is now.
Then he would survey the original and best-of short fiction anthologies – typical comment from the one I’m looking at now : “There seemed to be fewer slipstream/fabulist/New Weird/whatever anthologies this year”. After that came the novels – Gardner always apologised for not having read many of these, but he was busy reading every single short science fiction story so he never did have the time for that many novels. Then came consideration of original short story collections and SF & fantasy reference books, and then – movies!
The War of the Worlds was fast-paced and suspenseful… that being said, I regretted the fact that Spielberg somehow managed to skew the movie into being yet another Spielberg “small child in jeopardy (Dakota Fanning sure does scream a lot in this film)/self-centred-immature-father-in-a-dysfunctional-family-learns-to-value-his-children-over-himself” movie rather than really focusing on the disaster that’s overcoming humanity at large… in some ways it’s more faithful to HG Wells’ novel than the previous Hollywood version was – and yet at the same time gave me the feeling that in spite of all that faithfulness to the text, Spielberg had somehow ended up missing the point of the novel altogether.
After movies he checks out TV shows, writes about the SF conventions and the annual awards, Hugos, Locus, Nebula, etc and after all that we get the Obituaries which in 2005/6 started with Robert Sheckley and ended with Tammy Vance, described as the daughter-in-law of Jack Vance. So the word for obituaries was : comprehensive. If you were an extra on a Doctor Who episode from 1975, or a beloved writer’s daughter-in-law, you got mentioned.
And then Gardner would equally garrulously introduce each story, usually as if it was a pearl beyond price. In the 23rd annual collection in front of me he introduces stories like this :
In the skin crawlingly tense adventure that follows...
In the bittersweet story that follows...
In the powerful novella that follows...
In the ingenious and suspenseful story that follows…
In the dazzling, crammed, high-bit-rate story that follows...
Gardner was the superfan I never could have been, he had a strong opinion about absolutely everything, and I loved his energy and his seeming ability to be able to encompass the whole of science fiction, which each year, like a galaxy, seemed to expand enormously.
Now I’m going to get all the Year’s Bests I’m missing. I hope they're not too expensive. It’ll take years to get round to reading them, but I’ll immediately check out each yearly SUMMATION, just to hear his voice again.
I thought the internet was supposed to tell me everything I need to know instantly, as soon as I log on, but I only just discovered that Gardner Dozois died this year, on the 27th of May. He was 70.
On three shelves of a bookcase right behind me are 26 volumes of The Year’s Best Science Fiction, the giant annual anthology, stretching from number three in 1986 (you can’t get the first two) to number 28 in 2011 – at that point I decided I really ought to get round to actually reading all this stuff before I got any more. It’s a slow but ongoing project.
But these weren’t just great one-stop anthologies, no. They were where Gardner laid down his version of The Truth. Usually the Truth about Science Fiction, but other stuff would creep in too.
Every one of these books has a SUMMATION at the beginning. It followed a strict pattern – he never deviated in all those years. Gardner would tell you which publishers and which magazines went down the drain that year, and which hopeless idealists had started up new ventures. He mapped the uncomfortable attempted transition from print to online fiction. He also charted the often horrible story of How Science Fiction Ate Planet Earth, that is, how it moved from the tiny despised ghetto it was in the 1950s to become the almost boringly mainstream entertainment it is now.
Then he would survey the original and best-of short fiction anthologies – typical comment from the one I’m looking at now : “There seemed to be fewer slipstream/fabulist/New Weird/whatever anthologies this year”. After that came the novels – Gardner always apologised for not having read many of these, but he was busy reading every single short science fiction story so he never did have the time for that many novels. Then came consideration of original short story collections and SF & fantasy reference books, and then – movies!
The War of the Worlds was fast-paced and suspenseful… that being said, I regretted the fact that Spielberg somehow managed to skew the movie into being yet another Spielberg “small child in jeopardy (Dakota Fanning sure does scream a lot in this film)/self-centred-immature-father-in-a-dysfunctional-family-learns-to-value-his-children-over-himself” movie rather than really focusing on the disaster that’s overcoming humanity at large… in some ways it’s more faithful to HG Wells’ novel than the previous Hollywood version was – and yet at the same time gave me the feeling that in spite of all that faithfulness to the text, Spielberg had somehow ended up missing the point of the novel altogether.
After movies he checks out TV shows, writes about the SF conventions and the annual awards, Hugos, Locus, Nebula, etc and after all that we get the Obituaries which in 2005/6 started with Robert Sheckley and ended with Tammy Vance, described as the daughter-in-law of Jack Vance. So the word for obituaries was : comprehensive. If you were an extra on a Doctor Who episode from 1975, or a beloved writer’s daughter-in-law, you got mentioned.
And then Gardner would equally garrulously introduce each story, usually as if it was a pearl beyond price. In the 23rd annual collection in front of me he introduces stories like this :
In the skin crawlingly tense adventure that follows...
In the bittersweet story that follows...
In the powerful novella that follows...
In the ingenious and suspenseful story that follows…
In the dazzling, crammed, high-bit-rate story that follows...
Gardner was the superfan I never could have been, he had a strong opinion about absolutely everything, and I loved his energy and his seeming ability to be able to encompass the whole of science fiction, which each year, like a galaxy, seemed to expand enormously.
Now I’m going to get all the Year’s Bests I’m missing. I hope they're not too expensive. It’ll take years to get round to reading them, but I’ll immediately check out each yearly SUMMATION, just to hear his voice again.
September 17, 2023
As is the case with these giant best-of-the-year anthologies, there were some less-than-successful clunkers in this batch, but there were also plenty of excellent works included. My favorites, in no particular order, were:
“Rachel in Love,” Pat Murphy’s classic, award-winning tale of the plight of an especially intelligent chimp.
“Perpetuity Blues,” Neal Barrett, Jr.’s delightfully sweet, silly, and touching tale of a hard-scrabble young girl’s encounter with an alien.
“Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come Out Tonight,” one of Ursula K. Le Guin’s masterful tales.
“The Evening and the Morning and the Night,” by the late, great Octavia E. Butler.
“Night of the Cooters,” Howard Waldrop’s wonderfully screwball tale of an Old West showdown between a sheriff, his townspeople, and the invading aliens that threatened to kill them all.
And “Halley’s Passing,” Michael McDowell’s perfectly tuned, horrific portrait of a diabolical killer as he goes about his daily work.
I’ll continue making my way through the 30 or so other volumes that the late Gardner Dozois put together, knowing that there will always be hits and misses, but hoping the hits are as successful as this year’s editions were.
“Rachel in Love,” Pat Murphy’s classic, award-winning tale of the plight of an especially intelligent chimp.
“Perpetuity Blues,” Neal Barrett, Jr.’s delightfully sweet, silly, and touching tale of a hard-scrabble young girl’s encounter with an alien.
“Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come Out Tonight,” one of Ursula K. Le Guin’s masterful tales.
“The Evening and the Morning and the Night,” by the late, great Octavia E. Butler.
“Night of the Cooters,” Howard Waldrop’s wonderfully screwball tale of an Old West showdown between a sheriff, his townspeople, and the invading aliens that threatened to kill them all.
And “Halley’s Passing,” Michael McDowell’s perfectly tuned, horrific portrait of a diabolical killer as he goes about his daily work.
I’ll continue making my way through the 30 or so other volumes that the late Gardner Dozois put together, knowing that there will always be hits and misses, but hoping the hits are as successful as this year’s editions were.
September 2, 2020
Partial reread, Aug 2020
My favorites this time:
• “Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Hugo novelette and World Fantasy award wins, Nebula nominee. If this isn’t UKL’s best short, it’s close. On the surface, a talking-animal fantasy, but way, way more. Umpteenth re-read, each time with pleasure. 6 stars!
If you have somehow missed reading this one, a real treat awaits you. Here's a list of the many reprints: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg...
• “The Moon Of Popping Trees” by R. Garcia y Robertson. Aftermath of the Custer massacre, with a thin veneer of SF (which doesn’t add anything). 4+ stars, highly recommended.
This is something of a first draft for his best novel, “American Woman” (1998): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• “Mother Goddess Of The World” by Kim Stanley Robinson. Hugo Novella Nominee. Companion-story to “Escape from Kathmandu”, and not quite so good as that, but still a top-notch story, one that I kept me chuckling. First reread in 30+ years, I think. 4.5 stars.
• ”The Forest Of Time” by Michael Flynn. Hugo Novella Nominee. A man lost in time ends up in a cell in a fortress in an alternate Pennsylvania. Classic time-travel story that may remind you of other, similar ones. 4+ stars
There are more first-rate stories here that I’m not in the mood to reread right now. And a bunch of others that just plain turned me off when I started re-reading them. So I'll take another look at the anthology before I turn it in, but I'm pretty sure my list of favorites won't change. All of the Dozois anthologies are worth reading, but this is one of the weaker ones, I think. Where "weaker" = more stories not to my taste. 😎
TOC and story details: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?5...
Synopses and award winners/nominees: https://web.archive.org/web/200411280...
My favorites this time:
• “Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Hugo novelette and World Fantasy award wins, Nebula nominee. If this isn’t UKL’s best short, it’s close. On the surface, a talking-animal fantasy, but way, way more. Umpteenth re-read, each time with pleasure. 6 stars!
If you have somehow missed reading this one, a real treat awaits you. Here's a list of the many reprints: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg...
• “The Moon Of Popping Trees” by R. Garcia y Robertson. Aftermath of the Custer massacre, with a thin veneer of SF (which doesn’t add anything). 4+ stars, highly recommended.
This is something of a first draft for his best novel, “American Woman” (1998): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• “Mother Goddess Of The World” by Kim Stanley Robinson. Hugo Novella Nominee. Companion-story to “Escape from Kathmandu”, and not quite so good as that, but still a top-notch story, one that I kept me chuckling. First reread in 30+ years, I think. 4.5 stars.
• ”The Forest Of Time” by Michael Flynn. Hugo Novella Nominee. A man lost in time ends up in a cell in a fortress in an alternate Pennsylvania. Classic time-travel story that may remind you of other, similar ones. 4+ stars
There are more first-rate stories here that I’m not in the mood to reread right now. And a bunch of others that just plain turned me off when I started re-reading them. So I'll take another look at the anthology before I turn it in, but I'm pretty sure my list of favorites won't change. All of the Dozois anthologies are worth reading, but this is one of the weaker ones, I think. Where "weaker" = more stories not to my taste. 😎
TOC and story details: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?5...
Synopses and award winners/nominees: https://web.archive.org/web/200411280...
July 27, 2019
Either 1987 wasn't such a great year for short stories or my taste differs a bit from Mr. Dozois'.
This anthology was the overall weakest for me so far. I read it over quite a long time and when I go through the content now I can't really remember half of the stories at all, because they had little impact on me.
The ones that got me most interested were:
- "Rachel in Love" by Pat Murphy with some thought provoking ideas.
- "Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight" by Ursula K. Le Guin - her stories never fail to impress.
- "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia E. Butler - same with this author.
- "The Forest of Time" by Michael Flynn
- "Mother Goddess of the World" by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Let's see what the next volume brings.
This anthology was the overall weakest for me so far. I read it over quite a long time and when I go through the content now I can't really remember half of the stories at all, because they had little impact on me.
The ones that got me most interested were:
- "Rachel in Love" by Pat Murphy with some thought provoking ideas.
- "Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight" by Ursula K. Le Guin - her stories never fail to impress.
- "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia E. Butler - same with this author.
- "The Forest of Time" by Michael Flynn
- "Mother Goddess of the World" by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Let's see what the next volume brings.
February 7, 2018
every single one of these collections is essential reading for true fans of science fiction short stories... each lengthy volume has a stellar array of all mini-genres and areas of powerfully influential science fiction: hard science, speculative, steampunk, alien invasions, apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic, space opera, fantasy, aliens, monsters, horror-ish, space travel, time travel, eco-science, evolutionary, pre-historic, parallel universes, extraterrestrials... in each successive volume in the series the tales have advanced and grown in imagination and detail with our ability to envision greater concepts and possibilities... Rod Serling said, "...fantasy is the impossible made probable. science fiction is the improbable made possible..." and in the pages of these books is the absolute best the vastness of science fiction writing has to offer... sit back, relax, and dream...
October 26, 2022
My archaeological studies continue. Digging gems out of the ground. I usually expect the ground to be a little more solid, not much mud. In this case I found a fair number of gems, but man did I have to go through a lot of mud... I mean come on with the stories set on Earth "nowadays", enough with them!
Story breakdown:
• Rachel in Love • novelette by Pat Murphy: 3*
A pretty well-written story about a girl who gets her mind transferred into a chimp. We follow her adventures in the new form. I hate it when these anthologies start with one of these near-future on-Earth semi-sci-fi stories. It does not bode well for the anthology on the whole
• Dream Baby • novelette by Bruce McAllister: 1*
My fear from previous story is coming true. This is not sci-fi. Some girl gets assigned as a nurse in Vietnam. Abandoned half-way through.
• Flowers of Edo • novelette by Bruce Sterling
As if I needed another reason NOT to read this author, here's a story of his set in medieval Japan. Skipping...
• Forever Yours, Anna • shortstory by Kate Wilhelm: 2*
A private investigator searches for clues in some papers. Some minor time travel trick is involved.
• At the Cross-Time Jaunters' Ball • novelette by Alexander Jablokov: 1*
I've no idea just what this was supposed to be. Abandoned after 5 pages.
• Dinosaurs • novelette by Walter Jon Williams: 5*
Oh yeah, now that's what I'm talking about. A first-contact situation between a lone "human" (actually in dinosaur form) and some "lowly beings" (actually humans). Funny, quirky, easy to read, thought-provoking.
• The Temporary King • novelette by Paul J. McAuley: 1*
Not sci-fi.
• Perpetuity Blues • novelette by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 1*
Also not sci-fi.
• Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin: 1*
I wasn't expecting actual sci-fi from Le Guin, but this is unreadable.
• The Pardoner's Tale • shortstory by Robert Silverberg: 2*
The usually very fluent Silverberg fails to deliver in this case. Barely sci-fi-ish (not again?) and poorly written.
• Glass Cloud • novelette by James Patrick Kelly: 2*
This one was very difficult to follow. Came close to abandoning it several times. At least it was set in the future, and most likely NOT on Earth.
• The Evening and the Morning and the Night • novelette by Octavia E. Butler: 1*
No, just no! Group of people with a certain (I'm hoping imaginary) disease are shunned by society and create various forums. This might have social / literary merits, but it's exactly the opposite of what I'm looking for in these anthologies.
• Night of the Cooters • shortstory by Howard Waldrop: 5*
The War of the Worlds in Texas instead of London! Sheriffs and posses scramble to fight the martians. Funny, quick, clicheistic, but hits the nail on the head.
• Angel • shortstory by Pat Cadigan: 1*
More useless non sci-fi talking.
• Shades • novelette by Lucius Shepard
Skipped
• The Faithful Companion at Forty • shortstory by Karen Joy Fowler: 1*
Won't even bother. Not sci-fi.
• Candle in a Cosmic Wind • novelette by Joseph Manzione: 4*
Female Russian scientist winds up in the USA after a supposedly apocalyptic nuclear war between the great powers. Actually caused by some duck-like aliens now trying to fix it.
• The Emir's Clock • shortstory by Ian Watson: 1*
There should be a limit to how many non sci-fi stories you can put in one book.
• Ever After • novelette by Susan Palwick: 1*
Described as a kind of a classic fairy tale retold in 'modern' times. Gave it up after two pages. Did not care to venture a guess as to which classic fairy tale this was.
• The Forest of Time • novella by Michael Flynn: 2*
Parallel worlds. Guy from 'normal' Earth winds up on 'parallel' North America where a large number of states exist. Some philosophizing over what drives science forward, but otherwise, too much talking, too boring, nothing exciting.
• The Million-Dollar Wound • shortstory by Dean Whitlock: 2*
Part sci-fi story. A soldier in Vietnam is repeatedly wounded and gets replacement body parts until he runs out of parts to replace.
• The Moon of Popping Trees • novelette by R. Garcia y Robertson: 1*
Native Americans talking over coffee.
• Diner • shortstory by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 1*
More Americans talking over lunch. Really? What did you expect out of a story titled "Diner"?
• All the Hues of Hell • shortstory by Gene Wolfe: 1*
This one might be sci-fi-ish, but I found it unreadable.
• Halley's Passing • shortstory by Michael McDowell: 1*
Guy drives around town killing people and making mysterious notes in a notebook.
• America • novelette by Orson Scott Card: 4*
More in the not-sci-fi long line. But wait! This is actually very good! (Perhaps because of the author?). A young North American boy befriends a native Brazilian older woman in the rainforest.
• For Thus Do I Remember Carthage • shortstory by Michael Bishop: 5*
This is the gem of the anthology. And not traditional sci-fi. Who would've thought? It's set in an alternate timeline some thousand years ago, with Christianity mixing with Eastern religions and where science is at the level of mid 1900's. The setting is unfolded through the meeting of two mystics, one revealing a new series of wonders to the other. It was actually so good that upon fishing it I immediately checked the author's online bibliography hoping there are more stories in this setting. Ugh. There aren't.
• Mother Goddess of the World • novella by Kim Stanley Robinson: 2*
It obviously had to end on a not sci-fi note. This is simply about an expedition to Everest. Nicely written, but totally useless.
Average weighted score: 2*
Story breakdown:
• Rachel in Love • novelette by Pat Murphy: 3*
A pretty well-written story about a girl who gets her mind transferred into a chimp. We follow her adventures in the new form. I hate it when these anthologies start with one of these near-future on-Earth semi-sci-fi stories. It does not bode well for the anthology on the whole
• Dream Baby • novelette by Bruce McAllister: 1*
My fear from previous story is coming true. This is not sci-fi. Some girl gets assigned as a nurse in Vietnam. Abandoned half-way through.
• Flowers of Edo • novelette by Bruce Sterling
As if I needed another reason NOT to read this author, here's a story of his set in medieval Japan. Skipping...
• Forever Yours, Anna • shortstory by Kate Wilhelm: 2*
A private investigator searches for clues in some papers. Some minor time travel trick is involved.
• At the Cross-Time Jaunters' Ball • novelette by Alexander Jablokov: 1*
I've no idea just what this was supposed to be. Abandoned after 5 pages.
• Dinosaurs • novelette by Walter Jon Williams: 5*
Oh yeah, now that's what I'm talking about. A first-contact situation between a lone "human" (actually in dinosaur form) and some "lowly beings" (actually humans). Funny, quirky, easy to read, thought-provoking.
• The Temporary King • novelette by Paul J. McAuley: 1*
Not sci-fi.
• Perpetuity Blues • novelette by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 1*
Also not sci-fi.
• Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin: 1*
I wasn't expecting actual sci-fi from Le Guin, but this is unreadable.
• The Pardoner's Tale • shortstory by Robert Silverberg: 2*
The usually very fluent Silverberg fails to deliver in this case. Barely sci-fi-ish (not again?) and poorly written.
• Glass Cloud • novelette by James Patrick Kelly: 2*
This one was very difficult to follow. Came close to abandoning it several times. At least it was set in the future, and most likely NOT on Earth.
• The Evening and the Morning and the Night • novelette by Octavia E. Butler: 1*
No, just no! Group of people with a certain (I'm hoping imaginary) disease are shunned by society and create various forums. This might have social / literary merits, but it's exactly the opposite of what I'm looking for in these anthologies.
• Night of the Cooters • shortstory by Howard Waldrop: 5*
The War of the Worlds in Texas instead of London! Sheriffs and posses scramble to fight the martians. Funny, quick, clicheistic, but hits the nail on the head.
• Angel • shortstory by Pat Cadigan: 1*
More useless non sci-fi talking.
• Shades • novelette by Lucius Shepard
Skipped
• The Faithful Companion at Forty • shortstory by Karen Joy Fowler: 1*
Won't even bother. Not sci-fi.
• Candle in a Cosmic Wind • novelette by Joseph Manzione: 4*
Female Russian scientist winds up in the USA after a supposedly apocalyptic nuclear war between the great powers. Actually caused by some duck-like aliens now trying to fix it.
• The Emir's Clock • shortstory by Ian Watson: 1*
There should be a limit to how many non sci-fi stories you can put in one book.
• Ever After • novelette by Susan Palwick: 1*
Described as a kind of a classic fairy tale retold in 'modern' times. Gave it up after two pages. Did not care to venture a guess as to which classic fairy tale this was.
• The Forest of Time • novella by Michael Flynn: 2*
Parallel worlds. Guy from 'normal' Earth winds up on 'parallel' North America where a large number of states exist. Some philosophizing over what drives science forward, but otherwise, too much talking, too boring, nothing exciting.
• The Million-Dollar Wound • shortstory by Dean Whitlock: 2*
Part sci-fi story. A soldier in Vietnam is repeatedly wounded and gets replacement body parts until he runs out of parts to replace.
• The Moon of Popping Trees • novelette by R. Garcia y Robertson: 1*
Native Americans talking over coffee.
• Diner • shortstory by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 1*
More Americans talking over lunch. Really? What did you expect out of a story titled "Diner"?
• All the Hues of Hell • shortstory by Gene Wolfe: 1*
This one might be sci-fi-ish, but I found it unreadable.
• Halley's Passing • shortstory by Michael McDowell: 1*
Guy drives around town killing people and making mysterious notes in a notebook.
• America • novelette by Orson Scott Card: 4*
More in the not-sci-fi long line. But wait! This is actually very good! (Perhaps because of the author?). A young North American boy befriends a native Brazilian older woman in the rainforest.
• For Thus Do I Remember Carthage • shortstory by Michael Bishop: 5*
This is the gem of the anthology. And not traditional sci-fi. Who would've thought? It's set in an alternate timeline some thousand years ago, with Christianity mixing with Eastern religions and where science is at the level of mid 1900's. The setting is unfolded through the meeting of two mystics, one revealing a new series of wonders to the other. It was actually so good that upon fishing it I immediately checked the author's online bibliography hoping there are more stories in this setting. Ugh. There aren't.
• Mother Goddess of the World • novella by Kim Stanley Robinson: 2*
It obviously had to end on a not sci-fi note. This is simply about an expedition to Everest. Nicely written, but totally useless.
Average weighted score: 2*
January 4, 2011
You get a lot of material, most of it good, some of it excellent, very little of it boring. And the stories are mostly brief, so if you don't like one, it'll be over quickly.
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October 3, 2022(Notes in the reading updates below).
May 1, 2024
As always the editor prepares a summary of the last year in science fiction and provides great introductions for all stories.
Rachel In Love by Pat Murphy: 5
The story of a chimpanzee that has had her personality (and memories?) altered to be like a researcher's daughter and the event that follow after his death.
Dream Baby by Bruce McAllister: 5
A story set in the Vietnam war about what people can accomplish with powers obtained when pushed to their breaking point
Flowers of Edo by Bruce Sterling: 4.5
A peculiar encounter where a samurai and a comedian have with the spirit/ghost of progress.
Forever Yours, Anna by Kate Wilhelm: 5
A man that studies hand-writing and his obsession with a woman after having studies her handwriting as part of a case in the theft of secret technology.
At the Cross-Time Jaunter's Ball by Alexander Jablokov: 5
A critic of realities/alternate worlds runs for his life after an artist took his crticism a bit too seriously.
Dinosaurs by Walter Jon Williams: 5
2nd best story of the anthology: A political story between the encounter of future humans with an alien species that have the values and beliefs humans once had.
Perpetuity Blues by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 4.5
The story of a girl that is able to finally escape her upbringings thanks to her talents and the help of a peculiar man.
The Temporary King by Paul J. McAuley: 4
A fugitive from an advance society tries to con a group of people and a young girl from a less advanced society into sheltering him.
Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight by Ursula K. Le Guin: 3.5
A girl's journey back to human society after she is taken in by a group of animals after a plane crash.
The Pardoner's Tale by Robert Silverberg: 5
The loss of a duel and subsequent capture of a hacker forces him to confront the consequences of his past actions.
Glass Cloud by James Patrick Kelly: 4
Aliens pull-strings to get a human architect to design the tomb of an alien God.
The Evening And The Morning And The Night by Octavia E. Butler: 5
The story of a hereditary disease that began as a side-effect of the cure for cancer and the experiences of some of the people that have to live with it.
Night Of The Cooters by Howard Waldrop: 3
What if the aliens from War of the Worlds had landed in Texas? They get blown to pieces...
Angel by Pat Cadigan: 4
A woman and her alien friend are kidnapped by a woman that had developed a close relationship with the same alien in the past.
Shades by Lucius Shepard: 3
A story about a ghost of a US soldier killed in the Vietnam brought back to life as a ghost.
The Faithful Companion At Forty by Karen Joy Fowler: 5
Ke-mo sah-bee's reflection at the age of forty make him realize that there are more kinds of people than leaders and followers
Candle In A Cosmic Wind by Joseph Manzione: 5
3rd best story of the anthology: A meditation on the fragility of life.
The Emir's Clock by Ian Watson: 5
The soon to be Emir receives a vision which catapults his emirate to the forefront of technological progress.
Ever After by Susan Palwick: 4
A vampire adoptive mother does all she can to protect her daughter in a religious society.
The Forest Of Time by Michael Flynn: 5
A compelling story about a what if the US had never been formed and the way different people from this alternate reality would react to the arrival from a person of our (more technologically advance) reality.
The Million-Dollar Wound by Dean Whitlock: 4
Watch how advances in medicine reshape the meaning of a phrase used by soldiers forces to return over and over to combat.
The Moon Of Popping Trees by R. Garcia y Robertson: 3
3rd worst story of the anthology: The story of some outcasts seeking refuge from the white men. They find it on another planet and they get there thanks to a peculiar alien.
Diner by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 2
1st worst story of the anthology: A man wants to throw a 4th of July party at a diner located in Chinese controlled Texas.
All the Hues of Hell by Gene Wolfe: 3
2nd worst story of the anthology: A couple along with their android and (pet?) macaw encounter dark matter lifeforms
Halley's Passing by Michael McDowell: 4.5
A tag-along with a force-of-nature-serial-killer obsessed with not falling into patterns
America by Orson Scott Card: 5
1st best story of the anthology: A tale about how the almost full expulsion of Europeans from the American continent came to be.
For Thus Do I Remember Carthage by Michael Bishop: 3.5
A roman man comes to terms with scientific knowledge brought by his long-lost son.
Mother Goddess of the World by Kim Stanley Robinson: 4
A story about a race to the summit of Everest to find the body of a famous British explorer between a group of British climbers, a filmmaker guided by a Tulku Lama and a US documentary crew.
Rachel In Love by Pat Murphy: 5
The story of a chimpanzee that has had her personality (and memories?) altered to be like a researcher's daughter and the event that follow after his death.
Dream Baby by Bruce McAllister: 5
A story set in the Vietnam war about what people can accomplish with powers obtained when pushed to their breaking point
Flowers of Edo by Bruce Sterling: 4.5
A peculiar encounter where a samurai and a comedian have with the spirit/ghost of progress.
Forever Yours, Anna by Kate Wilhelm: 5
A man that studies hand-writing and his obsession with a woman after having studies her handwriting as part of a case in the theft of secret technology.
At the Cross-Time Jaunter's Ball by Alexander Jablokov: 5
A critic of realities/alternate worlds runs for his life after an artist took his crticism a bit too seriously.
Dinosaurs by Walter Jon Williams: 5
2nd best story of the anthology: A political story between the encounter of future humans with an alien species that have the values and beliefs humans once had.
Perpetuity Blues by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 4.5
The story of a girl that is able to finally escape her upbringings thanks to her talents and the help of a peculiar man.
The Temporary King by Paul J. McAuley: 4
A fugitive from an advance society tries to con a group of people and a young girl from a less advanced society into sheltering him.
Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight by Ursula K. Le Guin: 3.5
A girl's journey back to human society after she is taken in by a group of animals after a plane crash.
The Pardoner's Tale by Robert Silverberg: 5
The loss of a duel and subsequent capture of a hacker forces him to confront the consequences of his past actions.
Glass Cloud by James Patrick Kelly: 4
Aliens pull-strings to get a human architect to design the tomb of an alien God.
The Evening And The Morning And The Night by Octavia E. Butler: 5
The story of a hereditary disease that began as a side-effect of the cure for cancer and the experiences of some of the people that have to live with it.
Night Of The Cooters by Howard Waldrop: 3
What if the aliens from War of the Worlds had landed in Texas? They get blown to pieces...
Angel by Pat Cadigan: 4
A woman and her alien friend are kidnapped by a woman that had developed a close relationship with the same alien in the past.
Shades by Lucius Shepard: 3
A story about a ghost of a US soldier killed in the Vietnam brought back to life as a ghost.
The Faithful Companion At Forty by Karen Joy Fowler: 5
Ke-mo sah-bee's reflection at the age of forty make him realize that there are more kinds of people than leaders and followers
Candle In A Cosmic Wind by Joseph Manzione: 5
3rd best story of the anthology: A meditation on the fragility of life.
The Emir's Clock by Ian Watson: 5
The soon to be Emir receives a vision which catapults his emirate to the forefront of technological progress.
Ever After by Susan Palwick: 4
A vampire adoptive mother does all she can to protect her daughter in a religious society.
The Forest Of Time by Michael Flynn: 5
A compelling story about a what if the US had never been formed and the way different people from this alternate reality would react to the arrival from a person of our (more technologically advance) reality.
The Million-Dollar Wound by Dean Whitlock: 4
Watch how advances in medicine reshape the meaning of a phrase used by soldiers forces to return over and over to combat.
The Moon Of Popping Trees by R. Garcia y Robertson: 3
3rd worst story of the anthology: The story of some outcasts seeking refuge from the white men. They find it on another planet and they get there thanks to a peculiar alien.
Diner by Neal Barrett, Jr.: 2
1st worst story of the anthology: A man wants to throw a 4th of July party at a diner located in Chinese controlled Texas.
All the Hues of Hell by Gene Wolfe: 3
2nd worst story of the anthology: A couple along with their android and (pet?) macaw encounter dark matter lifeforms
Halley's Passing by Michael McDowell: 4.5
A tag-along with a force-of-nature-serial-killer obsessed with not falling into patterns
America by Orson Scott Card: 5
1st best story of the anthology: A tale about how the almost full expulsion of Europeans from the American continent came to be.
For Thus Do I Remember Carthage by Michael Bishop: 3.5
A roman man comes to terms with scientific knowledge brought by his long-lost son.
Mother Goddess of the World by Kim Stanley Robinson: 4
A story about a race to the summit of Everest to find the body of a famous British explorer between a group of British climbers, a filmmaker guided by a Tulku Lama and a US documentary crew.
June 14, 2019
Some of the stories are rough to get through.
December 13, 2020
Another excellent compilation selected by Gardner Dozois. As ever, his year in review is as valuable as the stories.
April 14, 2021
There were a handful of really good stories and none that I disliked.
October 21, 2023
Mostly a great read. Not every story was enjoyable, but most of them were!
August 12, 2024
Favorites: 'Glass Cloud', 'The Evening and the Morning and the Night' and 'Mother Goddess of the World'.
March 18, 2013
I've read something like 28 of the last 30 years of these Best Ofs(Just number 6 to go). They're always well done.One small point, I was struck by how contemporary the fiction felt though it's science fiction written in 1987. Further proof that Sci-fi is the best kind of literature because it better reflects our lives which seem to be more and more science fiction as science fact
Currently reading
May 24, 2024"The Million-Dollar Wound" by Dean Whitlock - A medic in a future conflict begins shooting soldiers in the head who ask for the million dollar wound because medical advances allow almost any wound to be patched up and the recipient is returned to the front.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 22, 2008The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifth Annual Collection (Year's Best Science Fiction) by Gardner R. Dozois (1988)
October 4, 2014
This is an older collection. Not too bad, overall.
December 21, 2010
Some of the stories in this book were amazingly good.
May 25, 2011
"Rachel in Love" -- one of the best stories ever
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews