Anthologies
New Stories by Michael Bishop, Josephine Saxton, Carter Scholtz, Ian Watson, Carol Emshwiller, and Others.
An anthology of eighteen feline fantasies features tales by Stephen King, Ursula LeGuin, Theodore Sturgeon, Gene Wolfe, and other masters of the fantasy genre
This collection of all new short fiction by thirteen of today's top science fiction writers represents a memorial to the late Terry Carr and includes contributions by Ursulia K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, and Robert Silverberg, among others
Culled from the pages of "Omni" magazine, these seventeen science fiction short stories include masterworks by such noted authors as John Crowley, Robert Zelazny, and Alfred Bester
June 1989. Cover art by Nicholas Jainschigg illustrating "Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another" by Robert Silverberg. ALSO: "The Dragon Line" by Michael Swanwick; "Faith" by James Patrick Kelly; "Nanoware Time" by Ian Watson, and much more. Editor: Gardner Dozois.
Collecting the creme de la creme of the horror and fantasy fields, this third volume amasses the best from 1989, including works by Scott Baker, Pat Cadigan, Joe Haldeman, Tanith Lee, Jonah Carroll, Robert McCammon and Bruce Sterling, as well as extensive overviews of the year in horror and fantasy, and Ed Bryant's survey of the year's movies.
Contributors include Lawrence Watt-Evans, Gregory Benford, Avram Davidson, Pat Murphy, Algis Burdrys, Michael Swanwick, Delia Sherman, Charles de Lint, Midori Snyder, and James Powell. 4 cassettes.
Reaching from the sky to the edge of the world, science fiction is the literature of the imagination, and this year's collection gathers into one volume the most imaginative, exciting, and intelligent fiction of 1989. This year's collection features works by many of science fiction's greatest writers--both veterans and newcomers--including: Neal Barret, Jr., Gregory Benford, Alan Brennert, John Crowley, Avram Davidson, Alexander Jablokov, Janet Kagan, William King, Kathe Koja, Nancy Kress, Megan Lindholm, Judith Moffett, Steven Popkes, Mike Resnick, Robert Sampson, Charles Sheffield, Lucius Shepard, Robert Silverberg, S.P. Somtow, Brian Stableford, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, John Varley, Connie Willis.
Signed by Gardner Dozois Title page, the Forward and the Afterword. Signatures only - received in person. Also Signed by Michael Swanwick on the title page and on his short stories( 7 places). Signed by Pat Cadigan on the Title page. Book in Mylar cover. First Edition, First Printing. No remainder Marks no ink markings. NOT priced clipped. In well packed Boxes - no padded envelopes.
A collection of more than a dozen Christmas-related science fiction tales features stories by Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, Michael Swanwick, Frederik Pohl, Gordon R. Dickson, Connie Willis, and many other stars of the genre
A collection of science fiction stories featuring the planet Earth includes stories by Nancy Kress, Frederik Pohl, Marta Randall, Kim Stanley Robinson, Mary Rosenblum, Charles Sheffield, Dave Smeds, D. Alexander Smith, and Michael Swanwick. Original.
Contents (view Concise Listing) v Introduction (Omni Visions Two) (1994) essay by Ellen Datlow 1 Against Babylon (1986) novelette by Robert Silverberg 21 The Gods of Mars (1985) novelette by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann and Michael Swanwick 43 Pictures Made of Stones (1987) poem by Lucius Shepard 53 E-Ticket to 'Namland (1987) novelette by Dan Simmons (variant of E-Ticket to Namland) 73 The Domino Master (1988) short story by Michael Blumlein 91 The Circular Library of Stones (1987) short story by Carol Emshwiller 103 Reason Seven (1985) short story by Barry N. Malzberg 113 The Fire Catcher (1985) short story by Richard Kadrey 121 Dead Run (1985) short story by Greg Bear 143 Adeste Fideles (1987) short story by Frederik Pohl 161 The Lions Are Asleep This Night (1986) novelette by Howard Waldrop 183 The Dragon Seed (1985) short story by Kate Wilhelm 201 Permafrost (1986) novelette by Roger Zelazny
Ranging from the traditional to the modern, from the humorous to the supernatural, this collection of ghostly Christmas tales features works by Dickens, Hawthorne, Gregory Cox, Frank Stockton, Susan Palwick, Russell Kirk, and others
February 1995. Cover art by George H. Krauter. Stories in this issue: Ellen O'Hara” by Ian R. MacLeod ”Flight” by Mary Rosenblum ”Walking Out” by Michael Swanwick ”Road Kills” by Kandis Elliot ”Joss” by Maureen F. McHugh ”Research Project” by Tom Purdom plus poetry by Bruce Boston, Scott L. Towner, William John Watkins FEATURES: “Gresham's Law and SF” (Reflections) by Robert Silverberg; On Books” (reviews) by Paul Di Filippo
More than forty stories and poems are included in this anthology of the year's finest horror and fantasy fiction, accompanied by a roundup of the year's fantasy films and a guide to the year's notable fiction. 20,000 first printing.
Gathers original stories that explore the excitement, invention, and sense of play that were once an integral part of science fiction
This wonderful collection celebrates fantasy's heydey with 33 masterpieces of short fiction, ranging from 1940s stories by L. Sprague de Camp, H. L. Gold, Fritz Leiber, and Manly Wade Wellman to more recent tales by such towering modern talents as Peter S. Beagle, Terry Bisson, James P. Blaylock, Suzy McKee Charnas, John Crowley, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. Le Guin, Lucius Shepard, Michael Swanwick, JaneYolen, and Roger Zelazny. Just as Gardner Dozois's anthology Modern Classics of Science Fiction (SMP, 1992) has helped new generations of readers and old fans discover the genre's finest short stories, so too shall this volume allow readers to find in one volume more than two dozen masterworks of fantasy.
Once the mainstay of science fiction, adventure stories fell out of favor during the 1960s and early 1970s. But in recent years, science fiction writers have spun out galaxy-spanning adventures as imaginative and wonderful as any of yesteryear's tales. Renowned editor Gardner Dozois assembles seventeen such escapades here, with stories from today's and tomorrow's finest writers, including: Stephen Baxter, Tony Daniel, R. Garcia y Robertson, Peter F. Hamilton, Janet Kagan, George R. R. Martin, Paul J. McAuley, Maureen F. McHugh. G. David Nordley, Robert Reed, Mary Rosenblum, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, George Turner, John Varley, Vernor Vinge, Walter Jon Williams These stories brim with the exciting thrills our universe offers us-- alien landscapes, unimagined realms, life unlike any we have known before, and that mysterious realm known as the human soul. The Good New Stuff shows that they really do still write 'em like that!
This is a magazine/booklet containing science fiction stories.
Distant planets, galaxies, alien races--the universe is vast and filled with an almost unimaginable range of possibilities. But imagine it we can. Here are more than twenty stories from the most inventive writers in the field, including: Poul Anderson * Stephen Baxter * Greg Bear * Gregory Benford * Arthur C. Clarke * Hal Clement * Greg Egan * H. B. Fyfe * R. A. Lafferty * Geoffrey A. Landis * Ursula K. Le Guin * Jack McDevitt * Larry Niven * G. David Nordley * Edgar Pangborn * Kim Stanley Robinson * James H. Schmitz * Cordwainer Smith * Michael Swanwick * James Tiptree, Jr. * John Varley * Vernor Vinge These are the stories of discovering those possibilities-the stories of the explorers and pioneers who push the envelope further out--exciting tales of alien landscapes and adventures on far distant shores that are the heart and soul of science fiction.
NOMINATED FOR THE 2002 HUGO AND LOCUS AWARD When J.R.R. Tolkien created the extraordinary world of Middle-earth and populated it with fantastic, archetypal denizens, reinventing the heroic quest, the world hardly noticed. Sales of The Lord of the Rings languished for the better part of two decades, until the Ballantine editions were published here in America. By late 1950s, however, the books were selling well and beginning to change the face of fantasy. . . . forever. A generation of students and aspiring writers had their hearts and imaginations captured by the rich tapestry of the Middle-earth mythos, the larger-than-life heroic characters, the extraordinary and exquisite nature of Tolkien's prose, and the unending quest to balance evil with good. These young readers grew up to become the successful writers of modern fantasy. They created their own worlds and universes, in some cases their own languages, and their own epic heroic quests. And all of them owe a debt of gratitude to the works and the author who first set them on the path. In Meditations on Middle-earth , sixteen bestselling fantasy authors share details of their personal relationships with Tolkien's mythos, for it inspired them all. Had there been no Lord of the Rings , there would also have been no Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin; no Song of Ice and Fire saga from George R. R. Martin; no Tales of Discworld from Terry Pratchett; no Legends of Alvin Maker from Orson Scott Card. Each of them was influenced by the master mythmaker, and now each reveals the nature of that influence and their personal relationships with the greatest fantasy novels ever written in the English language. If you've never read the Tolkien books, read these essays and discover the depthy and beauty of his work. If you are a fan of The Lord of the Rings , the candid comments of these modern mythmakers will give you new insight into the subtlety, power, and majesty of Tolkien's tales and how he told them. Meditations on Middle-Earth is a 2002 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Related Work.
Edited by the widely acclaimed SF author Robert Silverberg, the Nebula Awards series is "the pulse of modern science fiction" (The New York Times Book Review) The Nebula Awards are the Academy Awards of science fiction, the finest works each year in the genre as voted by the members of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The Nebula Awards anthology series has now reached its thirty-fifth year. This edition contains the complete award-winning texts by Ted Chiang, Mary A. Turzillo, Leslie What, and Octavia E. Butler (an excerpt from her novel The Parable of the Talents); a report on the field ("still inarguably dynamic") by Gary K. Wolfe; runner-up stories by David Marusek and Michael Swanwick; an early story by 2000 Grand Master Brian W. Aldiss; and 2000 Author Emeritus Daniel Keyes's account of how he wrote Flowers for Algernon. In his introduction, editor Robert Silverberg looks back wryly at Damon Knight, the beginnings of SFWA, and the first Nebula banquets.
Mind-expanding explorations of the future of the human form Our bodies and minds are malleable, and only the imagination is the limit to the possible improvements. From genetics to artificial enhancements, humanity will alter the course of its own evolution. Included here are more than twenty stories from the most imaginative writers in the field, including: Poul Anderson * James Blish * Eric Brown * Ted Chiang * Tony Daniel * Samuel R. Delany * Greg Egan * Joe Haldeman * Geoffrey A. Landis * Paul McAuley * Ian MacLeod * David Marusek * Tom Purdom * Robert Reed * Joanna Russ * Robert Silverberg * Brian Stableford * Bruce Sterling * Charles Stross * Michael Swanwick * Liz Williams * Gene Wolfe * Roger Zelazny
The art of writing great science fiction is that it challenges the imagination, pushing it to extreme limits and in this anthology, selecting some of the best modern science fiction from the last fifty years, twenty leading authors of the genre ask the question 'What if...?' and then give their own very personal views of the changes and surprises which may befall humanity in the centuries to come. In Ulla, Ulla Eric Brown recounts the first manned Martian expedition and discovers that H. G. Wells may have been right after all. In The Infinite Assassin Greg Egan polices the dimensions, seeking those who are taking over their alternate selves. Geoffrey A. Landis takes us into the depths of a black hole in Approaching Perimelasma. Is the ultimate Utopia heaven or hell? Robert Sheckley finds out in the classic A Ticket to Tranai. These and other stories by James White, Eric Frank Russell, Robert Reed, H. Beam Piper and H. Chandler Elliot make this one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking science fiction anthologies in lightyears.
For years, The Year's Best Science Fiction has been the most widely read short science fiction anthology of its kind. Now, after twenty-one annual collections, comes the ultimate in science fiction anthologies, The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction, in which legendary editor Gardner Dozois selects the very best short stories for this landmark collection. Contributors include: * Stephen Baxter * Greg Bear * William Gibson * Terry Bisson * Pat Cadigan * Ted Chiang * John Crowley * Tony Daniel * Greg Egan * Molly Gloss * Eileen Gunn * Joe Haldeman * James Patrick Kelly * John Kessel * Nancy Kress * Ursula K. Le Guin * Ian R. MacLeod * David Marusek * Paul McAuley * Ian McDonald * Maureen F. McHugh * Robert Reed * Mike Resnick * Geoff Ryman * William Sander * Lucius Shepard * Robert Silverberg * Brian Stableford * Bruce Sterling * Charles Stross * Michael Swanwick * Steven Utley * Howard Waldrop * Walter Jon Williams * Connie Willis * Gene Wolfe With work spanning two decades, The Best of the Best stands as one of the ultimate science fiction anthologies ever published. Contents xi Foreword (The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction) essay by Robert Silverberg xvii Preface (The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction) essay by Gardner Dozois 1 Blood Music (1983) novelette by Greg Bear 19 A Cabin on the Coast (1984) shortstory by Gene Wolfe 28 Salvador (1984) shortstory by Lucius Shepard 42 Trinity (1984) novella by Nancy Kress 78 Flying Saucer Rock and Roll (1985) novelette by Howard Waldrop (aka Flying Saucer Rock & Roll) 93 Dinner in Audoghast (1985) shortstory by Bruce Sterling 103 Roadside Rescue (1985) shortstory by Pat Cadigan 109 Snow (1985) shortstory by John Crowley 121 The Winter Market (1985) novelette by William Gibson 137 The Pure Product (1986) novelette by John Kessel 152 Stable Strategies for Middle Management (1988) shortstory by Eileen Gunn 162 Kirinyaga [Kirinyaga 2] (1988) novelette by Mike Resnick 177 Tales from the Venia Woods [Roma Eterna] (1989) shortstory by Robert Silverberg 191 Bears Discover Fire (1990) shortstory by Terry Bisson 199 Even the Queen (1992) shortstory by Connie Willis 213 Guest of Honor (1993) novelette by Robert Reed 238 None So Blind (1994) shortstory by Joe Haldeman 246 Mortimer Gray's History of Death (1995) novella by Brian Stableford (aka Mortimer Gray's "History of Death") 293 The Lincoln Train (1995) shortstory by Maureen F. McHugh 303 Wang's Carpets (1995) novelette by Greg Egan 328 Coming of Age in Karhide [Hainish] (1995) novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin 342 The Dead (1996) shortstory by Michael Swanwick 352 Recording Angel (1996) shortstory by Ian McDonald 363 A Dry, Quiet War (1996) novelette by Tony Daniel 380 The Undiscovered (1997) novelette by William Sanders 400 Second Skin (1997) shortstory by Paul J. McAuley 418 Story of Your Life (1998) novella by Ted Chiang 454 People Came from Earth (1999) shortstory by Stephen Baxter 464 The Wedding Album [Cathy] (1999) novella by David Marusek 502 10 to 16 to 1 (1999) novelette by James Patrick Kelly (aka 1016 to 1) 520 Daddy's World (1999) novelette by Walter Jon Williams 541 The Real World [Silurian Tales] (2000) shortstory by Steven Utley 561 Have Not Have (2001) novelette by Geoff Ryman 577 Lobsters [Macx Family] (2001) novelette by Charles Stross 597 Breathmoss (2002) novella by Ian R. MacLeod 647 Lambing Season (2002) shortstory by Molly Gloss
Brave New Worlds To Explore and Conquer The astonishingly possible is once again showcased in a breathtaking volume of the best short form SF the past year had to offer. Contributed by some of the most revered and exciting voices in the genre -- and compiled by acclaimed editor and anthologist David G. Hartwell -- these stories of wonder and terror, astounding technologies and miraculous discovery, stretch the imagination into realms and universes never dreamed of before. Each tale is a dazzling gem, rocketing readers across light years and into unknown dimensions -- exploring the intricate cultures of alien races and the strange, secret workings of the human mind. And together they form an unparalleled whole -- a collection of luminous visions that shines more brightly than a newborn sun. New tales from: Nancy Kress Ursula K. Le Guin Greg Egan Bruce Sterling Michael Swanwick Gene Wolfe and many more
Widely regarded as the essential book for every science fiction fan, The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction continues to uphold its standard of excellence with more than two dozen stories from the previous year. Also includes the editor's usual thorough summations of the year's events and a recommended reading list. Gardner Dozois's expertise guarantees an invaluable resource - and as always the best place in the universe to find stories that fire the imagination. Contents: - Summation: 2002 by Gardner Dozois - Breathmoss (2002) by Ian R. MacLeod - The Most Famous Little Girl in the World (2002) by Nancy Kress - The Passenger (2002) by Paul J. McAuley - The Political Officer (2002) by Charles Coleman Finlay - Lambing Season (2002) by Molly Gloss - Coelacanths (2002) by Robert Reed - Presence (2002) by Maureen F. McHugh - Halo (2002) by Charles Stross - In Paradise (2002) by Bruce Sterling - The Old Cosmonaut and the Construction Worker Dream of Mars (2002) by Ian McDonald - Stories for Men (2002) by John Kessel - To Become a Warrior (2002) by Chris Beckett - The Clear Blue Seas of Luna (2002) by Gregory Benford - V.A.O. (2002) by Geoff Ryman - Winters Are Hard (2002) by Steven Popkes - At the Money (2002) by Richard Wadholm - Agent Provocateur (2002) by Alex Irvine - Singleton (2002) by Greg Egan - Slow Life (2002) by Michael Swanwick - A Flock of Birds (2002) by James Van Pelt - The Potter of Bones (2002) by Eleanor Arnason - The Whisper of Disks (2002, variant of The Whisper of Discs ) by John Meaney - The Hotel at Harlan's Landing (2002) by Kage Baker - The Millennium Party (2002, variant of Millennium Party ) by Walter Jon Williams - Turquoise Days (2002) by Alastair Reynolds - Honorable Mentions: 2002 by Gardner Dozois Front cover illustration by Pete Rozycki
Edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, The Hard SF Renaissance (2002) is a thematic sequel to their 1994 anthology The Ascent of Wonder. The first anthology argued that "[t]here has been a persistent viewpoint that hard [science fiction] is somehow the core and the center of the SF field." The Hard SF Renaissance asserts that hard SF has truly become the heart of the genre and supports its assertion by assembling nearly a thousand pages of short stories, novelettes, and novellas originally published between the late 1980s and early 2000s. A different theory says hard SF stories are engineering puzzles disguised as fiction; The Hard SF Renaissance repudiates this theory in regard to modern hard SF. Most of the selections have strong prose and rounded characters, several are classics, and gadget-driven clunkers are mercifully few.Contents A Career in Sexual Chemistry (1987) novelette by Brian Stableford (aka Sexual Chemistry) A Niche (1990) novelette by Peter Watts A Walk in the Sun (1991) shortstory by Geoffrey A. Landis An Ever-Reddening Glow (1996) shortstory by David Brin Arthur Sternbach Brings the Curveball to Mars (1999) shortstory by Kim Stanley Robinson Beggars in Spain [Sleepless] (1991) novella by Nancy Kress Bicycle Repairman [Chattanooga] (1996) novelette by Bruce Sterling Built Upon the Sands of Time (2000) shortstory by Michael F. Flynn [as by Michael Flynn ] Different Kinds of Darkness [Blit] (2000) shortstory by David Langford Exchange Rate (1999) novella by Hal Clement Fast Times at Fairmont High (2001) novella by Vernor Vinge For White Hill (1995) novella by Joe Haldeman Gene Wars (1991) shortfiction by Paul J. McAuley [as by Paul McAuley ] Genesis (1995) novella by Poul Anderson Gossamer [Xeelee] (1995) shortstory by Stephen Baxter Great Wall of Mars [Revelation Space] (2000) novelette by Alastair Reynolds Griffin's Egg (1991) novella by Michael Swanwick Halo (1996) shortstory by Karl Schroeder Hatching the Phoenix [Heechee] (1999) novella by Frederik Pohl Immersion (1996) novella by Gregory Benford Into the Miranda Rift (1993) novella by G. David Nordley New People, New Places, New Politics (The Hard SF Renaissance) essay by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer Kinds of Strangers (1999) novelette by Sarah Zettel Madam Butterfly (1997) novelette by James P. Hogan Marrow [Marrow] (1997) novelette by Robert Reed Matter's End (1989) novella by Gregory Benford Microbe (1995) shortstory by Joan Slonczewski Mount Olympus (1999) novelette by Ben Bova On the Orion Line [Xeelee] (2000) novelette by Stephen Baxter Reality Check (2000) shortstory by David Brin Reasons to Be Cheerful (1997) novelette by Greg Egan Reef (2000) novelette by Paul J. McAuley [as by Paul McAuley ] Sexual Dimorphism (1999) shortstory by Kim Stanley Robinson Taklamakan [Chattanooga] (1998) novelette by Bruce Sterling The Good Rat (1995) novelette by Allen Steele The Hammer of God (1992) shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke The Lady Vanishes (1996) shortstory by Charles Sheffield The Mendelian Lamp Case [Dr Phil D'Amato] (1997) novelette by Paul Levinson The Shoulders of Giants (2000) shortstory by Robert J. Sawyer Think Like a Dinosaur (1995) novelette by James Patrick Kelly Understand (1991) novelette by Ted Chiang Wang's Carpets (1995) novelette by Greg Egan
The stories in this collection imaginatively take readers far across the universe, into the very core of their beings, to the realm of the Gods, and to the moment just after now. Included are the works of masters of the form and the bright new talents of tomorrow. This book is a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.
First dates with Jesus, dinosaurs falling out of the sky, and a famous painting that eats art critics are among the quirky stories found in this collaborative collection. Each piece was written by Jack Dunn and one or more coauthors, and the joint creations are 18 highly entertaining and cutting-edge genre stories, many of them award-winning or award-nominated. Employees are drafted by corporations in the Nebula Award–nominated story "High Steel," and the first manned landing on Mars is imagined in "The God of Mars," just two examples of the futuristic flavor of the collection. Short, clever essays by the coauthors, among them Susan Casper, Gardner Dozois, and Gregory Frost, introduce each story and provide insight into the friendships, conflicts, and story conferences involved in collaborative writing.
In the heart of the new millennium, worlds beyond our imagination have opened up, blurring the line between life and art. Embracing the challenges and possibilities of cyberspace, genetics, the universe, and beyond, the world of science fiction has become a porthole into the realities of tomorrow. In The Year's Best Science Fiction Twenty-third Annual Collection, our very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world with such compelling stories as: "Beyond the Aquila Rift": Critically acclaimed author Alastair Reynolds takes readers to the edge of the universe, where no voyager has dared to travel before---or so we think. "Comber": Our world is an ever-changing one, and award-winning author Gene Wolfe explores the darker side of our planet's fluidity in his own beautiful and inimitable style. "Audubon in Atlantis": In a world not quite like our own, bestselling author Harry Turtledove shows us that there are reasons some species have become extinct. The twenty-nine stories in this collection imaginatively take us far across the universe, into the very core of our beings, to the realm of the gods, and the moment just after now. Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including:Neal Asher, Paolo Bacigalupi, Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Chris Beckett, Dominic Green, Daryl Gregory, Joe Haldeman, Gwyneth Jones, James Patrick Kelley, Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold, Ken MacLeod, Ian McDonald, Vonda N. McIntyre, David Moles, Derryl Murphy, Steven Popkes, Hannu Rajaniemi, Alastair Reynolds, Robert Reed, Chris Roberson, Mary Rosenblum, William Sanders, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, Harry Turtledove, Peter Watts, Liz Williams, and Gene Wolfe. Supplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and a lengthy list of honorable mentions, making this book both a valuable resource and the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.
Travel farther than you've ever dreamed Man has mused about the nature of our universe since he first gazed up in wonder at the stars. Now some of the most fertile imaginations in speculative fiction offer bold and breathtaking visions of "what's out there" and "what's next" in the eleventh annual celebration of the very best short SF to appear over the past year. Once again, acclaimed editors and anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have compiled an extraordinary collection featuring stunning works from modern masters as well as dazzling gems from brilliant new talents -- tales that carry the reader to the far corners of the galaxy and beyond, into hitherto unexplored regions. Get ready to take glorious flight on a journey to the miraculous.
The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the best science fiction prose written in 2005, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by Rich Horton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines. In this volume you'll find stories by James Patrick Kelly, Wil McCarthy, Susan Palwick, Tom Purdom, Robert Reed, Michael Swanwick, James Van Pelt, Howard Waldrop, Alastair Reynolds, Ian McDonald, Mary Rosenblum, Stephen Leigh and Joe Haldeman.
Featuring contributions from Poul Anderson, William Sanders, Kage Baker, and Bruce Sterling, this unrivalled collection of sixteen time-travelling alternate history stories reveals what might happen if we could change the past. Original.
Thirteen “masterfully written longer tales that span the spectrum of speculative fiction’s most inventive scenarios. . . . An indispensable treasury” ( Booklist ). “This outstanding follow-up to Dozois’s Best of the Best Volume 1 . . . pays homage to the science fiction novellas of the past two decades and by extension to the entire genre in all its varied glory.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) For more than twenty years The Year’s Best Science Fiction has been recognized as the best collection of short science fiction writing in the universe and an essential resource for every science fiction fan. In 2005 the original Best of the Best collected the finest short stories from that series and became a benchmark in the SF field. Now, for the first time ever, Hugo Award–winning editor Gardner Dozios sifts through hundreds of stories and dozens of authors who have gone on to become some of the most esteemed practitioners of the form, to bring readers the ultimate anthology of short science fiction novels from his legendary series. Included are such notable short novels as: Sailing to Byzantium by Robert Silverberg: In the fiftieth century, people of Earth are able to create entire cities on a whim, including those of mythology and legend. When twentieth-century traveler Charles Philip accidentally lands in this aberrant time period, he is simultaneously obsessed with discovering more about this alluring world and getting back home. But in a world made entirely of man’s creation, things are not always as they seem on the surface. Forgiveness Day by Ursula K. Le Guin: Le Guin returns to her Hainish-settled interstellar community, the Edumen, to tell the tale of two star-crossed lovers who are literally worlds apart in this story of politics, violence, religion, and cultural disparity. Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds: On a sea-wold planet covered with idyllic tropical oceans, peace seems pervasive. Beneath the placid water lurks an ominous force that has the potential to destroy all tranquility. Contributors include: Greg Egan; Joe Haldeman; James Patrick Kelly; Nancy Kress; Ursula K. Le Guin; Ian R. MacLeod; Ian McDonald; Maureen F. McHugh; Frederick Pohl; Alastair Reynolds; Robert Silverberg; Michael Swanwick; Walter Jon Williams With work spanning two decades, The Best of the Best: Volume 2 stands as the ultimate anthology of short science fiction novels ever published in the world.
The twenty-eight stories in this collection imaginatively take us far across the universe, into the very core of our beings, to the realm of the gods, and the moment just after now. Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including: * Cory Doctorow * Robert Charles Wilson * Michael Swanwick * Ian McDonald * Benjamin Rosenbaum * Kage Baker * Bruce McAllister * Alastair Reynolds * Jay Lake * Ruth Nestvold * Gregory Benford * Justin Stanchfield * Walter Jon Williams * Greg Van Eekhout * Robert Reed * David D. Levine * Paul J. McAuley * Mary Rosenblum * Daryl Gregory * Jack Skillingstead * Paolo Bacigalupi * Greg Egan * Elizabeth Bear * Sarah Monette * Ken MacLeod * Stephen Baxter * Carolyn Ives Gilman * John Barnes * A.M. Dellamonica Supplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and a list of honorable mentions, making this book a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.
Cyberpunk is dead. The revolution has been co-opted by half-assed heroes, overclocked CGI, and tricked-out shades. Once radical, cyberpunk is now nothing more than a brand. Time to stop flipping the channel. These sixteen extreme stories reveal a government ninja routed by a bicycle repairman, the inventor of digitized paper hijacked by his college crush, a dead boy trapped in a warped storybook paradise, and the queen of England attacked with the deadliest of forbidden technology: a working modem. You'll meet Manfred Macx, renegade meme-broker, Red Sonja, virtual reality sex-goddess, and Felix, humble sys-admin and post-apocalyptic hero. Editors James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel ( Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology ) have united cyberpunk visionaries William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, and Pat Cadigan with the new post-cyberpunk vanguard, including Cory Doctorow, Charles Stross, and Jonathan Lethem. Including a canon-establishing introduction and excerpts from a hotly contested online debate, Rewired is the first anthology to define and capture the crackling excitement of the post-cyberpunks. From the grittiness of Mirrorshades to the Singularity and beyond, it's time to revive the revolution.
In extreme fantasy anything can happen . In Mike Ashley's breathtaking new anthology the only rules are those the writer makes - these are stories to liberate both the writers' and readers' imagination. They will take you to hell and back (literally - two of the stories involve hell in ways never explored before). For too long fantasy fiction has become synonymous with vast heroic-fantasy adventures in imitation of The Lord of the Rings , but the genre has always been far greater than dwarves and elves. Today many writers are rediscovering the wider world of fantasy and creating bold new ideas or magically reworking older arts. Ashley selects 25 stories by the likes of Orson Scott Card, Paul Di Filippo, A. A. Attanasio, Michael Swanwick, Christopher Priest and Peter Crowther, arranged in ascending order of 'extremeness'. The anthology opens with a story that takes us beyond Middle Earth in 'Senator Bilbo' by Andy Duncan - showing what happens when a radical descendant of his famous namesake tries to introduce immigration control - and reaches the ultimate in 'The Dark One' by A. A. Attanasio, a rite of passage story where you, the reader, discover you are being tested to become the successor to Satan. Other stories include: A man with a terminal disease looks for a cure in a world where Edward Lear meets Lewis Carroll. A man decides to banish all language. A tour of Hell by the boatman himself. The great comic stars of Hollywood find themselves seeking their lost world. A magical experiment recreates the Crucifixion. Suddenly all colour drains out of the world. A magical recreation of Chinese fantasy cinema where a magician and his adepts fight the flying dead.
The 2008 Edition of The Year's Best Science Fiction contains: INTRODUCTION, Rich Horton (Editor) DARK INTEGERS, Greg Egan A PLAIN TALE FROM OUR HILLS, Bruce Sterling AN EYE FOR AN EYE, Charles Coleman Finlay ALWAYS, Karen Joy Fowler AN OCEAN IS A SNOWFLAKE, FOUR BILLION MILES AWAY, John Barnes VIRUS CHANGES SKIN, Ekaterina Sedia WIKIWORLD, Paul Di Filippo ARTIFICE AND INTELLIGENCE, Tim Pratt JESUS CHRIST, REANIMATOR, Ken MacLeod NIGHT CALLS, Robert Reed EVERYONE BLEEDS THROUGH, Jack Skillingstead ART OF WAR, Nancy Kress THREE DAYS OF RAIN, Holly Phillips BRAIN RAID, Alexander Jablokov FOR SOLO CELLO, OP. 12, Mary Robinette Kowal PERFECT VIOLET, Will McIntosh VECTORING, Geoffrey Landis THE SKYSAILOR'S TALE, Michael Swanwick
