The Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection by Gardner Dozois

From the Publisher

In The Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois produces another volume in the series that Locus calls "the field's real anthology-of-record." With a unique combination of foresight and perspective, Dozois continues to collect outstanding work by newcomers and established authors alike, reflecting the present state of the genre while suggesting its future directions. Included in this volume are pieces by Alexander Jablokov - Nacy Kress - Mike Resnick - Kim Stanley Robinson - Robert Silverberg - Connie Willis - and many others. With the editor's annual summary of the year in the field, and his appendix of recommended reading, this book is indispensable for anyone interested in contemporary science fiction.

Publishers Weekly

While generally sound, this collection is badly in need of a trimming. It is hard to see, for example, why Dozois thought to include Geoffrey A. Landis's uninspired throwback to the time when manned lunar landings were still the stuff of science fiction. And Dozois's breathless introductions to these 28 stories are annoying distractions. Still, there is more than enough material here with real merit. Outstanding are Nancy Kress's story about children genetically altered to require no sleep and Connie Willis's chillingly restrained tale of an ancient evil haunting the rubble-strewn streets of World War II London. Gregory Benford finds a new world at the intersection of particle physics and Eastern mysticism. Unsurprisingly, computers appear frequently in these pages but, in what may be a telling example of the late Isaac Asimov's benign influence, they pose no threat to humans--none, that is, beyond their ability to capture our sympathy, as they do in Chris Beckett's tale of an Italian macchina , or robot, and our love, as illustrated by Mark L. Van Name and Pat Murphy's customized Home Information and Appliance Network. (July)

Library Journal

Dozois has again selected the best short sf of 1996 for inclusion in this award-winning anthology series. Among the 27 writers are Gregory Benford, John Kessel, Robert Silverberg, Maureen F. McHugh, Bruce Sterling, Charles Sheffield, and Stephen Baxter, with contributions covering romance, aliens, a high-tech future, the space program, Africa, scientific thriller, hard science, and cyberpunk. Highly recommended for all sf collections.

Kirkus Reviews

Twenty-eight tales from 1996, expertly selected by editor Dozois (his secret? "He picks the stories he likes best," the blurb trumpets), plus the customary overview (not seen). Three contributors—Gregory Benford, Ian McDonald, and Mike Resnick—write, independently, about Africa, while Tony Daniel appears twice, with one story about a future combat veteran and another about robots. The parade of famous names continues with Michael Swanwick (job security), Nancy Kress (aliens), James P. Blaylock (nostalgia and the supernatural), Robert Silverberg (a May/December romance), Bruce Sterling (bicycles), Gwyneth Jones (dreams), Charles Sheffield (a science thriller), Robert Reed (multigeneration starship), Gene Wolfe (a sea voyage), Cherry Wilder (a preWW I doctor), and Walter Jon Williams (China).

Essential reading for short story fans: The tireless Dozois triumphs again.

Product Details

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Table of Contents