Nebula Awards Showcase 2000: The Year's Best SF and Fantasy Chosen by the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writers

Nebula Awards Showcases #34

by Gregory Benford (Editor), Sheila Finch (Contributor), Jane Yolen (Contributor)

A collection of the best of the fiction and poetry that earned 1999 Nebula Awards, bestowed by the Sciencefiction and Fantasy Writers of America, includes original essays on the latest achievements in the genre and stories by Jane Yolen, Joe Haldeman, Geoffrey A. Landis, and other notables. Simultaneous.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Anthologies, Speculative Fiction

316 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2000

About the author

Gregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.

As a science fiction author, Benford is best known for the Galactic Center Saga novels, beginning with In the Ocean of Night (1977). This series postulates a galaxy in which sentient organic life is in constant warfare with sentient mechanical life.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are older now, but most of them are pretty good. I'd read Jane Yolen's "Lost Girls," highlighting Peter Pan's sexism and gender roles, and it was delightful to read it again. I skipped most of the nonfiction, as I don't need analyses of the state of SF as of 26 years ago, I did read William Tenn's nicely gossipy piece, in which he concludes that the Essence of Science Fiction is quarrelsomeness. He illustrates it with a bunch of SF history focusing on the quarrels, and it's both informative and hilarious. It put my rating up a from three to four stars.

[Chris Duval · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from the Nebula winners (which I read long ago), I recommend Geoffrey Landis' 'Winter Fire,' which displaces the horrors of Yugoslavian dissolution on 22nd century Salzburg, and Walter Jon Williams' 'Lethe,' where loss among a set of clone couples is handled sensitively. If you bother to read the whining (and counter polemics) about the state of the art and business, then also read the essay by William Tenn [Phil Klass] where he amusingly defines the essence of SF as 'quarrelsomeness.'

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather ho-hum collection for a showcase. The histories of science fiction were kinda interesting, but I've read better ones in earlier anthologies. About the only story I thought interesting was Catherine Asard's The Spacetime Pool and the chapter excerpts from Ursula K. Le Guin's Powers novel, which I do want to pick up and read. As for the rest, I'll wait and see what next year brings.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty darn good. i loved the short story 'uncommon sense' and the poem about why you shouldn't give your goldfish power tools...!

[C. Atteridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

eh.last few were ok.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the short story "Lethe" by Walter Jon Williams.