What do you think?
Rate this book
Best New SF 3
Comprising:
Surfacing by Walter Jon Williams;
Home Front by James Patrick Kelly;
The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady by Brian Stableford;
Peaches for Mad Molly by Steven Gould;
The Last Article by Harry Turtledove;
Stable Strategies for Middle Management by Eileen Gunn;
In Memoriam by Nancy Kress;
Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick;
The Girl Who Loved Animals by Bruce McAllister;
The Last of the Winnebagoes by Connie Willis;
Love in Vain by Lewis Shiner;
The Hob by Judith Moffett;
Our Neural Chernobyl by Bruce Sterling;
House of Bones by Robert Silverberg;
Schrodinger's Kitten by George Alec Effinger;
Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance? by Howard Waldrop;
The Growth of the House of Usher by Brian Stableford;
Glacier by Kim Stanley Robinson;
Sanctuary by James Lawson;
The Dragon Line by Michael Swanwick;
Mrs Shummel Exits a Winner by John Kessel;
Emissary by Stephen Kraus;
It Was the Heat by Pat Cadigan;
Skin Deep by Kristine Kathryn Rusch;
Dying in Hull by D. Alexander Smith;
Distances by Kathe Koja;
Famous Monsters by Kim Newman;
The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter by Lucius Shepard.
Surfacing by Walter Jon Williams;
Home Front by James Patrick Kelly;
The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady by Brian Stableford;
Peaches for Mad Molly by Steven Gould;
The Last Article by Harry Turtledove;
Stable Strategies for Middle Management by Eileen Gunn;
In Memoriam by Nancy Kress;
Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick;
The Girl Who Loved Animals by Bruce McAllister;
The Last of the Winnebagoes by Connie Willis;
Love in Vain by Lewis Shiner;
The Hob by Judith Moffett;
Our Neural Chernobyl by Bruce Sterling;
House of Bones by Robert Silverberg;
Schrodinger's Kitten by George Alec Effinger;
Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance? by Howard Waldrop;
The Growth of the House of Usher by Brian Stableford;
Glacier by Kim Stanley Robinson;
Sanctuary by James Lawson;
The Dragon Line by Michael Swanwick;
Mrs Shummel Exits a Winner by John Kessel;
Emissary by Stephen Kraus;
It Was the Heat by Pat Cadigan;
Skin Deep by Kristine Kathryn Rusch;
Dying in Hull by D. Alexander Smith;
Distances by Kathe Koja;
Famous Monsters by Kim Newman;
The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter by Lucius Shepard.
590 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 1989
20 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Dozois
646 books362 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...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 22, 2025
This was, on the whole, the strongest entry yet of Gardner Dozois’s annual Year’s Best anthologies I’ve read. There weren’t any clunkers in the bunch, and there was a refreshingly broad scope of tone, style, theme, and ideas on display throughout. My favorites were Connie Willis’s moving “The Last of the Winnebagoes,” Kim Stanley Robinson’s subtle “Glacier,” D. Alexander Smith’s mournful “Dying in Hull,” and Kathe Koja’s inventive “Distances.”
August 18, 2022
This volume seems to have had very little going on for it.
Standouts: Jon Williams' "Surfacing", Mike Resnick's "Kirinyaga", Eileen Gunn's "Stable Strategies for Middle Management", and perhaps Robert Silverberg's "House of Bones".
Standouts: Jon Williams' "Surfacing", Mike Resnick's "Kirinyaga", Eileen Gunn's "Stable Strategies for Middle Management", and perhaps Robert Silverberg's "House of Bones".
December 8, 2018
OK, I'm going to try to do what I did for Dozois #3: write a review of the standouts, for me, just by referring to these memory-aids:
https://web.archive.org/web/200411280... (scroll down)
http://bestsf.net/years-best-science-...
I do have my copy of #6 at hand, but I haven't reread it in many years. Here we go:
• Stable Strategies for Middle Management • short story by Eileen Gunn. Hugo Short Story Award. Bio-engineering and the ambitious businesswoman. Remarkably memorable story, easy 5 stars.
• Peaches For Mad Molly, novelette by Steven Gould. Nebula Novelette Nominee, Hugo Novelette Nominee. Here's Brian Davies: "The story of a man who makes his living as a courier, rappelling his way up and down the outside of an arcology, and his hunt for the perfect birthday present." Remarkable story, 4+ stars, by memory.
• The Last Article • novelette by Harry Turtledove. The British lose India to the Nazis. Gandhi & Nehru discover that dealing with the Nazis is much different, and much worse. Things get grim and bloody. Memorable story, 4 stars.
• It Was the Heat • short story by Pat Cadigan. A businesswoman visiting New Orleans falls in lust, and gets an unpleasant surprise. 3.7 stars.
-- and lots more almost as good, and as memorable, as these. Few, if any, clunkers. Another fine early collection. I think I preferred the smaller (250,000 words) to the much larger later (350,000 words and up) collections.
https://web.archive.org/web/200411280... (scroll down)
http://bestsf.net/years-best-science-...
I do have my copy of #6 at hand, but I haven't reread it in many years. Here we go:
• Stable Strategies for Middle Management • short story by Eileen Gunn. Hugo Short Story Award. Bio-engineering and the ambitious businesswoman. Remarkably memorable story, easy 5 stars.
• Peaches For Mad Molly, novelette by Steven Gould. Nebula Novelette Nominee, Hugo Novelette Nominee. Here's Brian Davies: "The story of a man who makes his living as a courier, rappelling his way up and down the outside of an arcology, and his hunt for the perfect birthday present." Remarkable story, 4+ stars, by memory.
• The Last Article • novelette by Harry Turtledove. The British lose India to the Nazis. Gandhi & Nehru discover that dealing with the Nazis is much different, and much worse. Things get grim and bloody. Memorable story, 4 stars.
• It Was the Heat • short story by Pat Cadigan. A businesswoman visiting New Orleans falls in lust, and gets an unpleasant surprise. 3.7 stars.
-- and lots more almost as good, and as memorable, as these. Few, if any, clunkers. Another fine early collection. I think I preferred the smaller (250,000 words) to the much larger later (350,000 words and up) collections.
August 8, 2023
Why was I under the impression that in the 80's sci-fi was really sci-fi... none of that disgusting Near-Future On-Earth semi sci-fi? This came as a cold shower. There are only a handful of stories here that are not set on Earth. And out of these only a couple that really strike a chord. The fantasy and alternate history stories contained herein are better than the classic sci-fi.
Story breakdown:
• Surfacing • novella by Walter Jon Williams: 2*
A promising few starting pages. Humans share a largely aquatic world with some aquatic aliens and Earth's humpbacks. And then... it all comes crashing down when nothing ever happens and the characters are very annoying.
• Home Front • short story by James Patrick Kelly: 1*
Semi-post-apocalyptic USA. Dude hangs around his house discussing stuff with his mother and a friend.
• The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady • novelette by Brian Stableford: 4*
Alternate 17th century Britain. Vampires live openly among mankind as their rulers. Very nice setting and good craftsmanship.
• Peaches for Mad Molly • novelette by Steven Gould: 2*
This is a future where mankind lives in huge skyscrapers due to overpopulation. In spite of the cool setting, the plot and the execution suck. Some dude is tasked with retrieving said peaches for a friend.
• The Last Article • novelette by Harry Turtledove 4*
Gandhi vs nazis! Alternate WW2 setting with Germans overrunning India.
• Stable Strategies for Middle Management • short story by Eileen Gunn: 2*
Bioengineering and corporations don't match very well.
• In Memoriam • short story by Nancy Kress: 2*
In a future where it is possible to live forever by some kind of 'brain reboot', a dude and his mother debate immortality.
• Kirinyaga • short story by Mike Resnick: 4*
Humankind has relocated to the stars. A particular African tribe reverts to ancient traditions which contradict the morality of the whole. Nicely done.
• The Girl Who Loved Animals • short story by Bruce McAllister: 1*
I didn't understand what this one was about. Not very sci-fi-ish anyway.
• The Last of the Winnebagos • novella by Connie Willis: 1*
Some semi-post-apocalyptic setting again where Recreational Vehicles have been banned. Someone is searching for the last one.
• Love in Vain • novelette by Lewis Shiner: 1*
More non-sci-fi. Some police investigation.
• The Hob • novelette by Judith Moffett: 5*
Woman traveling the countryside accidentally runs into aliens masquerading as sheep and/or hobbits, has her memories kinda deleted, then spends her time trying to find them again. Original plot, perfect execution.
• Our Neural Chernobyl • short story by Bruce Sterling: 2*
I didn't pay attention to the author and wound up reading a Bruce Sterling story. Passable though. Some kind of semi-apocalypse initiated by incorrect genetic manipulation of neurons.
• House of Bones • novelette by Robert Silverberg: 3*
Time traveler ends up in prehistory wandering across Europe with a tribe of nomads.
• Schrödinger's Kitten • novelette by George Alec Effinger: 2*
We get to see various possible lifelines for a woman befriending early 20th century scientists.
• Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance? • novelette by Howard Waldrop: 3*
This is a finely written story about a high-school reunion. What it is doing in a sci-fi anthology only the editor knows.
• The Growth of the House of Usher • novelette by Brian Stableford: 1*
No idea what is going on here. I don't remember the original Usher house story by EA Poe, but I doubt it would've helped. Disappointing after the strong story by the same author earlier.
• Glacier • novelette by Kim Stanley Robinson: 2*
Some guys explore a glacier in Boston in a semi-apocalyptic setting. I simply didn't warm up to it at all (pun intended).
• Sanctuary • novella by Alan Dean Foster: 1*
I hate Near-Future On-Earth settings. Here's another story involving some detective work. Couldn't get past the first 10 pages.
• The Dragon Line • short story by Michael Swanwick: 1*
Enough already with the NFOE stories...
• Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner • short story by John Kessel: 1*
This is set in a bingo hall. Did not go past the 3rd page.
• Emissary • novelette by Stephen Kraus: 1*
Two guys going over some family history. Someone please stop this!
• It Was the Heat • short story by Pat Cadigan: 1*
This is definitely the nadir of all stories ever selected by Mr. Dozois. It's about a woman complaining how hot it is in New Orleans.
• Skin Deep • short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: 3*
Finally something set on another planet! And a passable story at that, about a mixed human-aliens colony experiencing some xenophobia.
• Dying in Hull • short story by David Alexander Smith: 1*
More NFOE. Some ships, lotta talking.
• Distances • short story by Kathe Koja: 1*
NFOE to the max! Some experiment about "jacking". Unintelligible.
• Famous Monsters • short story by Kim Newman: 1*
No idea what this one is meant to be. Full of 50's & 60's cultural references.
• The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter • novella by Lucius Shepard: 3*
I was two pages in before I noticed who had written this. Funny, it didn't involve soldiers in some jungle. The setting is cool enough. Some people exploring the inside of a gigantic dragon. I kept reading in spite of some bizarre references (China in the middle of a fantasy setting?). Wasn't that bad after all, but nothing to write home to your mother about either.
Weighted average: 2*
Story breakdown:
• Surfacing • novella by Walter Jon Williams: 2*
A promising few starting pages. Humans share a largely aquatic world with some aquatic aliens and Earth's humpbacks. And then... it all comes crashing down when nothing ever happens and the characters are very annoying.
• Home Front • short story by James Patrick Kelly: 1*
Semi-post-apocalyptic USA. Dude hangs around his house discussing stuff with his mother and a friend.
• The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady • novelette by Brian Stableford: 4*
Alternate 17th century Britain. Vampires live openly among mankind as their rulers. Very nice setting and good craftsmanship.
• Peaches for Mad Molly • novelette by Steven Gould: 2*
This is a future where mankind lives in huge skyscrapers due to overpopulation. In spite of the cool setting, the plot and the execution suck. Some dude is tasked with retrieving said peaches for a friend.
• The Last Article • novelette by Harry Turtledove 4*
Gandhi vs nazis! Alternate WW2 setting with Germans overrunning India.
• Stable Strategies for Middle Management • short story by Eileen Gunn: 2*
Bioengineering and corporations don't match very well.
• In Memoriam • short story by Nancy Kress: 2*
In a future where it is possible to live forever by some kind of 'brain reboot', a dude and his mother debate immortality.
• Kirinyaga • short story by Mike Resnick: 4*
Humankind has relocated to the stars. A particular African tribe reverts to ancient traditions which contradict the morality of the whole. Nicely done.
• The Girl Who Loved Animals • short story by Bruce McAllister: 1*
I didn't understand what this one was about. Not very sci-fi-ish anyway.
• The Last of the Winnebagos • novella by Connie Willis: 1*
Some semi-post-apocalyptic setting again where Recreational Vehicles have been banned. Someone is searching for the last one.
• Love in Vain • novelette by Lewis Shiner: 1*
More non-sci-fi. Some police investigation.
• The Hob • novelette by Judith Moffett: 5*
Woman traveling the countryside accidentally runs into aliens masquerading as sheep and/or hobbits, has her memories kinda deleted, then spends her time trying to find them again. Original plot, perfect execution.
• Our Neural Chernobyl • short story by Bruce Sterling: 2*
I didn't pay attention to the author and wound up reading a Bruce Sterling story. Passable though. Some kind of semi-apocalypse initiated by incorrect genetic manipulation of neurons.
• House of Bones • novelette by Robert Silverberg: 3*
Time traveler ends up in prehistory wandering across Europe with a tribe of nomads.
• Schrödinger's Kitten • novelette by George Alec Effinger: 2*
We get to see various possible lifelines for a woman befriending early 20th century scientists.
• Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance? • novelette by Howard Waldrop: 3*
This is a finely written story about a high-school reunion. What it is doing in a sci-fi anthology only the editor knows.
• The Growth of the House of Usher • novelette by Brian Stableford: 1*
No idea what is going on here. I don't remember the original Usher house story by EA Poe, but I doubt it would've helped. Disappointing after the strong story by the same author earlier.
• Glacier • novelette by Kim Stanley Robinson: 2*
Some guys explore a glacier in Boston in a semi-apocalyptic setting. I simply didn't warm up to it at all (pun intended).
• Sanctuary • novella by Alan Dean Foster: 1*
I hate Near-Future On-Earth settings. Here's another story involving some detective work. Couldn't get past the first 10 pages.
• The Dragon Line • short story by Michael Swanwick: 1*
Enough already with the NFOE stories...
• Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner • short story by John Kessel: 1*
This is set in a bingo hall. Did not go past the 3rd page.
• Emissary • novelette by Stephen Kraus: 1*
Two guys going over some family history. Someone please stop this!
• It Was the Heat • short story by Pat Cadigan: 1*
This is definitely the nadir of all stories ever selected by Mr. Dozois. It's about a woman complaining how hot it is in New Orleans.
• Skin Deep • short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: 3*
Finally something set on another planet! And a passable story at that, about a mixed human-aliens colony experiencing some xenophobia.
• Dying in Hull • short story by David Alexander Smith: 1*
More NFOE. Some ships, lotta talking.
• Distances • short story by Kathe Koja: 1*
NFOE to the max! Some experiment about "jacking". Unintelligible.
• Famous Monsters • short story by Kim Newman: 1*
No idea what this one is meant to be. Full of 50's & 60's cultural references.
• The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter • novella by Lucius Shepard: 3*
I was two pages in before I noticed who had written this. Funny, it didn't involve soldiers in some jungle. The setting is cool enough. Some people exploring the inside of a gigantic dragon. I kept reading in spite of some bizarre references (China in the middle of a fantasy setting?). Wasn't that bad after all, but nothing to write home to your mother about either.
Weighted average: 2*
August 25, 2025
Not the best anthology I have read, but there were several good stories in here.
May 12, 2021
Another collection of excellent stories compiled by Gardner Dozois. The only problem is that it’s difficult to keep all the authors straight and remember the stories that they wrote. I should probably slow down and savor them a bit, but I’m determined to get through all 35 years of these collections before I die.
September 2, 2025
I've always been a fan of short story anthologies, especially science fiction ones.
This annual compilation came out in 89, right when i was discovering speculative fiction and so a lot of the gestalt is right in my wheelhouse.
A very satisfying anthology, individual stories reviewed below;
SURFACING
Walter Jon Williams
3/5. Interesting alien life and universe building, well executed big finale. The female lead was wooden, basically a vehicle for the antagonist (both in the literal and figurative sense). The love story fell flat for me and the protagonist was thoroughly unlikable.
HOME FRONT
James Patrick Kelly
5/5. A grim vignette of some near future teens struggling through a day in failed state America. Old people are universally hated for “shitting on the world”. The story is very short but the hopelessness and nihilism come through very strong. And points for prescience, this looks to be unraveling in real time as we watch.
THE MAN WHO LOVED THE VAMPIRE LADY
Brian Stableford. 4/5. Great alternative timeline where vampires overtly rule the world. One former paramour turned scientist turned agent of the resistance sacrifices himself to try and tear the system down. By infecting himself with the plague and then letting his domina feed on him. Suicide bomber / biological weapon style.
PEACHES FOR MAD MOLLY
Steven Gould
5/5. Exciting and full of action in a future where mega structures house humanity and some choose to live scaling the outside walls. The protagonist decides to get his friend something nice for her birthday and accidentally embarks on a wild quest.
THE LAST ARTICLE
Harry Turtledove.
4/5 Harry Turtledove doing what he does best, alternative histories. In this short tale, the Reich conquers colonial India away from the British. Ghandi carries on with the passive resistance campaign...which is only as strong as the humanity of your oppressors. If you're against the Reich and you are not Aryans, it's straight to the ovens with you.
STABLE STRATEGIES FOR MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
Eileen Gunn 3/5. This was a fun body horror story about climbing the corporate ladder by bioengineering yourself into a giant bug/person hybrid. It’s as fun as it sounds.
IN MEMORIAM
Nancy Kress
2/5. Thought piece about making mental backups by erasing memories. The narrator doesn't want to have more by losing the old.
KIRINYAGA
Mike Resnick
1/5. Terrible. The “noble savage” & “things were better when we respected our roots” tropes. I think it’s meant as a horror story about cultural relativism but it just made me too eye-rollingly mad.
THE GIRL WHO LOVED ANIMALS
Bruce McAllister
3/5. Story of a simpleton used as a surrogate womb to bring back an extinct gorilla. Painted a pretty bleak future, but the outlook (then as now) for the future of animals was pretty bleak.
THE LAST OF THE WINNEBAGOES
Connie Willis
3/5. Well written murder mystery about old things fading to extinction while the angry new wave blames the failures of the old.
LOVE IN VAIN
Lewis Shiner
3/5. Serial killer knows too much, is actually the embodiment of evil? He wasn’t too strong or too menacing a character for that role. It was more about the main character and his old girlfriend. Things got pretty sexy.
THE HOB
Judith Moffett
4/5. A very cute story about the legendary hobbits of English folklore being in actuality aliens stranded on earth long, long ago. It’s whimsical and has an old English flair that I enjoyed.
OUR NEURAL CHERNOBYL
Bruce Sterling
3/5 A quick tale of a post humanist future told as a book review. The brain super-growth hormones administered via AIDS virus gene-splicing lead to the clever raccoons conquering large tracts of America.
HOUSE OF BONES
Robert Silverberg
4/5. A fun time travel tale. A blank slate character is sent back in time (no real plan or explanation given) and he blends in as an early homo sapiens, hunting mammoth and living in a house of bones.
SCHRÖDINGER'S KITTEN
George Alec Effinger
2/5. All the different branching paths an unlikeable protagonist could have taken in her life, while she came from the slums to work in physics research.
DO YA, DO YA, WANNA DANCE?
Howard W.
3/5. A fun 60s romp culminating in a hive mind tribal dance that unites humanity.
THE GROWTH OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
Brian Stableford.
3/5. An organic house grows from n amazing ways, spawning blank templates the grow into human fruit flies. Opposite of the EAP poem.
GLACIER
Kim Stanley Robinson
3/5. Well told story about a near future ice age. People scraping out a living while the ice flows scrape society off the earth's surface.
SANCTUARY
James Lawson.
4/5. Neuromancer style cyberpunk setting with big corporations running the world, arcane systems existing in the virtual background. Two geniuses turn secret lovers and build a pocket dimension for their "resonances" to live on forever together.
THE DRAGON LINE
Michael Swanwick
4/5. Merlin and Mordred (of Arthurian legend) reunited in modern times. As a twist Merlin’s the bad guy and Mordred's always been a pacifist humanitarian. He’s trying to enlist Merlin in the war against the eco-pocalypse.
MRS. SHUMMEL EXITS A WINNER
John Kessel
4/5. Quite possibly this story had its birth over a bet; can you make a good story about bingo? And yes, apparently J Kessel can do so.
EMISSARY
Stephen Kraus
4/5. Lovecraftian without horror, more of an innocent explorer vibe to alien cosmic horror. The discovery of an ancient first contact machine from 6 eyes, hexagonal thinking aliens.
IT WAS THE HEAT
Pat Cadigan
DNR, skimmed it once it was based on infidelity, those kind of stories just rub me the wrong way. I’m sure it was adequate I just hate the subject.
SKIN DEEP
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
4/5. Alien shapeshifter trying to blend in with the aggressive human colonists helps their adoptive daughter through her first molt. A great story of what it'd be like trying to coexist with the pink murder monkeys from outer space.
DYING IN HULL
D. Alexander Smith
4/5. Great story of sea level rise wiping out the city of Hull and an old lady hanging on as a scavenger. Very strong ending.
DISTANCES
Kathe Koja
3/5. A 2 person of cybernauts with their brains wired directly into the remote controls of a spaceship incomprehensibly far away.
509
FAMOUS MONSTERS
Kim Newman
4/5. A funny take on aliens who end up earth citizens and working in the movies, typecast as the villains. It's a funny story and well told, nicely weird.
THE SCALEHUNTER'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER
Lucius Shepard
5/5. This one was all over the place but at least it wasn't predictable. I loved the idea of an ancient, colossal dragon that can't move but can't die, exerting it's will subliminally to steer events around it's enormous body. The protagonist went through so much only to realize all she amounted to was a tool, discarded once her purpose was served.
This annual compilation came out in 89, right when i was discovering speculative fiction and so a lot of the gestalt is right in my wheelhouse.
A very satisfying anthology, individual stories reviewed below;
SURFACING
Walter Jon Williams
3/5. Interesting alien life and universe building, well executed big finale. The female lead was wooden, basically a vehicle for the antagonist (both in the literal and figurative sense). The love story fell flat for me and the protagonist was thoroughly unlikable.
HOME FRONT
James Patrick Kelly
5/5. A grim vignette of some near future teens struggling through a day in failed state America. Old people are universally hated for “shitting on the world”. The story is very short but the hopelessness and nihilism come through very strong. And points for prescience, this looks to be unraveling in real time as we watch.
THE MAN WHO LOVED THE VAMPIRE LADY
Brian Stableford. 4/5. Great alternative timeline where vampires overtly rule the world. One former paramour turned scientist turned agent of the resistance sacrifices himself to try and tear the system down. By infecting himself with the plague and then letting his domina feed on him. Suicide bomber / biological weapon style.
PEACHES FOR MAD MOLLY
Steven Gould
5/5. Exciting and full of action in a future where mega structures house humanity and some choose to live scaling the outside walls. The protagonist decides to get his friend something nice for her birthday and accidentally embarks on a wild quest.
THE LAST ARTICLE
Harry Turtledove.
4/5 Harry Turtledove doing what he does best, alternative histories. In this short tale, the Reich conquers colonial India away from the British. Ghandi carries on with the passive resistance campaign...which is only as strong as the humanity of your oppressors. If you're against the Reich and you are not Aryans, it's straight to the ovens with you.
STABLE STRATEGIES FOR MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
Eileen Gunn 3/5. This was a fun body horror story about climbing the corporate ladder by bioengineering yourself into a giant bug/person hybrid. It’s as fun as it sounds.
IN MEMORIAM
Nancy Kress
2/5. Thought piece about making mental backups by erasing memories. The narrator doesn't want to have more by losing the old.
KIRINYAGA
Mike Resnick
1/5. Terrible. The “noble savage” & “things were better when we respected our roots” tropes. I think it’s meant as a horror story about cultural relativism but it just made me too eye-rollingly mad.
THE GIRL WHO LOVED ANIMALS
Bruce McAllister
3/5. Story of a simpleton used as a surrogate womb to bring back an extinct gorilla. Painted a pretty bleak future, but the outlook (then as now) for the future of animals was pretty bleak.
THE LAST OF THE WINNEBAGOES
Connie Willis
3/5. Well written murder mystery about old things fading to extinction while the angry new wave blames the failures of the old.
LOVE IN VAIN
Lewis Shiner
3/5. Serial killer knows too much, is actually the embodiment of evil? He wasn’t too strong or too menacing a character for that role. It was more about the main character and his old girlfriend. Things got pretty sexy.
THE HOB
Judith Moffett
4/5. A very cute story about the legendary hobbits of English folklore being in actuality aliens stranded on earth long, long ago. It’s whimsical and has an old English flair that I enjoyed.
OUR NEURAL CHERNOBYL
Bruce Sterling
3/5 A quick tale of a post humanist future told as a book review. The brain super-growth hormones administered via AIDS virus gene-splicing lead to the clever raccoons conquering large tracts of America.
HOUSE OF BONES
Robert Silverberg
4/5. A fun time travel tale. A blank slate character is sent back in time (no real plan or explanation given) and he blends in as an early homo sapiens, hunting mammoth and living in a house of bones.
SCHRÖDINGER'S KITTEN
George Alec Effinger
2/5. All the different branching paths an unlikeable protagonist could have taken in her life, while she came from the slums to work in physics research.
DO YA, DO YA, WANNA DANCE?
Howard W.
3/5. A fun 60s romp culminating in a hive mind tribal dance that unites humanity.
THE GROWTH OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
Brian Stableford.
3/5. An organic house grows from n amazing ways, spawning blank templates the grow into human fruit flies. Opposite of the EAP poem.
GLACIER
Kim Stanley Robinson
3/5. Well told story about a near future ice age. People scraping out a living while the ice flows scrape society off the earth's surface.
SANCTUARY
James Lawson.
4/5. Neuromancer style cyberpunk setting with big corporations running the world, arcane systems existing in the virtual background. Two geniuses turn secret lovers and build a pocket dimension for their "resonances" to live on forever together.
THE DRAGON LINE
Michael Swanwick
4/5. Merlin and Mordred (of Arthurian legend) reunited in modern times. As a twist Merlin’s the bad guy and Mordred's always been a pacifist humanitarian. He’s trying to enlist Merlin in the war against the eco-pocalypse.
MRS. SHUMMEL EXITS A WINNER
John Kessel
4/5. Quite possibly this story had its birth over a bet; can you make a good story about bingo? And yes, apparently J Kessel can do so.
EMISSARY
Stephen Kraus
4/5. Lovecraftian without horror, more of an innocent explorer vibe to alien cosmic horror. The discovery of an ancient first contact machine from 6 eyes, hexagonal thinking aliens.
IT WAS THE HEAT
Pat Cadigan
DNR, skimmed it once it was based on infidelity, those kind of stories just rub me the wrong way. I’m sure it was adequate I just hate the subject.
SKIN DEEP
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
4/5. Alien shapeshifter trying to blend in with the aggressive human colonists helps their adoptive daughter through her first molt. A great story of what it'd be like trying to coexist with the pink murder monkeys from outer space.
DYING IN HULL
D. Alexander Smith
4/5. Great story of sea level rise wiping out the city of Hull and an old lady hanging on as a scavenger. Very strong ending.
DISTANCES
Kathe Koja
3/5. A 2 person of cybernauts with their brains wired directly into the remote controls of a spaceship incomprehensibly far away.
509
FAMOUS MONSTERS
Kim Newman
4/5. A funny take on aliens who end up earth citizens and working in the movies, typecast as the villains. It's a funny story and well told, nicely weird.
THE SCALEHUNTER'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER
Lucius Shepard
5/5. This one was all over the place but at least it wasn't predictable. I loved the idea of an ancient, colossal dragon that can't move but can't die, exerting it's will subliminally to steer events around it's enormous body. The protagonist went through so much only to realize all she amounted to was a tool, discarded once her purpose was served.
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...
May 1, 2016
Could be subtitled: Animals in the future, since so many of the selections deal with animals real and fabulous. Skip Dozios' self-indulgent intro (unless you are really into sci fi history) and just get right to the stories. You can also skip the list of notable stories at the end (although it's worth noting that George R. R. Martin received a one-line mention.) The best stories are also the most disturbing, such as "The Last of the Winnebegos." Read only about 50 pages a day so as not to overdose.
This anthology is much better than some of the later ones in the series (all edited by Dozios.)
This anthology is much better than some of the later ones in the series (all edited by Dozios.)
February 24, 2012
I was very excited to find this edition in an affordable price range. As the years go by, prior year edition become ever pricier, so it is great to find one to add to my collection.
As always, this collection reflects some of the best stories from the year in question (1988). By this time, I've read several of these in other anthologies or in the stash of sci-fi mags my friend gave me a few years ago, but these stories warrant a second read. Peaches for Mad Molly is always interesting, and The Hob is fun. I recommend this collection to all.
As always, this collection reflects some of the best stories from the year in question (1988). By this time, I've read several of these in other anthologies or in the stash of sci-fi mags my friend gave me a few years ago, but these stories warrant a second read. Peaches for Mad Molly is always interesting, and The Hob is fun. I recommend this collection to all.
May 9, 2024
As is tradition the editor provides a state of the science fiction and provides insightful introductions to all the stories.
Surfacing by Walter Jon Williams: 4.5
The story of a man that talks to whales on an alien planet begins a relationship with a fellow researcher and also struggles deciding to begin dialogue with the native Deep Dweller creatures
Home Front by James Patrick Kelly: 1.5
1st worst story of the anthology: The US Army becomes a reality TV show and it is in constant search of new talents
The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady by Brian Stableford: 5
An inventor balances out his romantic interests on a vampire lady and his desire to further human knowledge
Peaches for Mad Molly by Steven Gould: 4
The journey a delivery man makes to deliver packages and a birthday present up and down an incredibly tall structure built to address overpopulation on earth
The Last Article by Harry Turtledove: 5
3rd best story of the anthology: What if Ghandi's peaceful movement had to face-off against Nazi Germany rather than The British Empire?
Stable Strategies for Middle Management by Eileen Gunn: 3
Climbing the corporate ladder one biological modification at a time
In Memoriam by Nancy Kress: 3.5
A woman fights for her desire to die with her memories against her son's desires to wipe her memory in exchange for a longer life
Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick: 5
1st best story of the anthology: The customs of a society come at odds with the values of another
The Girl Who Loved Animals by Bruce McAllister: 3
The story of a social worker working a special case of a woman acting as the surrogate mother to the extinct chimpanzee species
The Last of the Winnebagoes by Connie Willis: 5
A story set in a world were the canine populations were ravaged by a virus about a journalist being accused of running over a Jackal by The Humane Society
Love In Vain by Lewis Shiner: 3
The tale of a serial killer whose all confessions, no matter how improbable or impossible turn out to be true
The Hob by Judith Moffett: 4.5
A woman comes face to face with the mythical Hobbits
Our Neural Chernobyl by Bruce Sterling: 5
A fictitious review of a non-fiction book describing the greatest biological disaster in human history
House of Bones by Robert Silverberg: 5
Honorable Mention: A military member stranded in the Paleolithic age learns the Homo Sapiens he lives with are no less human than himself
Schrödinger's Kitten by George Alec Effinger: 4
A woman struggles accepting that she will be the victim of an impending crime and lives torn between all the possible ways she could react during the attack
Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance? by Howard Waldrop: 3
3rd worst story of the anthology: The story follows the member of a band getting together at their high school reunion and how their concert drives the crowd wild
The Growth of the House of Usher by Brian Stableford: 3.5
The story of a fully biological house
Glacier by Kim Stanley Robinson: 3
A story about how life in the next ice age might be in the United States
Sanctuary by James Lawson: 4.5
The tale of two cops (a young and old) and a dog investigating the death of two technology workers near the Mexico-US border
The Dragon Line by Michael Swanwick: 3
2nd worst story of the anthology: Merlin tries to become an industry titan in the future, but fails
Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner by John Kessel: 5
A woman pays a high price (but not the ultimate price) to win at bingo
Emissary by Stephen Kraus: 4
A man finds an ancient alien device within a mine owned by his ancestors
It Was The Heat by Pat Cadigan: 3.5
A woman is driven mad? (changed?) by the heat in New Orleans during a business trip
Skin Deep by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: 5
A married couple find out that something strange is going on with their daughter at the same time a murder investigation is going on near a farm on an alien planet
Dying in Hull by David Alexander Smith: 3
The life of a retired teacher in an evermore flooded town by rising sea levels
Distances by Kathe Koja: 3.5
The story of a mentor and mentee proving the worthiness of a space program before their faculties decay
Famous Monsters by Kim Newman: 5
2nd best story of the anthology: An interview with an immigrant actor from Mars working in Hollywood
The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter by Lucius Shepard: 4.5
The story of a woman that gets lost inside a paralyzed dragon her life inside the dragon
Surfacing by Walter Jon Williams: 4.5
The story of a man that talks to whales on an alien planet begins a relationship with a fellow researcher and also struggles deciding to begin dialogue with the native Deep Dweller creatures
Home Front by James Patrick Kelly: 1.5
1st worst story of the anthology: The US Army becomes a reality TV show and it is in constant search of new talents
The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady by Brian Stableford: 5
An inventor balances out his romantic interests on a vampire lady and his desire to further human knowledge
Peaches for Mad Molly by Steven Gould: 4
The journey a delivery man makes to deliver packages and a birthday present up and down an incredibly tall structure built to address overpopulation on earth
The Last Article by Harry Turtledove: 5
3rd best story of the anthology: What if Ghandi's peaceful movement had to face-off against Nazi Germany rather than The British Empire?
Stable Strategies for Middle Management by Eileen Gunn: 3
Climbing the corporate ladder one biological modification at a time
In Memoriam by Nancy Kress: 3.5
A woman fights for her desire to die with her memories against her son's desires to wipe her memory in exchange for a longer life
Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick: 5
1st best story of the anthology: The customs of a society come at odds with the values of another
The Girl Who Loved Animals by Bruce McAllister: 3
The story of a social worker working a special case of a woman acting as the surrogate mother to the extinct chimpanzee species
The Last of the Winnebagoes by Connie Willis: 5
A story set in a world were the canine populations were ravaged by a virus about a journalist being accused of running over a Jackal by The Humane Society
Love In Vain by Lewis Shiner: 3
The tale of a serial killer whose all confessions, no matter how improbable or impossible turn out to be true
The Hob by Judith Moffett: 4.5
A woman comes face to face with the mythical Hobbits
Our Neural Chernobyl by Bruce Sterling: 5
A fictitious review of a non-fiction book describing the greatest biological disaster in human history
House of Bones by Robert Silverberg: 5
Honorable Mention: A military member stranded in the Paleolithic age learns the Homo Sapiens he lives with are no less human than himself
Schrödinger's Kitten by George Alec Effinger: 4
A woman struggles accepting that she will be the victim of an impending crime and lives torn between all the possible ways she could react during the attack
Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance? by Howard Waldrop: 3
3rd worst story of the anthology: The story follows the member of a band getting together at their high school reunion and how their concert drives the crowd wild
The Growth of the House of Usher by Brian Stableford: 3.5
The story of a fully biological house
Glacier by Kim Stanley Robinson: 3
A story about how life in the next ice age might be in the United States
Sanctuary by James Lawson: 4.5
The tale of two cops (a young and old) and a dog investigating the death of two technology workers near the Mexico-US border
The Dragon Line by Michael Swanwick: 3
2nd worst story of the anthology: Merlin tries to become an industry titan in the future, but fails
Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner by John Kessel: 5
A woman pays a high price (but not the ultimate price) to win at bingo
Emissary by Stephen Kraus: 4
A man finds an ancient alien device within a mine owned by his ancestors
It Was The Heat by Pat Cadigan: 3.5
A woman is driven mad? (changed?) by the heat in New Orleans during a business trip
Skin Deep by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: 5
A married couple find out that something strange is going on with their daughter at the same time a murder investigation is going on near a farm on an alien planet
Dying in Hull by David Alexander Smith: 3
The life of a retired teacher in an evermore flooded town by rising sea levels
Distances by Kathe Koja: 3.5
The story of a mentor and mentee proving the worthiness of a space program before their faculties decay
Famous Monsters by Kim Newman: 5
2nd best story of the anthology: An interview with an immigrant actor from Mars working in Hollywood
The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter by Lucius Shepard: 4.5
The story of a woman that gets lost inside a paralyzed dragon her life inside the dragon
August 30, 2021
You know that when you are still thinking about the stories a couple of days after you've read them that Dozois has yet again collated an excellent selection from some of the great short story writers of 1988.
Again, it is interesting to read the year in review, as it puts the stories in their context. I, for one, am finding Dozois' dislike for 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' rather good fun (he describes it as a cheap knockoff of a not very good original).
Again, it is interesting to read the year in review, as it puts the stories in their context. I, for one, am finding Dozois' dislike for 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' rather good fun (he describes it as a cheap knockoff of a not very good original).
March 3, 2017
The best of 1988. Pretty good stuff, but some of it would better be described as fantasy.
August 2, 2024
Favorites: 'The Last of the Winnebagoes', 'Do Ya, Do Ya, Do Ya Wanna Dance?', 'Sanctuary'.
Currently reading
May 24, 2024"In Memoriam" by Nancy Kress - In the future postulated in this story the elderly's accumulation of memories leads to dementia so a wipe procedure is developed to reset an individual's memories. The protagonist is a woman who refuses the procedure. She lives next door to the man who used to be her husband but had the procedure done and no longer remembers her. The protagonist's son is having a conversation with her in which he announces that he is going to have the procedure.
"Our Neural Chernobyl" by Bruce Sterling - The narrator discusses a book by Dr. Hotton which describes cognitive advances in various animal species.
"Famous Monsters" by Kim Newman - The story's protagonist is a Martian who works in Hollywood and the creature discusses its career in film.
"Our Neural Chernobyl" by Bruce Sterling - The narrator discusses a book by Dr. Hotton which describes cognitive advances in various animal species.
"Famous Monsters" by Kim Newman - The story's protagonist is a Martian who works in Hollywood and the creature discusses its career in film.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2024
Typically EXCELLENT Dozois collection of BEST OF THE YEAR (stories published in 1988).
My favorites stories include
Eileen Gunn STABLE STRATEGIES FOR MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
Mike Resnick KIRINYAGA
Bruce Sterling OUR NEURAL CHERNOBYL
and Kim Stanley Robinson GLACIER.
-KJP
My favorites stories include
Eileen Gunn STABLE STRATEGIES FOR MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
Mike Resnick KIRINYAGA
Bruce Sterling OUR NEURAL CHERNOBYL
and Kim Stanley Robinson GLACIER.
-KJP
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews