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Annual World's Best SF #18
The 1989 Annual World's Best SF
Anthology of 11 stories, including one Nebula winner and several awards nominees. With an introduction by Isaac Asimov.
* 7 · Introduction · Isaac Asimov · in
* 11 · The Giving Plague · David Brin · ss Interzone #23 ’88
* 33 · Peaches for Mad Molly · Steven Gould · nv Analog Feb ’88
* 59 · Shaman · John Shirley · nv IASFM Nov ’88
* 96 · Schrödinger’s Kitten [Budayeen] · George Alec Effinger · nv Omni Sep ’88
* 126 · The Flies of Memory · Ian Watson · na IASFM Sep ’88
* 181 · Skin Deep · Kristine Kathryn Rusch · ss Amazing Jan ’88
* 199 · A Madonna of the Machine · Tanith Lee · nv Other Edens II, ed. Christopher Evans & Robert Holdstock, London: Unwin, 1988
* 222 · Waiting for the Olympians · Frederik Pohl · na IASFM Aug ’88
* 271 · Ain’t Nothin’ but a Hound Dog · B. W. Clough · ss Twilight Zone Jun ’88
* 283 · Adrift Among the Ghosts · Jack L. Chalker · ss Dance Band on the Titanic, Ballantine, 1988
* 300 · Ripples in the Dirac Sea · Geoffrey A. Landis · ss IASFM Oct ’88
* 7 · Introduction · Isaac Asimov · in
* 11 · The Giving Plague · David Brin · ss Interzone #23 ’88
* 33 · Peaches for Mad Molly · Steven Gould · nv Analog Feb ’88
* 59 · Shaman · John Shirley · nv IASFM Nov ’88
* 96 · Schrödinger’s Kitten [Budayeen] · George Alec Effinger · nv Omni Sep ’88
* 126 · The Flies of Memory · Ian Watson · na IASFM Sep ’88
* 181 · Skin Deep · Kristine Kathryn Rusch · ss Amazing Jan ’88
* 199 · A Madonna of the Machine · Tanith Lee · nv Other Edens II, ed. Christopher Evans & Robert Holdstock, London: Unwin, 1988
* 222 · Waiting for the Olympians · Frederik Pohl · na IASFM Aug ’88
* 271 · Ain’t Nothin’ but a Hound Dog · B. W. Clough · ss Twilight Zone Jun ’88
* 283 · Adrift Among the Ghosts · Jack L. Chalker · ss Dance Band on the Titanic, Ballantine, 1988
* 300 · Ripples in the Dirac Sea · Geoffrey A. Landis · ss IASFM Oct ’88
282 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
8 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Donald A. Wollheim
295 books34 followersDonald Allen Wollheim was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. He published his own works under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell.
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
A member of the Futurians, he was one of the leading influences on the development of science fiction and science fiction fandom in the 20th century United States.
In 1937, Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. The first mailing was distributed in July of that year and included this statement from Wollheim: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA."
Wollheim was also a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When Wollheim published a complaint of non-payment for stories against Gernsback, Gernsback dissolved the New York chapter of the club.
Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel," was published in the January 1934 issue of Wonder Stories when Wollheim was nineteen. Wollheim was not paid for the story and when he began to look into the situation, he learned that many other authors had not been paid for their work, publishing his findings in the Bulletin of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Gernsback eventually settled the case with Wollheim and other authors out of court for $75, but when Wollheim submitted another story to Gernsback, under the pseudonym "Millard Verne Gordon," he was again not paid. One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic" was made into the feature film of the same name, which was released in 1997.
He left Avon Books in 1952 to work for A. A. Wyn at Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup, and for 20 years edited their renowned sf list. Ace was well known for the Ace Doubles series which consisted of pairs of books, usually by different authors, bound back-to-back with two "front" covers. Because these paired books had to fit a fixed total page-length, one or both were usually heavily abridged to fit, and Wollheim often made many other editorial alterations and title changes — as witness the many differences between Poul Anderson's Ace novel War of the Wing-Men and its definitive revised edition, The Man Who Counts. It was also during the 1950s he bought the book Junk by William S. Burroughs, which, in his inimitable fashion, he retitled Junkie.
In 1965 Wollheim published an unauthorized Ace edition of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in three volumes — the first mass-market paperback edition of Tolkien's epic. This was done because Wollheim believed the Houghton Mifflin hardcover editions failed to properly assert copyright. In a 2006 interview, Wollheim's daughter claimed that Tolkien had angered her father by saying that his magnum opus would never be published in so ‘degenerate a form’ as the paperback book. However, Tolkien had previously authorized a paperback edition of The Hobbit in 1961, and eventually supported paperback editions of The Lord of the Rings and several of his other texts. In any case, Ace was forced to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien for their sales following a grass-roots campaign and boycott by Tolkien's U.S. fans. In 1993 a court found that the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was incorrect and their paperback edition found to have been a violation of Tolkien's copyright under US law.
After leaving Ace he founded DAW Books in 1971, named by his initials, which can claim to be the first mass market specialist science fiction and fantasy fiction publishing house. In later years, when his distributors, New American Library, threatened to withhold distribution of Thomas Burnett Swann's Biblical fantasy How are the Mighty Fallen (1974) because of its homosexual con
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 26, 2021
This is the next-to-last annual anthology that Wollheim edited with his picks of the best short science fiction from the previous year. From the mid-1960's on, he and Terry Carr were the consistent experts to look to for the trends and twists and turns the field was taking. They edited the first volumes together when both were at Ace Books, then began producing separate volumes, Carr as a freelance from Ballantine (later Del Rey) Books, and Wollheim, of course, from the company that he founded and that bears his name to this day. (Carr died in 1987, and Wollheim in 1990.) This penultimate volume is a very good one, and has a very touching introduction by Isaac Asimov. The authors include David Brin, Steven Gould, John Shirley, Ian Watson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Tanith Lee, Frederik Pohl, B.W. Clough, and Jack L. Chalker. My favorite stories are Ripples in the Dirac Sea by Geoffrey A. Landis and Schrodinger's Kitten by George Alec Effinger.
August 3, 2012
One of my favorite science fiction collections I've ever read. Reading it feels like stepping back in time to when all the best scifi authors were making their best guesses about the future, and some of them weren't far off. My favorite stories are the brilliant "Schrodinger's Kitten" and the trippy "Shaman" by George Alec Effinger and John Shirley respectively.
August 29, 2017
Ever read a book and were sad when you finished it because there was no more of the book to read? This is how this anthology affected me -- even though I had already read two of the stories from other anthologies, like "Peaches for Mad Molly". Isaac Asimov wrote the introduction this time around in his usual way, baffled by why anyone would want him to write an introduction when there are so many other "better" writers around. 1988 was a vintage year for science fiction fans. Enjoy.
January 11, 2025
This anthology of short stories was entertaining and I might have rated higher but science fiction is not my genre. I did particularly enjoy "Peaches for Mad Molly" but some of the content of the other short stories went over my head. For example, I couldn't understand why Dancer died twice in "Ripples in the Dirac Sea" and would have liked someone smarter than me to explain it. Overall, the anthology was enjoyable and may be more interesting for others more into science fiction.
July 21, 2017
Standout stories: A Madonna of the Machine and Ripples on the Dirac Sea.
November 19, 2025
Well Frederick Pohl, you've improved your reputation in my eyes after that terrible story in the '83 worlds best sf collection. Even if your story is a ripoff of Man in the High Castle
March 9, 2013
I found this book on my daughter's book shelf and decided good science fiction should not date itself, so I delved in. To me this is a decidedly uneven collection, and the second half definitely stood out more than the first. Among the highlights - the last story in the collection is "Ripples in the Dirac Sea" by Geoffrey A. Landis. This was the best story in the collection. Ordinarily, I despise time travel as a plot device. It seems cheap and usually does not stand up to close examination. Landis, however brings a different twist to it and develops what real implications there are to it, especially when quantum mechanics come into play. "Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog" by B. W. Clough is an amusing tale in the real world of a comic book dealer with a rather unusual mail order client. "Adrift Among The Ghosts" by Jack W. Chalker is a heart-breaking story which takes place in the future on a distant planet with an unusual connection to Earth. The fact that these are the last three stories in the book was rather frustrating since I had to wade through other incomprehensible or implausible (even in their constructed universe) stories. Overall, not a bad collection, but there are better ones out there.
June 20, 2015
Excellent collection of SF short stories, many of them deserving of expansion into novels. Though over 20 years old, most of these are still quite relevant in 2015. My favorites were (in order): A Madonna of the Machine, Peaches for Mad Molly, Adrift Among the Ghosts, Waiting for the Olympians, and Skin Deep. Ripples in the Dirac Sea might have been a favorite if I could understand the theoretical physics involved! The rest were OK.
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August 23, 2008The 1989 Annual World's Best SF by Arthur W. Saha (1989)
January 13, 2011
Not a great anthology, but the storiy "Ripples on the Dirac Sea" is a brilliantly sad tale of time travel gone wrong.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews