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The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2019
This eleventh volume of the year's best science fiction and fantasy features twenty-six stories by some of the genre's greatest authors, including David Gerrold, Carolyn Ives Gilman, James Patrick Kelly, Rich Larson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Yoon Ha Lee, Sarah Pinsker, Justina Robson, Kelly Robson, Lavie Tidhar, Juliette Wade, and many others. Selecting the best fiction from Asimov's, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Tor.com, and other top venues, The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy is your guide to magical realms and worlds beyond tomorrow.
576 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 23, 2020
This annual anthology is uneven, the result, probably, of collecting a whole buncha stories to get the page count up and letting readers decide which are worthy and which aren't. As suggested in the review of the edition from 3 or 4 years ago, a better title for the series might be: "The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy...and more!" It's worth mentioning that this is one of the few annual anthologies that still combines the Science-Fiction and Fantasy genres.
This edition got off to a terrible start, with most of the first 100+ pages devoted to average, mediocre, and awful stories, before finally picking up a bit about a quarter of the way through the phone-book-sized volume. If you're a dessert-first type, you might want to read the stories in reverse order. Yes, that is an Earthsea story by Le Guin at the end.
Also note: you can find a lot of these stories available for free on the internet.
The 2019 edition contains the stories which are listed below, along with a rating for each story and some song lyrics which might be insightful or amusing or pertinent in some way. Or not.
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow - 3/5 - they should have seen it in your eyes
Intervention by Kelly Robson - 2/5 - you know I'm gonna be like you
The Donner Party by Dale Bailey - 3/5 - take another little piece of my heart now baby
How to Identify an Alien Shark by Beth Goder - 2/5 - let's go hunt doo doo doo doo doo doo
The Tale of the Ive-Ojan-Akhar's Death by Alex Jeffers - 1/5 - you're killing me with words
Carouseling by Rich Larson - 3/5 - even if we're just dancing in the dark
The Starship and the Temple Cat by Yoon Ha Lee - 3/5 - because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at
Grace's Family by James Patrick Kelly - 2/5 - let me take you on a trip
The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker - 4/5 - all alone I fall to pieces
The Persistence of Blood by Juliette Wade - 2/5 - there's only room for one and here she comes, here she comes
Lime and the One Human by S. Woodson - 3/5 - yeah fairies wear boots and you gotta believe me
Bubble and Squeak by David Gerrold and Ctein - 3/5 - I have a suggestion to keep you all occupied: learn to swim, learn to swim
Sour Milk Girls by Erin Roberts - 3/5 - it's the hard knock life for us
The Unnecessary Parts of the Story by Adam-Troy Castro - 4/5 - we're the aliens
The Temporary Suicides of Goldfish by Octavia Cade - 2/5 - fish heads, fish heads, roly-poly fish heads
The Gift by Julie Nováková - 3/5 - who wants to live forever?
The Buried Giant by Lavie Tidhar - 4/5 - when you wish upon a star
Jump by Cadwell Turnbull - 4/5 - might as well jump
Umbernight by Carolyn Ives Gilman - 4/5 - I feel my heart is aching, in the still of the night
Today is Today by Rick Wilber - 3/5 - I'm gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow
The Heart of Owl Abbas by Kathleen Jennings - 2/5 - a little magic power makes it better than it seems
The Spires by Alec Nevala-Lee - 4/5 - somewhere out on that horizon, out beyond the neon lights
The House in the Sea by P.H. Lee - 3/5 - it's far beyond a star, it's near beyond the moon
Foxy and Tiggs by Justina Robson - 3/5 - you can check out any time you like
Beautiful by Juliet Marillier - 3/5 - My bear! She sang, My bear so fair!
Dayenu by James Sallis - 5/5 - you say you want a revolution? well, you know, we all want to change the world
Firelight by Ursula K. Le Guin -3/5 - and now, the end is near
This edition got off to a terrible start, with most of the first 100+ pages devoted to average, mediocre, and awful stories, before finally picking up a bit about a quarter of the way through the phone-book-sized volume. If you're a dessert-first type, you might want to read the stories in reverse order. Yes, that is an Earthsea story by Le Guin at the end.
Also note: you can find a lot of these stories available for free on the internet.
The 2019 edition contains the stories which are listed below, along with a rating for each story and some song lyrics which might be insightful or amusing or pertinent in some way. Or not.
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow - 3/5 - they should have seen it in your eyes
Intervention by Kelly Robson - 2/5 - you know I'm gonna be like you
The Donner Party by Dale Bailey - 3/5 - take another little piece of my heart now baby
How to Identify an Alien Shark by Beth Goder - 2/5 - let's go hunt doo doo doo doo doo doo
The Tale of the Ive-Ojan-Akhar's Death by Alex Jeffers - 1/5 - you're killing me with words
Carouseling by Rich Larson - 3/5 - even if we're just dancing in the dark
The Starship and the Temple Cat by Yoon Ha Lee - 3/5 - because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at
Grace's Family by James Patrick Kelly - 2/5 - let me take you on a trip
The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker - 4/5 - all alone I fall to pieces
The Persistence of Blood by Juliette Wade - 2/5 - there's only room for one and here she comes, here she comes
Lime and the One Human by S. Woodson - 3/5 - yeah fairies wear boots and you gotta believe me
Bubble and Squeak by David Gerrold and Ctein - 3/5 - I have a suggestion to keep you all occupied: learn to swim, learn to swim
Sour Milk Girls by Erin Roberts - 3/5 - it's the hard knock life for us
The Unnecessary Parts of the Story by Adam-Troy Castro - 4/5 - we're the aliens
The Temporary Suicides of Goldfish by Octavia Cade - 2/5 - fish heads, fish heads, roly-poly fish heads
The Gift by Julie Nováková - 3/5 - who wants to live forever?
The Buried Giant by Lavie Tidhar - 4/5 - when you wish upon a star
Jump by Cadwell Turnbull - 4/5 - might as well jump
Umbernight by Carolyn Ives Gilman - 4/5 - I feel my heart is aching, in the still of the night
Today is Today by Rick Wilber - 3/5 - I'm gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow
The Heart of Owl Abbas by Kathleen Jennings - 2/5 - a little magic power makes it better than it seems
The Spires by Alec Nevala-Lee - 4/5 - somewhere out on that horizon, out beyond the neon lights
The House in the Sea by P.H. Lee - 3/5 - it's far beyond a star, it's near beyond the moon
Foxy and Tiggs by Justina Robson - 3/5 - you can check out any time you like
Beautiful by Juliet Marillier - 3/5 - My bear! She sang, My bear so fair!
Dayenu by James Sallis - 5/5 - you say you want a revolution? well, you know, we all want to change the world
Firelight by Ursula K. Le Guin -3/5 - and now, the end is near
October 31, 2019
It’s my habit to comment on each story when I read an anthology (see The Future is Female for an example).
However, doing that here would be giving these stories more space than they’re worth. I really need to understand what the definition of “Best” is. I kept wondering, if these were the best, what didn’t get published?
I will offer that reading this book saved me lots of money. I intended to get the "Best ofs" for 2014 forward. Don’t have to do that now. Or ever again, me thinks.
However, doing that here would be giving these stories more space than they’re worth. I really need to understand what the definition of “Best” is. I kept wondering, if these were the best, what didn’t get published?
I will offer that reading this book saved me lots of money. I intended to get the "Best ofs" for 2014 forward. Don’t have to do that now. Or ever again, me thinks.
November 27, 2024
I like short stories especially sci-fi, you need to have a gift to create a new world on just a few pages.
My favorite story in this book is Umbernight by Carolyn Ives Gilman- wow! - because of this story I gave this book 3 stars.
Carouseling by Rich Larson is a good story too.
Some of the stories were really weird, I know now for sure - I don't like fantasy.
My favorite story in this book is Umbernight by Carolyn Ives Gilman- wow! - because of this story I gave this book 3 stars.
Carouseling by Rich Larson is a good story too.
Some of the stories were really weird, I know now for sure - I don't like fantasy.
April 24, 2020
A thoroughly diverse mix, in story line, writing style, voice, and length. And an extremely generous number of stories. If you like these genres, this is worth the trip.
July 5, 2020
More good reading, yearly
I have read a lot of Horton’s “Year’s Best” and have never been disappointed. Sometimes there is an odd tale or too that feels a little too familiar to other stories I’ve already read, but not this year.
They (stories) all felt like they were very distinct from each other and touched on the spectrum of “light and fanciful” to “harsh and dark.”
I recommend it for those looming for what they think they should find in this collection.
I have read a lot of Horton’s “Year’s Best” and have never been disappointed. Sometimes there is an odd tale or too that feels a little too familiar to other stories I’ve already read, but not this year.
They (stories) all felt like they were very distinct from each other and touched on the spectrum of “light and fanciful” to “harsh and dark.”
I recommend it for those looming for what they think they should find in this collection.
September 16, 2020
There are so many annual 'best of' anthologies in this field that you'd think they would be repetitive. But Rich Horton finds stories that no other anthologist has targeted: 17 of his 27 stories are not in another 'best of', so far as I can determine.
One of the fun things about these 'best of' books is the discovery of new authors. Seven of these authors I have never heard of before, and I consider myself pretty well read in the field. There are a few of them I'll be looking out for, like Juliette Wade and P.H. Lee.
This is a big book, but it gives Horton room to publish some outstanding novellas, like Juliette Wade's “The Persistence of Blood” and David Gerrold and Ctein's “Bubble and Squeak”. There are chilling tales like Dale Bailey's “The Donner Party”, and heartbreaking ones like Rick Wilbur's “Today is Today”. There are also out-and-out commentaries on life in America today, such as James Sallis' “Dayenu”. There are stories for SF insiders, such as P.H. Lee's "The House by the Sea", a meditation on Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas".
While there are some spaceships and robots, there seems less emphasis on these trappings of science fiction and more on complex stories about relationships involving exotic fantasy elements.
If you're looking for a 'best of' anthology that focuses on the 'strangeness' of SF&F, you've come to the right place.
One of the fun things about these 'best of' books is the discovery of new authors. Seven of these authors I have never heard of before, and I consider myself pretty well read in the field. There are a few of them I'll be looking out for, like Juliette Wade and P.H. Lee.
This is a big book, but it gives Horton room to publish some outstanding novellas, like Juliette Wade's “The Persistence of Blood” and David Gerrold and Ctein's “Bubble and Squeak”. There are chilling tales like Dale Bailey's “The Donner Party”, and heartbreaking ones like Rick Wilbur's “Today is Today”. There are also out-and-out commentaries on life in America today, such as James Sallis' “Dayenu”. There are stories for SF insiders, such as P.H. Lee's "The House by the Sea", a meditation on Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas".
While there are some spaceships and robots, there seems less emphasis on these trappings of science fiction and more on complex stories about relationships involving exotic fantasy elements.
If you're looking for a 'best of' anthology that focuses on the 'strangeness' of SF&F, you've come to the right place.
May 25, 2020
A solid collection. There were a few stories that I didn't bother to finish, but I enjoyed most. Here are some standouts:
"A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" by Alix E. Harrow
"The Donner Party" by Dale Bailey
"Bubble and Squeak" by David Gerrold & Ctein
"Jump" by Cadwell Turnbull
"Today is Today" by Rick Wilber
"Beautiful" by Juliet Marillier
"A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" by Alix E. Harrow
"The Donner Party" by Dale Bailey
"Bubble and Squeak" by David Gerrold & Ctein
"Jump" by Cadwell Turnbull
"Today is Today" by Rick Wilber
"Beautiful" by Juliet Marillier
August 1, 2020
A very mixed bag, with a couple of excessively long and meandering stories and a couple of great ones. Favorites: "Umbernight" by Carol Ives Gilman, "Beautiful" by Juliette Marillier and "Firelight" by Ursula K. Le Guin.
August 28, 2020
Solid collection, discovered some new writers. Nice work.
December 27, 2020
A great collection of stories with a lot of variety
October 2, 2021
Gave it a 4 mainly because it has Ursula Leguin's last story. Very uneven. I guess my tastes don't align with Mr. Horton
Read
July 5, 2022Placeholder for "Carouseling" by Rich Larson
June 25, 2020
More Fantasy than science fiction and scarcely that either
Some good stories but nothing memorable; at best ordinary short stories in unusual settings. As. With Dozois' last years of his anthologies the selections are perplexing and there was not a single one that felt like what I'd call science fiction.
Yes some great wordcraft but several I just skipped without finishing. I won't be rereading this.
Some good stories but nothing memorable; at best ordinary short stories in unusual settings. As. With Dozois' last years of his anthologies the selections are perplexing and there was not a single one that felt like what I'd call science fiction.
Yes some great wordcraft but several I just skipped without finishing. I won't be rereading this.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews