Year's Best SF 5

by David G. Hartwell (Editor, Contributor)

Experience New RealmsAcclaimed editor and anthologist David G. Hartwell returns with this fifth annual collection of the year's most imaginative, entertaining, and mind-expanding science fiction.

Here are works from some of today's most acclaimed authors, as well as visionary new talents, that will introduce you to new ideas, offer unusual perspectives, and take you to places beyond your wildest imaginings.Contributors to The Year's Best SF 5 include:

Brian Aldiss
Stephen Baxter
Michael Bishop
Terry Bisson
Greg Egan
Robert Reed
Kim Stanley Robinson
Hiroe Suga
Michael Swanwick
Gene Wolfe
and many more...

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

512 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2000

About the author

David Geddes Hartwell was an American editor of science fiction and fantasy. He worked for Signet (1971-1973), Berkley Putnam (1973-1978), Pocket (where he founded the Timescape imprint, 1978-1983, and created the Pocket Books Star Trek publishing line), and Tor (where he spearheaded Tor's Canadian publishing initiative, and was also influential in bringing many Australian writers to the US market, 1984-date), and has published numerous anthologies. He chaired the board of directors of the World Fantasy Convention and, with Gordon Van Gelder, was the administrator of the Philip K. Dick Award. He held a Ph.D. in comparative medieval literature.

He lived in Pleasantville, New York with his wife Kathryn Cramer and their two children.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story notes: http://bestsf.net/years-best-sf-5-dav...
Mark Watson preferred #4. This one does have quite a few clunkers.

Highlights:
Evolution Never Sleeps • (1999) • short story by Elisabeth Malartre. Chipmunks that hunt in packs! Good story, if a little crude.

*Sexual Dimorphism • (1999) • short story by Kim Stanley Robinson. A painful breakup. Plus interesting paleobilogy. Partial reeread.

*Written in Blood • (1999) • short story by Chris Lawson. The Qur’an has been encoded, for pious future Muslims. Classic story [not reread]. 2 or 3 previous reads.

*100 Candles • (1999) • short story by Curt Wohleber. 100-YO woman is cloned by her AI house. Charming, cool story.

**Fossil Games • (1999) • novelette by Tom Purdom. Conflict on a future asteroid-starship. A fossil discovery on an alien planet. Human nature hasn’t changed much, though the tech certainly has. Excellent story.

***Ancient Engines • (1999) • short story by Michael Swanwick. Do you want to live forever? A+, classic MS. Probably my 4th or 5th reread.

[STU · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is a pick of SF short stories from 1999.
Maybe if I wasn't first reading it 26 years later I would have been more into it. Many of the stories were very clever but not quite resonating for me.
Didn't find any of the stories particularly memorable, but having a quick flick back at the contents page:
Kinds of Strangers by Sarah Zettel,
Border Guards by Greg Egan,
100 Candles by Curt Wohleber,
Democritus' Violin by G David Nordley,
Ancient Engines by Michael Swanick
were all OK.
Fossil Games by Tom Purdom was my favourite.

[Casey Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highlights for me in this collection where:

Sexual Dimorphism
Vist the Sins
Border Guards
Written in Blood
Rosetta Stone
Valour

Some that I thought were pretty good:

Game of the Century
Fossil Games
Freckled Figure
Shiva

I liked some of the others too, but these were my favorites.

[Earl Truss · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm glad that's over. This is one of the worst short stories collections I've ever read. It started out with a few OK stories then went downhill until it reached Fossil Games, possibly the most boring, pointless story I've read in a long time.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standouts for me were "Written in Blood" by Chris Lawson and "Democritus' Violin" by G. David Nordley. Those both get 5 stars.

[Charl · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Year's Best" is a pretty ambitious claim, and Hartwell meets it. Well worth reading.

[Andrew Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, particularly for the price, but I noticed that I had read several of these before somewhere.

[Mark Catalfano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked "Evolution Never Sleeps" by Elisabeth Malartre, "Macs" by Terry Bisson, and "Democritus' Violin" by G. David Nordley.

[Bill Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of the stories but others were kinda wonky. Rosetta Stone and Blue Planet were very good.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal favorites worth rereading:
"Game of the Century"/Robert Reed.
"Kinds of Strangers"/Sarah Zettel.
"Visit the Sins"/Cory Doctorow.
"Border Guards"/Greg Egan.* (This story and "100 Candles", below, are great explorations on
whether happiness, utopia and"Heaven" can exist without pain, suffering and death).
"Macs"/Terry Bisson.
"Written in Blood"/Chris Lawson.
"100 Candles"/Curt Wohleber. *
"Democtritus' Violin"/G. David Nordley.
"Huddle"/Stephen Baxter.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

1999 must have been a bad year for SF short stories because the pickings in this volume are quit slim.
Top reads are as follows:
Visit the Sins by Cory Doctorow - rich exploration with intergenerational communication and isolation 4/5
Written in Blood by Chris Lawson - Islamic Scifi, original and intriguing 4/5
Rosetta Stone by Fred Lerner - the first and only SF story in which the science is library science, original and well written 5/5

[Spike Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This must have been a bad year for sci-fi, bc most of these stories really suck. Unless one really likes hard sf, then you might like these stories...but I do not. Really, one worse than the next. The two notable exceptions which are decent are Robert Reed's 'Game of the Century' and Chris Lawson's 'written in blood'.

[M— · Rating 4 out of 5]

/review to come
Hunted for short story "Written in Blood" by Chris Lawson, and "Rosetta Stone" by Fred Lerner.

"Game of the Century" by Robert Reed.


"Democritus' Violin" by G. David Nordley.
"Lifework" by Mary Soon Lee.
"Border Guards" by Greg Egan.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories I especially enjoyed:
"Game of the Century"-Robert Reed
"Kinds of Strangers"-Sarah Zettel
"Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon?"-Gene Wolfe
"Fossil Games"-Tom Purdom

A highly recommended collection.

[Bill Borre]

"Shiva" by Barry N. Malzberg - Sperber is a time traveler who attempts to convince JFK not to go to Dallas and Einstein not to pursue the creation of an atomic bomb.

"Lifework" by Mary Soon Lee - Kyoko catches her husband having an affair so she leaves him and takes the house-bot with her.

[bluetyson]

Year's Best SF 5 by David G. Hartwell (2000)

[David Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two memorable stories in this collection: Terry Bisson's "Macs" (particularly resonant if you're old enough to remember the main character), and Tom Purdom's "Fossil Games."

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

An anthology of what are represented as being some of the best science fiction short stories of 1999. It should be the last such anthology I read. I do not care for short stories.