Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Mariner Books (2015), Edition: 2015 ed., 368 pages
Description
"Science fiction and fantasy enjoy a long literary tradition, stretching from Mary Shelley, H. G. Wells, and Jules Verne to Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, and William Gibson. In The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy award-winning editor John Joseph Adams delivers a diverse and vibrant collection of stories published in the previous year. Featuring writers with deep science fiction and fantasy backgrounds, along with those who are infusing traditional fiction with speculative elements, these stories uphold a longstanding tradition in both genres - looking at the world and asking, What if . . . ?"--provided by publisher.
User reviews
LibraryThing member VavaViolet
I was fortunate to be chosen by Houghton Miffin Harcourt to be the recipient of their 2015 Best American Series via an Instagram giveaway. To say that I am thrilled to receive the entire set of this series is an understatement; I’m over the moon ecstatic is more like it. This highly regarded
The Best American Essays
The Best American Short Stories
The Best American Mystery Stories
The Best American Science and Nature Writing
The Best American Travel Writing
The Best American Sports Writing
The Best American Nonrequired Reading
The Best American Comics
The Best American Infographics
and for the first time this year, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy
For this review I’m going to focus on The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, the newest addition to this series. New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill serves as guest editor, and best-selling editor, publisher and producer John Joseph Adams is the series editor. The book starts off with a foreword from Hill and Adams where they give us an informative background on the science fiction/fantasy genre, and how reading such stories affected them personally. They also explained the painstaking process they went through in order to choose 10 science fiction and 10 fantasy stories from numerous sources.
The outcome is a diverse, imaginative and thought-provoking collection of stories that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Among my favorites are The Thing About Shapes to Come by Adam-Troy Castro and How to Become A Robot in 12 Easy Steps by A. Merc Rustad. The Thing About Shapes to Come gives us an intriguing look at a world where mothers are giving birth to geometric shapes. I know, how curiously-amazing is that? How to Become A Robot in 12 Easy Steps tells the story of Tesla who falls in love with a robot and longs to become one herself. Cleverly woven into the story are issues like depression and sexual orientation.
This anthology also includes Contributor’s Notes (from the authors of stories included in the book) and Other Notable Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories (60 stories that did not make it). Personally, my exposure to science fiction/fantasy comes mostly from films, it’s only recently that I started reading books from this genre. I have to say the stories included in this anthology left me excited to explore more books from this genre.
Author Joe Hill expressed it best:
"This is the truth of science fiction and fantasy: it is the greatest fireworks show in literature, and your own imagination is a sky waiting to catch fire. And here is the truth of this book: we’ve got all the best, brightest, bangiest fireworks a person could want. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy is not just a book but also an explosive device…..one that is, fortunately, entirely safe to bring on a plane.”
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series is an annual compilation of the best fiction and non-fiction published in the previous year. The set includes: The Best American Essays
The Best American Short Stories
The Best American Mystery Stories
The Best American Science and Nature Writing
The Best American Travel Writing
The Best American Sports Writing
The Best American Nonrequired Reading
The Best American Comics
The Best American Infographics
and for the first time this year, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy
For this review I’m going to focus on The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, the newest addition to this series. New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill serves as guest editor, and best-selling editor, publisher and producer John Joseph Adams is the series editor. The book starts off with a foreword from Hill and Adams where they give us an informative background on the science fiction/fantasy genre, and how reading such stories affected them personally. They also explained the painstaking process they went through in order to choose 10 science fiction and 10 fantasy stories from numerous sources.
The outcome is a diverse, imaginative and thought-provoking collection of stories that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Among my favorites are The Thing About Shapes to Come by Adam-Troy Castro and How to Become A Robot in 12 Easy Steps by A. Merc Rustad. The Thing About Shapes to Come gives us an intriguing look at a world where mothers are giving birth to geometric shapes. I know, how curiously-amazing is that? How to Become A Robot in 12 Easy Steps tells the story of Tesla who falls in love with a robot and longs to become one herself. Cleverly woven into the story are issues like depression and sexual orientation.
This anthology also includes Contributor’s Notes (from the authors of stories included in the book) and Other Notable Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories (60 stories that did not make it). Personally, my exposure to science fiction/fantasy comes mostly from films, it’s only recently that I started reading books from this genre. I have to say the stories included in this anthology left me excited to explore more books from this genre.
Author Joe Hill expressed it best:
"This is the truth of science fiction and fantasy: it is the greatest fireworks show in literature, and your own imagination is a sky waiting to catch fire. And here is the truth of this book: we’ve got all the best, brightest, bangiest fireworks a person could want. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy is not just a book but also an explosive device…..one that is, fortunately, entirely safe to bring on a plane.”
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LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Other than Terry Pratchett's addictive DISCWORLD novels, I've read little fantasy and even less science fiction over the past 30 years. But when I saw this volume (which purports to be the first in an annual series), I figured I had nothing to lose.
I'm not conversant enough in the genres to pass
I've been a fan of Karen Russell's work going all the way back to her SWAMPLANDIA novel. Her story "The Bad Graft" (originally published in THE NEW YORKER) is vintage Russell work.
Another story from THE NEW YORKER, T. C. Boyle's "The Relive Box" was equally compelling.
And A. Merc Rustad's "How to Become a Robot in Twelve Easy Steps" seemed like the kind of story I could write if I could write fiction worth reading.
Reading the anthology was interesting. I've always thought of scifi/fantasy as being the domain of nerdy men (who can easily be confused with needy men, but that's irrelevant). But just over half the authors represented in this volume are women. And that's not counting Mx Rustad, whom the contributor's notes describe as being "a queer nonbinary writer and filmmaker."
I'm not conversant enough in the genres to pass
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judgment, but the editor's introduction made it clear that he'd chosen these 20 stories after an exhaustive survey of stuff published this year. Though I bailed on two or three, I read most of the stories all the way through. Three of them particularly grabbed me.I've been a fan of Karen Russell's work going all the way back to her SWAMPLANDIA novel. Her story "The Bad Graft" (originally published in THE NEW YORKER) is vintage Russell work.
Another story from THE NEW YORKER, T. C. Boyle's "The Relive Box" was equally compelling.
And A. Merc Rustad's "How to Become a Robot in Twelve Easy Steps" seemed like the kind of story I could write if I could write fiction worth reading.
Reading the anthology was interesting. I've always thought of scifi/fantasy as being the domain of nerdy men (who can easily be confused with needy men, but that's irrelevant). But just over half the authors represented in this volume are women. And that's not counting Mx Rustad, whom the contributor's notes describe as being "a queer nonbinary writer and filmmaker."
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LibraryThing member Kaethe
I really like the way Adams compiled this: making a long list and then submitting those stories blind to Joe Hill to choose from. Lots of good stuff, and several new-to-me authors.
Library copy
Library copy
LibraryThing member sbluerock
As with most collections, I enjoyed a few stories and could have done without a few. There were a few that did not give me the sci-fi/fantasy feel, due to the wide consideration given by the editors. Without looking back over the titles, I would call "Skullpockets" my favorite.
LibraryThing member figre
I am on what appears to be a never-ending search for an annual “best of science fiction” that actually collects a broad spectrum of extraordinary stories of the year. I’m sure it is partly the fault of memory glossing over the rough spots, but I have never found anything as effective and
The closest I have come is the annual Nebula awards collection. But that has its own restrictions, and I continue to search.
That is the reason I quickly got a copy of the first science fiction and fantasy collection put together by the “Best of…” editors. I went in with trepidation. Other than “The Best Nonrequired Reading” collection (which year after year proves to be an incredible collection of stories, essays, graphics, etc. that has become one of my “must reads” every year), I am generally disappointed by what is contained in this franchise’s collections. And when it comes to fiction, I find the collections to be particularly dreadful.
But, for the sake of finding a new collection of the year’s best – possibly exploring areas uncharted by other collections – I went for it.
I should have gone with my gut instinct. There is very little to recommend this book.
The stories felt they trod previously well-trodden areas with nothing new to offer, were one-trick ponies that did not do their tricks all that well, or tried to subsist on how important they told you they were. Yes, it was science fiction; yes, it was fantasy; but, no, it was not worth the time. And there were more than a couple that actually made me mad with their mediocrity.
Not all is lost. There were some really good ones – ones that belong in a “best of” collection. For example, “A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai’i” is a fascinating take on vampire mythology that has the added benefit of ending far differently than expected. It is a neat trick to find a new way to tell a vampire story and surprise the reader with what finally happens. (This was a Nebula Award winner. Not surprising that it is this good.)
“Skullpocket” by Nathan Ballingrud is a weird fantasy about a land where ghouls have established an uneasy and deadly alliance with local citizens. This quick description does not do the story justice, but that is part of what makes it so good. It must be read to appreciate how good it is.
And Kelly Link’s “I Can See Right Through You”, which, it might be argued, may not belong in this collection, is, as so much of her work, a total and complete stand out. (Has she ever written a bad story? I’m sure she has, but I’m hard pressed at this moment to think of one.) The story has hints of fantasy, but some people may consider it a stretch to include it in this collection. There is the hint of ghosts and eerie events, and that’s about it. However, this story of two actors – their history together, their impact on each other, and the events that transformed them into what we see today – is worth reading because it is just so danged good. I have previously read it at least twice before, and I’m sure I will run into it again. And I will be more than happy to reread it then.
Some of the others are also okay. But that is all, just okay – not really coming close to “best of” status.
And let me throw in one other thing. I know there is an attempt for blind submissions and assurance that everything is on the up and up. But what are the odds that five of the twenty items would come from Lightspeed magazine – the same magazine for which series editor John Joseph Adams is editor and publisher. I don’t think this was a conscious choice. But it does seem to show that Adams likes a certain type of story (he wouldn’t publish them if he didn’t) and that prejudice (a meaner word than I actually mean) comes through in the selections that were brought to guest editor Joe Hill’s attention. I just don’t believe so much of the very best of the year comes from that source. And this misalignment of tastes may be a big part of why I cannot recommend this collection.
Whatever the case, aside from a couple of exceptionally good offerings, there are not that many that really stand out – except for all the wrong reasons. And those exceptional ones, I am guessing, can be found elsewhere. And that is where you should go to find them…elsewhere.
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successful at this as Donald A. Wollheim’s collections that came out from the mid-60s into the late 80s.The closest I have come is the annual Nebula awards collection. But that has its own restrictions, and I continue to search.
That is the reason I quickly got a copy of the first science fiction and fantasy collection put together by the “Best of…” editors. I went in with trepidation. Other than “The Best Nonrequired Reading” collection (which year after year proves to be an incredible collection of stories, essays, graphics, etc. that has become one of my “must reads” every year), I am generally disappointed by what is contained in this franchise’s collections. And when it comes to fiction, I find the collections to be particularly dreadful.
But, for the sake of finding a new collection of the year’s best – possibly exploring areas uncharted by other collections – I went for it.
I should have gone with my gut instinct. There is very little to recommend this book.
The stories felt they trod previously well-trodden areas with nothing new to offer, were one-trick ponies that did not do their tricks all that well, or tried to subsist on how important they told you they were. Yes, it was science fiction; yes, it was fantasy; but, no, it was not worth the time. And there were more than a couple that actually made me mad with their mediocrity.
Not all is lost. There were some really good ones – ones that belong in a “best of” collection. For example, “A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai’i” is a fascinating take on vampire mythology that has the added benefit of ending far differently than expected. It is a neat trick to find a new way to tell a vampire story and surprise the reader with what finally happens. (This was a Nebula Award winner. Not surprising that it is this good.)
“Skullpocket” by Nathan Ballingrud is a weird fantasy about a land where ghouls have established an uneasy and deadly alliance with local citizens. This quick description does not do the story justice, but that is part of what makes it so good. It must be read to appreciate how good it is.
And Kelly Link’s “I Can See Right Through You”, which, it might be argued, may not belong in this collection, is, as so much of her work, a total and complete stand out. (Has she ever written a bad story? I’m sure she has, but I’m hard pressed at this moment to think of one.) The story has hints of fantasy, but some people may consider it a stretch to include it in this collection. There is the hint of ghosts and eerie events, and that’s about it. However, this story of two actors – their history together, their impact on each other, and the events that transformed them into what we see today – is worth reading because it is just so danged good. I have previously read it at least twice before, and I’m sure I will run into it again. And I will be more than happy to reread it then.
Some of the others are also okay. But that is all, just okay – not really coming close to “best of” status.
And let me throw in one other thing. I know there is an attempt for blind submissions and assurance that everything is on the up and up. But what are the odds that five of the twenty items would come from Lightspeed magazine – the same magazine for which series editor John Joseph Adams is editor and publisher. I don’t think this was a conscious choice. But it does seem to show that Adams likes a certain type of story (he wouldn’t publish them if he didn’t) and that prejudice (a meaner word than I actually mean) comes through in the selections that were brought to guest editor Joe Hill’s attention. I just don’t believe so much of the very best of the year comes from that source. And this misalignment of tastes may be a big part of why I cannot recommend this collection.
Whatever the case, aside from a couple of exceptionally good offerings, there are not that many that really stand out – except for all the wrong reasons. And those exceptional ones, I am guessing, can be found elsewhere. And that is where you should go to find them…elsewhere.
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LibraryThing member bragan
This is the first science fiction and fantasy installment in the yearly Best American series, and as such it contains a nice foreword from series editor John Joseph Adams about the history of science fiction and fantasy and his own relationship to them, and a really fantastic introduction from this
Which starts things off well, and the stories themselves happily continue this trend. It's a sad truth that almost every anthology features its clunkers, and with "best of" anthologies, I usually find myself looking at a story or two and wondering how anybody could regard this as the best of anything. But, gratifyingly, that's not the case here at all. Some of these stories are more exactly to my taste than others, but I found all of them well worth reading, at the very least, and collectively they made for a really fantastic (in both sense of the word) reading experience.
Not that I imagine these will be to everyone's taste. It's all very 21st-century genre writing, with strong literary sensibilities and no good old-fashioned sword & sorcery, space opera, or technophilic hard SF to be found. Many, or perhaps most of the stories are quite dark, and often they're quite surreal. Some of them feature social commentary of the sort that makes you feel pretty depressed about the world. All of them are well-written, albeit sometimes in slightly odd or unconventional ways. I imagine individual readers know quite well whether they like that sort of thing, but for those who do like that sort of thing, I recommend it highly. Also, I recommend not skipping over the "contributors' notes" at the end, which features some really interesting comments from the writers about the stories and how they came to be.
My one disappointment about this volume was when I realized I'd already read several of the stories included elsewhere. But even that didn't last, as every one of them turned out to be worth re-reading.
I am definitely going to have to seek out the 2016 edition.
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volume's editor, Joe Hill, about the power and the wonder of these genres. Which starts things off well, and the stories themselves happily continue this trend. It's a sad truth that almost every anthology features its clunkers, and with "best of" anthologies, I usually find myself looking at a story or two and wondering how anybody could regard this as the best of anything. But, gratifyingly, that's not the case here at all. Some of these stories are more exactly to my taste than others, but I found all of them well worth reading, at the very least, and collectively they made for a really fantastic (in both sense of the word) reading experience.
Not that I imagine these will be to everyone's taste. It's all very 21st-century genre writing, with strong literary sensibilities and no good old-fashioned sword & sorcery, space opera, or technophilic hard SF to be found. Many, or perhaps most of the stories are quite dark, and often they're quite surreal. Some of them feature social commentary of the sort that makes you feel pretty depressed about the world. All of them are well-written, albeit sometimes in slightly odd or unconventional ways. I imagine individual readers know quite well whether they like that sort of thing, but for those who do like that sort of thing, I recommend it highly. Also, I recommend not skipping over the "contributors' notes" at the end, which features some really interesting comments from the writers about the stories and how they came to be.
My one disappointment about this volume was when I realized I'd already read several of the stories included elsewhere. But even that didn't last, as every one of them turned out to be worth re-reading.
I am definitely going to have to seek out the 2016 edition.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lyrrael
I've actually been working on reading this one since January, and you know, I loved about 90% of the stories in this. That's really saying something -- I tend to not be much of a fan of short stories -- but the story curation on this one was superb.
Original language
English
Physical description
368 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
0544449770 / 9780544449770