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The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection
In thе heart οf thе nеw millennium, worlds beyond ουr imagination hаνе opened up, blurring thе line between life аnd art. Approval thе challenges аnd promise οf cyberspace, genetics, thе universe, аnd beyond, thе world οf science fiction hаѕ bе converted іntο a porthole іntο thе realities οf tomorrow. In Thе Year’s Best Science Fiction Twenty-third Annual Collection, ουr very best SF authors explore thουghtѕ οf a nеw world wіth such compelling tаlеѕ аѕ:
“Beyond thе Aquila Rift”: Critically a
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The Preeminent Science Fiction Anthology,
I was especially nervous for this year’s volume because I recently read Mr. Dozois’ Amazon Small in which he describes how he goes about preparing his annual best-of volume and in which he recommends that the volume be read cover to cover lacking skipping through the various tales. In this my twentieth year of reading Mr. Dozois’ annual volume, I found that it truly does make a difference to read the tales sequentially as it gave the volume a much more commanding impact.
But let me take a stab at why the book represents more than the sum of its parts: Following Mr. Dozois’ absolutely encyclopedic summary of events in the science-fiction world, we first encounter a tale by Ian McDonald that treats some timely themes of Reproduction Intelligence and the effects of governmental limitations on technology that mirror current attempts to limit internet access. This tale has an upbeat and hopeful ending. The theme of the triumph of excellent over terrible continues with Paolo Bacigalupi’s tale of a dystopic future in which farming is controlled by multi-national corporations–again, a type and shadow of fears concerning hegemony of technological development by virtue of intellectual property rights.
Dozois follows two clearly thematically chosen tales with a first-rate Alastair Reynolds tale about a future sailor who gets a bit more than he bargained for that is just brilliant science fiction. It is followed by Daryl Gregory’s cut about the effects of a future designer drug, an brilliant cut of technological extrapolation.
Next are four tales that are surprisingly similar in that they primarily focus on the impact of events upon an individual character: Jay Lake & Ruth Nestvold’s superbly rendered tale of an eccentric billionaire who develops star travel on his own with fateful consequences to his wife is followed by a Michael Swanwick tale about time manipulation and its effect upon the person who understands the ultimate fate of his timeline. Robert Reed’s tale of a character making his way across the galaxy in a gigantic ship has much to say about the power of one individual to do excellent. The next tale likewise presents Ken MacLeod’s tale of a missionary who desires to bring Christianity to an alien lifeform.
Bruce Sterling’s tale of the Blemmye brings a new perspective to the crusades and thoughfully explores the inquiry of whether our description is everything we believe it to be is followed by a dystopic future-vision of a world destroying itself; William Sanders’ Amba. Just as Amba deals with unforseen consequences, so too does Mary Rosenblum’s tale about a world in which any information is available for a price, Chris Beckett’s vision of a world that turns confidential to the ultimate rejection of all that is corporeal, and David Gerrold’s exploration of the unplanned environmental impacts of time travel in Southern California.
He changes gears with a solid work by Stephen Baxter, who has the courage to present a tale of humanity across the very life of our Earth but which subtly highlights the interconnection between our civilzation and our environment–albeit on a geologic level. This is followed by a unique future vision by Vonda McIntyre in which humanity exists in a symbiotic relationship with its own technology. Dozois then turns to uncommon histories–Gene Wolfe’s world adrift and Aggravate Turtledove’s portrayal of Audubon’s quest for unique birds on a unique continent. These are followed by an utterly unique tale by Hannu Rajaniemi about ultimate power and a similar tale by Steven Popkes about how the shape benefits bestowed by nanobots may come with a price that is not entirely welcome.
Dozois is obviously a believer in saving the best for last because he then throws in two tales that were my personal favorites: Faintly Spoke the Gabbleduck by Neal Asher–a tale about a hunting expedition gone awry and Zima Blue by Alastair Reynolds which was in my estimation worth the entire volume just by itself, a tale about what is truly vital. Unfortunately, anything that followed these two tales was bound to suffer by comparison: David Moles’ tale about a planet everywhere males inexplicably die yet the women are doing just fine; Dominic Green’s sobering tale of high technology gone incorrect in Africa; Chris Robertson’s every second description in which Plates is the superpower; and Gwyneth Jones pointlessly profane and visual tale about space travel.
Peter Watts and Darryl Murphy offer a tale about the unplanned consequences of making a conscious program that has a searing ending followed by a likewise emotional tale by Elizabeth Bear about the power of expression. The volume ends with a James Patrick Kelly novella that harkens back to Thoreau and questions whether it might be better to live simply and to forego the benefits of present technology.
I’m convinced that the best way…
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|Not One of the Best, But a Few Gems,
The Small Goddess, by Ian McDonald. Rich atmosphere adds weight to thin plot as reproduction intelligence complicates life in 2034 India. C
The Calorie Man, by Paolo Bacigalupi. Even when Earth’s energy sources are reduced to plants, Huge Affair casts its sinister shadow–is all hope lost? Superb speculation with a timely message. A
Beyond the Aquila Rift, by Alastair Reynolds. Humans use abandoned alien technology to comb the Milky Way, but as one ship captain learns the hard way, what they really need is an operator’s manual. A
Second Person, Present Tense, by Daryl Gregory. A family tries to heal after the daughter’s weird drug overdose, but astounding issues of self-self and consciousness get in the way. Heartrending and mind bending! A+
The Canadian Who Came … by Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold. An anomaly at the bottom of a remote British Columbia lake suggests a missing space explorer may still be around. B
Triceratops Summer, by Michael Swanick. Dinosaurs cause distress for humans, but not in the usual way. C
Camouflage, by Robert Reed. Snappily written but routine whodunit on the train an immense space ship full of immortals. C
A Case of Consilience, by Ken MacLeod. Courageous or crazy? A space reverend makes first friend with sentient mud. C
The Blemmye’s Strategem, by Bruce Sterling. A monstrous master of the occult stirs up Hell during the Crusades. Dank, Medieval font and atmosphere. B
Amba, by William Sanders. Against the dismal backdrop of comprehensive warming, adventurers live by their wits in sunny Siberia. Near-future speculation seems too right to be excellent. B
Quest Engine, by Mary Rosenblum. When computers record your every go, tracking a suspect is simple. Figuring out what to do with him–a bit harder. C
Piccadilly Circus, by Chris Beckett. A poignant tale set in a desolate future London everywhere virtual reality is more real than reality, except for a few lingering ancient souls. B
In the Quake Zone, by David Gerrold. Brokeback Chinatown. Sexual politics under cover of fiction. D
La Malcontenta, by Liz Williams. The maids on a mystical medieval Mars are merrily minus men, mostly. C
The Children of Time, by Stephen Baxter. Bold predictions about the fate of man over the next seven hundred million years are made stirringly immediate and personal. A
Small Faces, by Vonda N. McIntyre. Another all female society, this one on the train organic ships, grim, and feuding. C
Comber, by Gene Wolfe. Pithy tale of a man who sees distress ahead, literally, for his biologically unstable city. A
Audubon in Atlantis, by Aggravate Turtledove. In a barely every second world, the famed naturalist combs Atlantis for a rare and most peculiar bird. B
Deus Ex Homine, by Hannu Rajaniemi. This one is about reproduction intelligence implants, but I need one myself to make sense of it. NR
The Fantastic Caruso, by Steven Popkes. Puff cut about an ancient woman who smokes her way to stardom, thankfulness to a cigarette SNAFU. Finally, some (much needed) humor in this collection! A
Faintly Spoke the Gabbleduck, by Neal Asher. Unsavory adventure seekers hunt off-limits prey–and their guide–on an exotic planet everywhere danger lurks everywhere. Quick paced and exciting. A+
Zima Blue, by Alistair Reynolds. In the far future, a mysterious artist reveals his secrets to a spunky journalist. One of the most memorable font I can dredge up, plus fresh thinking on the meaning of work, art, and self. A+
Planet of the Amazon Women, by David Moles. I’m neither smart nor schooled enough to make heads or tails of this one. NR
The Clockwork Atom Bomb, by Dominic Green. Weapons of mass destruction hijinx in a politically complex future Africa. C
Gold Mountain, by Chris Roberson. Zzz.
The Pivot, by Gwyneth Jones. Zzzz.
Mayfly, by Peter Watts and Derryl Murphy. Zzzzz.
Two Dreams on Trains, By Elizabeth Bear. In a submerged and subdued future New Orleans, a poor boy sandwiched between a rock and a hard place tries to make his mark. B
Angel of Set alight, by Joe Haldeman. Slice of life about a man in the new Chrislam world order who discovers an odd cultural relic in his basement. B
Burn, by James Patrick. Struggles of a young firefighter on planet Walden, everywhere men fight with mixed success for the simple life in a remote corner of a culturally and technologically complex galaxy. C
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|Dozois’ Usual Suspects,
Dozois prefers the long small tale or what might be called the condensed novel, and most of these tales are in that vein. Very few tales here are small. Dozois also prefers tales that are more about millieu and atmosphere rather than tales to the top with metaphor or operate on some kind of ironic level (as did the tales in the ancient Wollheim/Carr anthologies). Perhaps this is due to the kind of science fiction being written now: it’s mostly about predictable futures or predictable alien cultures, long on atmosphere and small on tale. Many tales, in fact, don’t really get going (the McDonald, the Reed, the Gerrold, the Turtledove) for several pages. (I was middle through the McDonald before I had any understanding what the tale was about, let alone what its conflict was–the tale had nearly no dramatic tension).
And here are a lot of lost opportunities. Robert Reed’s tale involves a ship better than several worlds, but ends up becoming a mere – and tame – detective tale. The trope or self-importance of living in a HUGE space ship is lost both on Reed and the protagonist. What would human life be like if one were roving the rim of the galaxy in a giant spaceship? Wouldn’t that DO something to you? Well, apparently not. The tale becomes just another murder mystery that needs to be solved. The same is right of the David Gerrold tale. It’s a time travel tale involving “timequakes” in the L.A. region (brilliantly realized by a man who’s lived here all his life) but becomes devolves into a rather sordid homoerotic detective tale in the end (with an ending that’s so cliched that I’m bowled over Gerrold let himself get away with it). And some of the tales are plain unpleasant, such as the Vonda McIntyre tale. How it finished up here I have no thought. Another odd choice is the Alastair Reynolds tale, “Along the Aquila Rift”. I’m bowled over that ANY editor published it: imagine a tale told in the first person everywhere, in the end, the person forgets what he has just told you. As a creative writing teacher, I would NEVER have a student tell a tale in the 1st person and have it end: “And then I died” or “And then I was given amnesia”. One can justifiably wonder how the heck the tale got written down in the first place. How did it appear on the printed page? (Alan Brennert, an if not notable writer, won a Nebula years ago by writing a tale told by a ghost. I estimate fantasy and science fiction writers can do things that mainstream writers cannot. Or perhaps everyone’s taking their cues from John Gardner’s GRENDEL wherein the monster, telling his tale, is, as we all know, killed in the end. I would let Gardner get away with the self-importance, not so Mr. Reynolds. I want my cash back!)
This anthology really is a collection of tales that Dozois would have published had he seen them all for Asimov’s Science Fiction. To his confidence, he has culled many of these from internet and other non-traditional publishing sources. But mostly these tales weren’t a lot of fun, and most took a lot of patience to wade through. I did like the Wolfe tale; but, again, the self-importance of the tale gets lost in a twist ending that can only be appreciated if one has endured a terrible marriage and suffered inklings of spousal revenge. I miss Donald Wollheim and Terry Carr and Judith Merrill and Frederick Pohl and Groff Conklin. What happened to tales that were fun? Everywhere is the sense of wonder here? Yes, here are dazzling depictions of India in the future and the wonders of genetic engineering and nanotechnology, but, really, who cares? What is present in this volume are tales written by the very best we have. But they’re like weightlifters with these enormous muscles lifting really tiny weights. Is it because they have to eccentric out two tales a month and three novels a year in order to make a living? Find an ancient anthology abridged by Damon Knight called THE DARK SIDE. It’s out here somewhere. It’s far better than these anthologies–collections that recommend a paucity of imagination in our field that’s been around now for about twenty years. These public, and this editor, can do MUCH better than this.
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