The best science fiction and fantasy of the year. v. 3 / edited by Jonathan Strahan.

Title :

The best science fiction and fantasy of the year. v. 3

Format:

Books

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

1597801496

9781597801492

Physical Description:

511 pages ; 23 cm

Contents:

Introduction / Jonathan Strahan -- Exhalation / Ted Chiang -- Shoggoths in bloom / Elizabeth Bear -- Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the angel / Peter S. Beagle -- Fixing Hanover / Jeff VanderMeer -- Gambler / Paolo Bacigalupi -- Dust assassin / Ian McDonald -- Virgin / Holly Black -- Pride and Prometheus / John Kessel -- Thought war / Paul McAuley -- Beyond the sea gates of the Scholar Pirates of Sarsköe / Garth Nix -- Small door / Holly Phillips -- Turing's apples / Stephen Baxter -- New York Times at special bargain rates / Stephen King -- Five thrillers / Robert Reed -- Magician's house / Meghan McCarron -- Goblin music / Joan Aiken -- Machine maid / Margo Lanagan -- Art of alchemy / Ted Kosmatka -- 26 Monkeys, also The abyss / Kij Johnson -- Marry the sun / Rachel Swirsky -- Crystal nights / Greg Egan -- His master's voice / Hannu Rajaniemi -- Special economics / Maureen F. McHugh -- Evidence of love in a case of abandonment / M. Rickert -- From Babel's fall'n glory we fled / Michael Swanwich -- If angels fight / Richard Bowes -- Doom of love in small spaces / Ken Scholes -- Pretty monsters / Kelly Link.

Subject:

Science fiction.

Fantasy fiction.

Short stories.

First Title value, for Searching:

The best science fiction and fantasy of the year. v. 3 / edited by Jonathan Strahan.

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Available:*

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Summary

In print and on-line, science fiction and fantasy is thriving as never before. A multitude of astonishingly creative and gifted writers are boldly exploring the mythic past, the paranormal present, and the promises and perils of myriad alternate worlds and futures. There are almost too many new and intriguing stories published every year for any reader to be able to experience them all. So how to make sure you haven't missed any future classics?

Award-winning editor and anthologist Jonathan Strahan has surveyed the expanding universes of modern sf and fantasy to find the brightest stars in today's dazzling literary firmament. From the latest masterworks by the acknowledged titans of the field to fresh visions from exciting new talents, this outstanding collection is a comprehensive showcase for the current state of the art in both science fiction and fantasy. Anyone who wants to know where the future of imaginative short fiction is going, and treat themselves to dozens of unforgettable stories, will find this year's edition of Best Science Fiction and Fantasy to be just what they're looking for!

The depth and breadth of what science fiction and fantasy fiction is changes with every passing year. The stories chosen for this book by award-winning anthologist Jonathan Strahan carefully maps this evolution, giving readers a captivating and always-entertaining look at the very best the genre has to offer.

Jonathan Strahan has edited more than twenty anthologies and collections, including The Locus Awards, The New Space Opera, The Jack Vance Treasury, and a number of year's best annuals. He has won the Ditmar, William J. Atheling Jr., and Peter McNamara Awards for his work as an anthologist, and is the reviews editor for Locus.

Author Notes

Jonathan Strahan has edited numerous acclaimed anthologies, including The Locus Awards (with Charles N. Brown), The New Space Opera (with Gardner Dozois), and Swords and Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery (with Lou Anders

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Strahan's third annual anthology provides a solid sampler of good fiction. Stories by well-known authors Holly Black, Stephen King and the late Joan Aiken, though strong, are outclassed by masterful and innovative genre tales written by relative newcomers, such as Kij Johnson's "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss," Meghan McCarron's "The Magician's House" and Ken Scholes's "The Doom of Love in Small Spaces." Also notable, Paolo Bacigalupi's "The Gambler," John Kessel's "Pride and Prometheus" and Rachel Swirsky's "Marry the Sun" use traditional storytelling techniques to build powerful, exciting tales. Only Garth Nix's overlong "Beyond the Sea Gates of the Scholar Pirates of Sarskoe" and Margo Lanagan's predictable "Machine Maid" are substandard. Strahan's introduction gives a nice overview of the state of the genre. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Guardian Review

Science fiction and fantasy are among the few genres left with thriving short-fiction markets, with writers publishing regularly in magazine and book form. With so many fine authors in this field it would be hard for editors such as Jonathan Strahan to put together a bad selection, but to produce one that stands out, as this one does, is more demanding than it might seem. "Best" in this context is more than its constituent parts, it's a demonstration of all that can be found: diversity of voice, subject and form; balance between new and established voices; work from a range of original sources. In his foreword Strahan says he explicitly set out to achieve this, aiming to compile a book that was broad but never lost sight of its roots and history. Highlights include Ramez Naam's dizzying near-future world immersed in augmented reality, Sofia Samatar's fragmented and lyrical tale that could be read as metaphor for outsiders' love, and Ian McDonald's stirring homage to HG Wells's Mars. Books as good as this should be of interest to any admirer of short fiction, regardless of genre. - Keith Brooke Science fiction and fantasy are among the few genres left with thriving short-fiction markets, with writers publishing regularly in magazine and book form. - Keith Brooke.

Booklist Review

The third edition of Strahan's best-of collects, as promised, many of the brightest lights of sf and fantasy. Strahan defines the cousin genres broadly enough to embrace a satisfying and diverse selection that may not be generically all-inclusive yet affords a wonderful dip into what's out there. It begins with Ted Chiang's tragic Exhalation, in which a being whose people depend on the movement of air for life discovers the possibility that the air will one day cease to move. From there, it's on to among others Elizabeth Bear's Lovecraft pastiche, Shoggoths in Bloom ; Ian McDonald's future India in The Dust Assassin ; John Kessel's brilliant melding of Jane Austen and Mary Shelley in Pride and Prometheus ; a delightful approach to the relationship problems of humans and gods in Rachel Swirsky's Marry the Sun ; Greg Egan's evolving AI in Crystal Nights ; Maureen McHugh's future China and its Special Economics ; Michael Swanwick's alien encounter, From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled ; and, finally, Kelly Link's shape-changing Pretty Monsters. Strahan's talent as an anthologist shines brightly, too, in this tremendous collection.--Schroeder, Regina Copyright 2009 Booklist

Library Journal Review

A scientist ruminates on the true source of life in Ted Chiang's eerie "Exhalation," while a new widow receives the only phone call that matters in Stephen King's spookily poignant "The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates." Together with 26 other sf and fantasy stories published in 2008 by authors including Elizabeth Bear, Michael Swanwick, Stephen Baxter, and Joan Aiken, this collection provides a representative sample of the year's broad spectrum of interests and styles. Award-winning anthologist Strahan also summarizes trends in an introductory essay. Verdict The overall quality and eclecticism recommend this anthology to readers who follow the genre. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.