Tricia Sullivan. The One That Got Away. (Solaris Rising)
A very strange, surreal, dream-like story – you finish reading it, and think to yourself, as you do after some dreams, just where on Earth did that come from?
Pat Cadigan. Cody. (trsf: The Best New Science Fiction)
Sort of cyberpunk as it might happen now, as opposed to the cyberpunk as we imagined it in the 80s.
Ken MacLeod. The Best Science Fiction of the Year Three. (Solaris Rising)
You always get some thought-provoking politics with MacLeod, and here he pops in some near-future background to give depth to a story involving an SF writer and an anthologist.
Erik Amundsen. Pony. (Clarkesworld Magazine #61, October 2011)
A neat little story which takes a standard SF setting – a spacesuited protagonist outside of his spaceship and facing a risk – but looks at it several generations beyond the usual handling of such stories.
Paul di Filippo. Sweets Spots. (Solaris Rising)
I’m not finding as many di Filippo stories to read as I would like, which is a shame, but it’s nice to be welcomed by an opening paragraph that tells you that your going to get his slightly-gonzo world view
Ma Boyong. The Mark Twain Robots. (trsf: The Best New Science Fiction)
It’s Asimovian in that it could have been one of his stories from the 50s, making it feel a bit out of place in a forward-looking volume published 50 years later.
Jon Ingold. The Fall of the City of Silver. (Interzone #236, Sep-Oct 2011)
Ingold takes us back to the ancient city of Tartassos, and explores what their fabled wealth in silver might have been built on, and led to.
K.J. Parker. Amor Vincit Omnia. (The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2011)
Some wizardly goings-on for those of you missing Harry Potter. Admittedly somewhat darker, with adult scenes!
Fiona Moore. The Metaphor. (Interzone 236, Sep-Oct 2011)
The unnamed protagonist exists in a strange world, the only human, who from time to time is suddenly required to set up a number of empty bars ready to entertain unseen guests.
Joe Haldeman. Complete Sentence. (trsf : The Best New Science Fiction)
Three-pager which looks briefly at the potential for virtual reality to be used in the penal system
Ken Liu. Real Artists. (trsf : The Best New Science Fiction)
Liu looks into the not-too-distant-future and the impact of technology on making movies.
Dave Hutchinson. The Incredible Exploding Man. (Solaris Rising)
A vivid opening image of roiling clouds about a Point Zero, and the story and explanation unfold nicely.
Jason Sanford. The Ever-Dreaming Verdict of Plagues. (Interzone 236 Sep-Oct 2011)
A sequel to ‘Plague Birds’ from Interzone last year.
Ian McDonald. A Smart Well-Mannered Uprising of the Dead. (Solaris Rising)
McDonald takes us to Africa for a clever story in which it appears that the voices of the dead are being raised in objection to corruption in the government
Kij Johnson. The Man Who Bridged the Mist. (Asimovs, October/November 2011)
A much longer story from Johnson than we’re used to seeing, and she makes the most of the opportunity.
Vandana Singh. Indra’s Web. (trsf : the Best New Science Fiction).
A neat balance of humanity and renewable energy, and the potential for human and community growth.
Stephen Kotowych. A Time for Raven. (Interzone 236, Sep-Oct 2011)
Anthropological fiction, with the beliefs of the peoples of Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) forming the crux of the story, specifically Kiid K’iyaas, a mighty golden tree.
Gareth L. Powell. The New Ships. (Further Conflicts).
A follow-up to a story in the previous volume, and another short, tight drama leaving the reader wondering what happens next.
Cory Doctorow. The Brave Little Toaster. (trsf : The Best New Science Fiction)
A gently humorous, cautionary tale to start the attractive anthology from The Technology Review.
Jack McDevitt. The Cassandra Project. (Year’s Best SF 16)
Another reflective piece on what the 1960s/1970s ‘space race’ and Apollo missions might have led to in alternate histories, with a pinch of tabloid newspaper sensationalism, as some long buried secrets come to light…
Gregory Benford. Penumbra. (Year’s Best SF 16)
A short-short originally from Nature
Brenda Cooper. The Hebras and the Demons and the Damned. (Year’s Best SF 16)
An increasingly rare occurrence – a story from Analog in a Year’s Best volume.
Karl Schroeder. To Hie from Far Cilenia. (Year’s Best SF 16)
A fascinating exploration of where current fascination with online RPG, avatars, MMORPG, cosplay, and augmented reality could lead
Catherynne M. Valente. How to Become a Mars Overlord. (Years Best SF 16)
Neat post-modern reflection on Mars(es) past(s) and present(s) and other(s). Don’t let me spoil it – have a read of it!
Ken Liu. Staying Behind. (Clarkesworld Magazine #61, October 2011).
Sensitive story from Liu, looking at the impact on the Singularity, as increasing numbers of humanity opt to be be digitally uploaded, and the effect on those left behind.
Further Conflicts. (ed Ian Whates, NewCon Press 2011).
A stronger volume than its predecessor, with more stories of a higher standard. Lots of fast-paced action, with a variety of settings, to make for an adrenaline-rush of a read. amazon.co.uk hb | amazon.co.uk kindle
Tim C. Taylor. Welcome Home, Janissary. (Further Conflicts)
There’s hand to hand combat, deep space combat, and human issues on a micro and macro level, which Taylor for the most part handles well.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Jul/Aug 2011.
An excellent issue, with several top-notch stories, well-balanced across the SFFH spectrum.
K.J. Kabza. The Ramshead Algorithm. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jul/Aug 2011)
An author new to me, and one whose vibe is in tune with my own.
Michael Alexander. Someone Like You. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jul/Aug 2011)
A tender time-travel story, with a daughter seeking to redress the problems caused by the murder of a father she never had.
Richard Bowes. Sir Morgravain Speaks of Night Dragons and Other Things. (Fantasy & Science Fiction Jul/Aug 2011)
A touch of ancient magic and noblery from Bowes.
Adam Roberts. The Ice Submarine. (Further Conflicts)
A tense science thriller, with an interesting background – a West/East conflict is underway, but the protagonist is the commander of a Muslim nuclear submarine
Stephen Saylor. The Witch of Corinth. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jul/Aug 2011)
Historical crime fiction.
Joan Aiken. Hair. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jul/Aug 2011)
Short, posthumously-published gothic horror.
Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Stealth. (Asimovs, Oct/Nov 2011)
Another in Rusch’s ‘Diving’ series, in which we find out more about the stealth cloaking technology.