L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 36 (ed David Farland, Galaxy Press Inc. 2020)
I do get a steady drip-drip of email requests to review items on Best SF.
Meeting Infinity. (ed Jonathan Strahan, Solaris Books 2015)
A handsome Big volume, the fourth in the series. Big Name Authors. Big font. Reviews to follow.
The End Has Come – The Apocalypse Triptych 3. (ed John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey, 2015)
A clever idea for a trilogy from Adams/Howey, and they had me keeping an eye open for the appearance of volumes on Amazon, and pleased to have the POD volumes on my shelves.
Solaris Rising 3. (ed Ian Whates, Solaris 2014)
The anthology took me a while to get through, probably (looking at it in retrospect) that it didn’t have enough really top quality stories in it for me to be eagerly reaching for the volume with eager anticipation for the next story. Some good stories, but nothing really cojonal grabbing.
The End is Now – The Apocalypse Triptych 2. (ed John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey, 2014)
Another set of excellent stories, continuing the exploration of the challenges that individuals, couples, communities and humanity as a whole have to face when things go from bad to worse
The End is Nigh – The Apocalypse Triptych 1. (ed John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey, 2014)
An excellent opening volume of a trilogy with each volume looking at a different stage of the forthcoming apocalypse.
Reach for Infinity. (ed Jonathan Strahan, Solaris 2014)
Another strong volume in an excellent series.
Twelve Tomorrows. (MIT Technology Review, 2013)
With a gorgeously retro cover, and a splendid full-colour insert for the artwork of Richard Powers, some great stories by some big name authors.
Solaris Rising 2. (ed Ian Whates, Solaris 2013)
Another excellent collection from Whates and from Solaris, with only a couple of weaker stories. May this editor/publisher combo live long and prosper.
Edge of Infinity. (ed Jonathan Strahan, Solaris Books 2012).
Stories sent in a humanity constrained to the solar system, but the stories are (perhaps because of that) almost all really good stories about humans, their desires, wishes and challenges. Buy the book!
Solaris Rising 1.5 (ed Ian Whates, Solaris 2012)
An excellent collection, more than whetting the appetite for Solaris Rising 2, due Spring 2013.
Panverse Three. (ed Dario Ciriello, Panverse Publishing 2011).
Five original novellas, from Don D’Ammassa, Ken Liu, Tochi Onyebuchi, Gavin Stoddard, and Jason Stoddard, with Liu the standout.
Solaris Rising. (ed Ian Whates. Solaris, 2011.)
With an editor, publisher, and collection of authors whose pedigree is beyond reproach, a book to be bought straight away : amazon.com | amazon.co.uk
trsf : The Best New Science Fiction. (Technology Review 2011).
An attractive magazine with a new Chris Foss cover, and some really good stories – Doctorow, Cadigan, Macleod and Di Filippo of particular note.
Triangulation : End of the Rainbow. (PARSEC Ink, 2010).
The 2010 edition of a high quality small press annual anthology.
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
Engineering Infinity. (ed Jonathan Strahan, Solaris Books, 2011).
I’d be surprised if there’s a stronger anthology in 2011. amazon.com | amazon.co.uk
The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF. (ed Mike Ashley, Robinson 2010)
An excellent collection, with some extremely strong new stories and classy classics. amazon.com | amazon.co.uk
Conflicts. (Ian Whates, NewCon Press, 2010.)
The latest in a series of anthologies from British small-press publisher.
Is Anybody Out There? (ed Nick Gevers and Marty Halpern. Daw, 2010).
DAW Books anthology themed around the Fermi Paradox. There are some good stories in here – Irvine, Lake, Langford and Vukcevich are my picks – but no real standouts.
Shine. (Jetse de Vries, Solaris 2010).
The more experienced authors do provide the stronger stories, and there a couple of stories which are quite weak, but Stoddard, Powell and de Bodard, and Sellar provide strong support to Kenyon, who has the story of the volume.
Alastair Reynolds. Deep Navigation. (NESFA Press, 2010).
Already with a couple of collections from his two decades’ worth of short stories, NESFA have produced a handsome book which for the Reynolds’ fan is, as the Dutch would say, ‘een must’.
The Secret History of Science Fiction. (James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel eds, Tachyon 2009)
A collection with a difference.
Eclipse 3. (ed Jonathan Strahan).
Nicely complements the Strahan/Dozois New Space Opera anthology series, starting with several stories of the contemporary, speculative type.
The New Space Opera 2. (ed Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan, Eos 2009).
A big book, with a huge amount of top quality SF.
Extraordinary Engines : the definitive Steampunk Anthology, ed Nick Gevers pub Solaris 2008
An excellent collection, with only a couple of weaker contributions. A couple are more fantasy than steampunk, but there is high quality writing throughout and a couple of stories that linger (Youmans, Lanagan and Lake) for some time.
Fast Forward 2. ed Lou Anders, pub Pyr 2008.
As with #1, another handsome collection of short SF from some of the biggest names in SF. Praise especially for making room for the lengthy Rosenbaum/Doctorow story.
‘Fast Forward 1’ ed Lou Anders, pub Pyr 2007
An excellent collection of short SF. Several made it to the various Year’s Best collections, and a couple of others which were not selected would not have looked out of place. The volume starts well, is strong in the middle, and ramps up to a strong finish.
We Think, Therefore We Are’ ed Peter Crowther pub DAW Books 2009
Daw and Crowther provide the goods once again, in a pocket-sized collection that manages to 15 almost invariably top quality stories.
Subterfuge. Edited by Ian Whates, Newcon Press. 2008
Ian Whates latest collection under the NewCon imprint comes in a variety of flavours : paperback, hardback, and special (extra stories!) limited-edition, signed hardback. It is the latter of these reviewed here. And Whates has provided another strong collection, bigger than previous volumes, and worth looking out for. The standard of writing, and the invention in the stories, is almost uniformly excellent, and is strongly recommended
Celebration. ed Ian Whates. NewCon Press, 2008
This is a good collection featuring some strong stories by many of the biggest names in British SF.
Otherworldly Maine. ed Noreen Doyle, Down East 2008
The collection successfully brings together a litte bit of sf, a lot of speculative fiction, fantasy, horror and thrillers, but which all work together and which don’t leap out as being stories of that ilk, but simply good stories with a shared setting.
The Starry Rift. ed Jonathan Strahan, Viking , 2008
The stories are almost without exception an excellent introduction to the genre, covering a wide spread and with something for most readers. If your kids are past the Harry Potter stage, then give them this hefty volume to help them take a step (or rather, a giant leap) in the right direction.
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume Two, ed George Mann, Solaris 2008
The first volume in this new series from Solaris Books, was a safe and solid
Wastelands – Stories of the Apocalypse ed John Joseph Adams. Night Shade Books, 2008.
This is a very strong collection. Adams has trawled 25 years worth of high quality SF to put together the volume, and there’s an awful lot of good reading to be had.
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XXIII.
L. Ron Hubbard Presents ‘Writers of the Future’ Volume 23, is, not unsurprisingly, the 23rd
The New Space Opera, ed Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan, Eos, 2007.
This has quite simply got to be the strongest original collection in SF in recent years. If you are a regular visitor to Best SF and tend to concur with what I see as being the best in short SF, then this volume is a must have.
disLOCATIONS. ed Ian Whates. NewCon Press, 2007
It’s another good collection from Whates/NewCon, available in a limited edition, signed by the authors, for £10.99
Triangulation : End of Time. ed Pete Butler, PARSEC Ink 2007
This is the fourth edition of an anthology published almost every year since 2003 by
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, ed George Mann, 2007
Sixteen stories, of which I’d say 8 hit the mark. It’s a collection of fairly traditional SF, eschewing the new speculative, as perhaps might be expected with the authors for the most being well established. The majority of the stories could have been written anytime during the 1990s, making it a good, if safe collection, and a solid start.
Time Pieces, edited by Ian Whates, Newcon Press, 2006
‘Time Pieces’ is a slim volume, containing eight shorter stories by some well-established names, commemorating
Alastair Reynolds. Zima Blue and Other Stories, Nightshade Books 2006
At the beginning of this month I reviewed the collection of Alastair Reynolds stories set
Alastair Reynolds. Galactic North. Gollancz 2006
If you’re not familiar with the novels, then get a hold of this collection to judge whether you should invest a bit of money, and a lot of time, to familiarise yourself with the epic vistas of the Revelation Space universe
Forbidden Planets, edited by Peter Crowther, DAW Books 2006
Overall, the quality of the stories is high, and a fine collection showcasing primarily British authors, although perhaps just a tad below the quality of last year’s ‘Constellations’.
One Million A.D., ed Gardner Dozois, SFBC 2005
not as much boggle for my buck as I had hoped, but still a lot of boggle in there!
Stephen Baxter. Traces. Voyager, 1998.
A couple of years ago I reviewed Baxter’s ‘Phase Space’, which collected stories set around
Imago – The Fantasy Art of Jim Burns
‘They’re Breasts Jim, But Not As We Know Them’ – being a review of ‘Imago – The Fantasy Art of Jim Burns’
Nova Scotia – new Scottish Speculative Fiction, ed Neil Williamson and Andrew J. Wilson. Crescent, 2005
A good mix of SF, alternate history and horror, interspered with some dry humour. It’s a handsome paperback that deserves to do well.
Constellations, edited by Peter Crowther, DAW Books 2005
If it’s SFnal bang for your buck you’re after, you won’t get much better value for money than this during 2005.
Paul McAuley – Little Machines
One of PS Publishing’s recent titles is a collection of Paul (J.) McAuley short stories
Stephen Baxter. Phase Space : stories from the Manifold and elsewhere
Leading British SF writer Baxter had previously collected stories in his ‘XeeLee’ sequence into a
Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction Sixth Series. Adam Boucher (ed) 1957
This little beauty beckoned at me from the shelves of a second-hand bookshop in Colchester
Mirrorshades : the CyberPunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling, (Anchor House, 1986).
A cracking little paperback, which every self-respecting SF reader should have at home. The pbk version I have also features a neat reflective pair of shades (which my scanner totally fails to scan!).
The Ultimate Cyberpunk edited by Pat Cadigan, (ibooks, 2002)
But, all in all, a bit of a curate’s egg. The early stories, and the final story, don’t quite fit IMHO. And with the lack of a ‘real’ introduction, and story intros, the extra size that this volume offers over ‘Mirrorshades’ hasn’t really be used to the full. A missed opportunity.
infinity plus two edited by Keith Brooke and Nick Gevers, (PS Publishing, 2003)
A nice volume to have on the shelves, with a wide range of quality content which showcases a wide range of SF, and high production values. The high price and limited print run will restrict the volume to collectors, but as the stories aren’t originals, we can’t complain that the average SF reader is being deprived.
Live Without a Net. edited by Lou Anders. Roc, 2003
All in all, an interesting varied collection, and well worth the shelf-space.
‘cities’. edited by Peter Crowther, (Gollancz 2003).
You won’t find many volumes this year with such a high quality. The first three stories are all set in vividly described cities, giving a solid theme to the collection. But once again, Gollancz and PS Publishing showcase the best in British SF/fantasy. More!
‘infinities’. edited by Peter Crowther, (Gollancz 2002)
This is a handsome hard-back book which would grace any shelf (albeit that the shape of the book will require a deep shelf!). The stories are of varying quality and SFness, but work together well. A recommended purchase for those of you who haven’t got the stories in their PS Publishing format.
Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days : tales from the Revelation Space universe. Gollancz, 2003.
Alastair Reynolds has been garnering praise for his three hard SF novels ‘Revelation Space’, ‘Chasm
‘futures’, edited by Peter Crowther, (Gollancz 2001)
This is a handsome hard-back book which would grace any shelf (albeit that the shape of the book will require a deep shelf!). The stories are of high quality, offering a lot of vision, and work together well. A recommended purchase for those of you who haven’t got the stories in their PS Publishing format.
Paul Di Filippo. Little Doors. 4W8W, 2003.
One of the more prolific, and in my opinion, the most inventive of short SF
Paul Di Filippo. Babylon Sisters and other Posthumans.
Di Filippo is one of the foremost short story writers in SF, and has to
Charles Stross. Toast – and other rusted futures. Cosmos Books, 2002
An excellent collection of stories. Little in the way of the standard SF tropes – all near-future tales showing an at times pessimistic view of where we are heading as a race and what that will mean for humanity as a whole and individuals on a personal level. Excellent writing and with only two or three exceptions, SF of the highest order.
Robert Silverberg. Science Fiction 101. ibooks inc. 2001.
A ‘How to Start Reading and Enjoying Classic Short SF’. Compulsive and required reading for anyone who wants to get into what makes short SF.
‘Far Horizons: All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction’ (Robert Silverberg, ed, Eos, 1999, UK: Orbit, 1999.)
The longer than usual gap since my last review can now be revealed as being
The Best Japanse Science Fiction Stories, edited by John L. Apostolou and Martin H. Greenberg, Barricade Books, Inc., published 1997 (UK:June 2000).
All in all and interesting read, and worth the purchase if nothing else just to give an extended flavour of SF in a different culture.
The Ant-Men of Tibet and other stories. Edited by David Pringle. Big Engine, 2001.
The Ant-Men of Tibet. Stephen Baxter Originally in Interzone #95, May 1995. Baxter pays a
Geodesic Dreams. The Short Fiction of Gardner Dozois. Gardner Dozois. St. Martins Press 1992
Whilst out shopping on a Saturday afternoon in Colchester recently I popped into a new
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: the Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology. Edward L. Ferman and Gordon van Gelder (eds). Tor 1999.
F&SF have been producing anthologies since 1952 – annual anthologies for the first quarter century,