With this latest volume of Dozois I have to start a third shelf for my complete run of this amazing annual.
Here are the stories in the volume, with links to those where they are available online, and links to my reviews where I read the stories in their original place of publication in 2014.
Ian McDonald. The Fifth Dragon. Originally published in : ‘Reach for Infinity’ (ed Jonathan Strahan, Solaris 2014) which in my Best SF Review I noted was ‘a beautiful, elegaic story from McDonald that looks at the sacrifices made to turn the Moon into a place to live.’
Jerome Cigut. The Rider. Originally published in : The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sept/Oct 2014, which in my Best SF Review I noted was ‘a fast-paced near-future .. thriller .. but the story didn’t really grab me’.
Aliette de Bodard. The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile. Originally published online on Subterranean Magazine, and still online.
Chaz Brenchley. The Burial Of Sir John Mawe At Cassini Originally published published online on Subterranean Magazine, and still online
Ken Liu. The Regular. Originally published in : ‘Upgraded’ (ed Neil Clarke, Wyrm Publishing.) I’ve got the book, but wasn’t able to find the time to read it.
Karl Bunker. The Woman from the Ocean. Originally published in : Asimovs July 2014. In my Best SF Review I noted : ‘..could perhaps have done with been a little subtler in terms of teasing out and revealing the issues’.
Paolo Bacigalupi. Shooting the Apocalypse. Originally published in : The End is Nigh (ed Adams/Howey, CreateSpace 2014). In my Best SF Review I noted ‘..nice to have a story from Bacigalupi – quite some time since I’ve read anything by him!’
Susan Palwick. Weather. Originally published online in Clarkesworld Magazine #96, September 2014.
Elizabeth Bear. The Hand is Quicker. Originally published in : ‘The Book of Silverberg’ (ed Schafer/Dozois, Subterranean Press, 2014).
Cory Doctorow. The Man Who Sold the Moon. Originally published in : ‘Hieroglyph : Stories and Visions for a Better Future (ed Finn/Cramer, Morrow 2014)
Lavie Tidhar. Vladimar Chong Chooses to Die. Originally published in : Analog, September 2014.
D.J. Cockburn. Beside the Damned River. Originally published in : Interzone #253, July/August 2014. In my Best SF Review I noted ‘..the winner of the James White Award for unpublished writers, although the story gives no hint as to any reason as to why Cockburn has not (until now) been published.’ And if you haven’t come across the surname before, there’s a silent ck in the middle, so it’s pronounced Coburn.
Peter Watts. The Colonel. Originally published online on Tor.com and still online
Vandana Singh. Entanglement. Originally published in : ‘Hieroglyph : Stories and Visions for a Better Future (ed Finn/Cramer, Morrow 2014).
Pavel Amnuel. White Curtain. Originally published in : The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, May/June 2014. In my Best SF Review I noted of this multiverse story : ‘..there will be some branches of reality where the reader of the story will be surprised by the ending, and some branches where they will not.’
Lauren Beukes. Sleeping. Originally published in : Twelve Tommorrows (MIT 2014)
Michael Swanwick. Passage of Earth. Originally published online on Clarkesworld #91 April 2014, and still online. In my Best SF Review I sung the story’s praises, and nominated it for the Best SF Short Story Award 2014 and by golly it won!
Ellen Klages. Amicae Aeternum. Originally published in : Reach for Infinity (ed Strahan, Solaris 2014). In my Best SF Review I noted it was ‘..an adept, tender story.’
Alastair Reynolds. In Babelsberg. Originally published in : Reach for Infinity (ed Strahan, Solaris 2014). In my Best SF Review I noted it was ‘..a second story from Reynolds featuring an intelligent Tyrannosaurus Rex in recent years..’ but didn’t give the story any kudos, suggesting it didn’t really grab me.
Timons Esaias. Sadness. Originally published in : Analog, July/August 2014.
Jay Lake. West to East. Originally published online on Subterranean Magazine, and online here. I do plan on reading a lot of Jay’s stories at some point in the future, but for the moment just pop back into his blog now and then and think deep thoughts.
Rachel Swirsky, Grand Jeté (The Great Leap) Originally published online on Subterranean Magazine, and available online
Elizabeth Bear. Covenant. Originally published in : ‘Hieroglyph : Stories and Visions for a Better Future (ed Finn/Cramer, Morrow 2014).
Karl Schroeder. Jubilee. Originally published online on Tor.com, February 2014 and still online.
Paul Graham Raven. Los Piratas del Mar de Plastico (Pirates of the Plastic Ocean) Originally published in : Twelve Tomorrows (MIT Technology Review 2014)
Gareth L. Powell. Red Lights, and Rain. Originally published in : Solaris Rising 3 (ed Whates, Solaris 2014). In my Best SF Review I noted : ‘A story of vampires and vampire hunters in Amsterdam which feels a little marginal for an SF anthology, albeit it has a more sfnal rationale, as opposed to Carpathian Counts and folklore.’
Jessica Barber. Coma Kings. Originally published in : Lightspeed Magazine, February 2014, and still online
Allen M. Steele. The Prodigal Son. Originally published in : Asimovs Magazine, October/November 2014. In my Best SF Review I continued to be underwhelmed, noting some crude characterisations and infodumping. Mind you, I was even more critical of the concluding story in the series.
Rich Larson. God Decay. Originally published in : ‘Upgraded’ (ed Clarke, Wyrm Publishing)
Robert Reed. Blood Wedding. Originally published in : Asimovs July 2014. In my Best SF Review I noted it was ‘a story that looks at motivations, and hidden strengths, and is a page turner.’
Ken Liu. THE LONG HAUL from the ANNALS OF TRANSPORTATION, The Pacific Monthly, May 2009 Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine and still online there
Greg Egan. Shadow Flock. Originally published in : ‘Coming Soon Enough’ (ed Cass, IEEE Spectrum 2014)
Adam Roberts. Thing and Sick. Originally published in : ‘Solaris Rising 3’ (ed Whates, Solaris 2014). In my Best SF Review I noted ‘..in a remote Antartic research station, the Fermi Paradox is solved..’
Mary Ann Mohanraj. Communion. Originally published in : Clarkesworld Magazine, June 2014, and still online.
James Patrick Kelly. Someday. Originally published in : Asimovs April/May 2014. In my Best SF Review I noted that it was another recent story by him featuring teenage protagonists, and I had found his recent stories with older protagonists more to my liking.
Nancy Kress. Yesterday’s Kin. Originally published in : ‘Yesterday’s Kin’ (Tachyon Press 2014).
Conclusion
For this first time, as I have been tagging stories for consideration in my own annual Best SF, I can for once easily cross-reference Dozois’ collection with my take on the best stories of 2014. I picked 9 for consideration in the Best SF Story Award 2014, but only my winner, Michael Swanwick’s ‘Passage of Earth’ was chosen by Dozois. I chose another Tidhar story to the one Dozois chose, and a couple of different stories from Clarkesworld (but I hadn’t read the stories from that source with Dozois chose), Asimovs, F&SF, and Interzone.
