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A review by mikimeiko
The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction by Ian McDonald, Greg Egan, Greg Bear, Lucius Shepard, Geoff Ryman, William Sanders, Nancy Kress, Connie Willis, Ursula K. Le Guin, Charles Stross, Bruce Sterling, Eileen Gunn, Brian Stableford, Michael Swanwick, William Gibson, Tony Daniel, David Marusek, Robert Reed, Ted Chiang, Howard Waldrop, Mike Resnick, Paul McAuley, Gene Wolfe, Molly Gloss, Stephen Baxter, Pat Cadigan, Robert Silverberg, Gardner Dozois, Terry Bisson, Joe Haldeman, John Crowley, James Patrick Kelly, Steven Utley, John Kessel, Maureen F. McHugh, Walter Jon Williams, Ian R. MacLeod
3.0
I never did this before, but I want to try to review each story as I read them (also because I'm not sure if I'm going to read the entire book all at once)
Blood Music by Greg Bear
I definitely read this one before, it must have been in one of the Year's Best Science Fiction that I've read in the past. Incredibly unsettling. I love the idea, but something about the writing didn't quite work for me. Everything happened incredibly fast, and still felt kind of slow at times.
Cabin On The Coast by Gene Wolfe
I loved, loved, loved the writing. I was quite disappointed though by the abrupt change of pace that happened right after the deal on the boat. I kind of get why that could be a good way to do that but... no. Also, it didn't feel like science fiction at all. More like a... fantastic story. I'm not sure.
Salvador by Lucius Shepard
War stories are really not my thing. This one was really disturbing, which I think was the point, but again... it didn't feel like science fiction.
Trinity by Nancy Kress
Ah, yes, this is the science fiction I know and love. Well, one kind of science fiction I know and love, but still. Trying to explore spiritual matters in a scientific way, ethical concerns, the dangers of human curiosity. Very, very interesting. It even had a pretty good ending. It feels a little outdated in some aspects, but it's a really good story.
Flying Saucer Rock And Roll by Howard Waldrop
Uhm... okay. I liked the idea but I never really got engaged by the story.
Dinner In Audoghast by Bruce Sterling
Ah Sterling, I definitely wasn't expecting this. I might try and read more books by him. The story was quite fascinating, but I probably would have to know more about actual history to understand how far this was from the reality.
Roadside Rescue by Pat Cadigan
Yes, yes, very lovely! Well, not really lovely, but short, amusing, effective. I love when writers get really creative with what it means to be an alien.
Snow by John Crowley
So weird, and sad. A little detached, too, but not too much. I'm sure that I have read something else by Crowley before, but I can't remember what.
The Winter Market by William Gibson
Gibson, my love. I had a really short cyberpunk phase where I LOVED his writing, then I think I grew out of it and couldn't stand him anymore. Maybe it's been enough time since then, and I can actually enjoy his stories again, with a different perspective. I also think I've read this story before. I liked it, but it was slightly unsatisfying, too short, too brief, too unconclusive. But I guess that was the point.
The Pure Product by John Kessel
Uhm, no. Oh well, there had to be some stories that just... don't work for me.
Stable Strategies for Middle Management by Eileen Gunn
Superweird, and interesting! I wish there was more.
Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick
It's not a bad story but... it left kind of unsatisfied.
Tale from the Venia Woods by Robert Silverberg
I found Silverberg books profoundly disappointing when I read them for the first time in english, but this story tickled my curiosity enough that I think I'm going to try something else from the Roma universe (yes, I really loved the idea of a timeline in which the Roman Empire never fell).
Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson
A quite, fascinating story. I didn't know Terry Bisson, but I'd like to read something else.
Even the Queen by Connie Willis
Oh I loved this! I want to live after the Liberation, thank you very much. Also, I found the spokeperson for the Cyclists quite amusing, and relevant if you think at some of the controversy surrounding the social justice warriors and their way of describing many things.
Guest of Honor by Robert Reed
Haunting. I found the idea quite fascinating, but the execution... a little less.
None So Blind by Joe Haldeman
I really loved the concept, but I think it was a little too short, a little too... compressed. I would have liked to read more about it.
Mortimer Gray's History of Death by Brian Stableford
I don't know if I've ever been so sad of disliking someones writing. It definitely not badly written, but for me the style just kept pushing me back from the story. And I liked the story! I loved the ideas, and the theme, and the way it made think about certain things.
The Lincoln Train by Maureen F. McHugh
I think not knowing much of American history really impaired my understanding of the story. From the introduction, and the fact that it has been included in a scifi book, I suppose it's some kind of alternate reality, but I'm not quite sure what is supposed to be an alternate of.
Wang's Carpets by Greg Egan
Not really my thing. I might have liked it more if it were longer, if it gave me more time to understand the world it was set in... but maybe not. I'm not sure.
Coming of Age in Karhide by Ursula K. Le Guin
I don't know how many times I read this story when I was a teenager. It's soft and hot and anthropological and everything I love of the scifi that I used to read back then. And amazingly, it was still really, really good. A super short story that feels as complete as a novel and as open as an introduction. It's a world condensed in a few pages. Amazing.
The Dead by Michael Swanwick
I like the concept, but I never really got engaged with the story, and then it ended.
Recording Angel by Ian McDonald
Interesting idea, compelling development, and yet I didn't find the end completely satisfying.
A Dry, Quiet War by Tony Daniel
Eerie, and fascinating. It made me want to know more, and yet there was a felling like everything that needed saying was already said. Interesting, though not my usual genre.
The Undiscovered by William Sanders
Once again, I felt like my ignorance was dampening my understanding of the story. I guess alternate histories rely on the fact that you know how things went in the real world, and this time me not knowing enough of Shakespeare work prevented me to notice the differences.
Second Skin by Paul J. McAuley
Uhm... I love the history and worlds the story hinted at, but the story itself? Not so much.
Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang
Okay, so this story... this story is everything I think about when I think of good science fiction. It has both very interesting science and very interesting human stories. It makes you care, and hurt, and rejoice. But most of all it makes you think: it has a very powerful what if at its core, and it manages to leave to the reader enough space to consider the implications. I truly loved it.
People Came From Earth by Stephen Baxter
I'm perplexed. It was a very intriguing story, but it felt more like reading a piece in a larger narrative rather than reading a complete story in itself.
The Wedding Album by David Marusek
Quite good, though at some point it kind of lost itself in the computer issues, neglecting the development of the story.
10^16 To 1 by James Patrick Kelly
Uhm. I guess I like the idea, but I didn't particularly enjoy the tone.
Daddy's World by Walter Jon Williams
Very diquieting. It was kind of difficult for me to get into the story, but once I understood what was going on I was captured.
The Real World by Steven Utley
I found it quite boring and pointless.
Have Not Have by Geoff Ryman
I wish it was longer, because I would have loved to know more about the world. The story felt a little forced, but I liked the ending.
Lobsters by Charles Stross
Maybe I'm not ready to try cyberpunk again. It's just... a lot of noise. It's tiring, and it makes following the story harder. I liked some ideas though.
Breathmoss by Ian R. MacLeod
I was quite unlucky with this antology, since the two novelettes (at least, I think it's just two) were my least favourite stories. This in particular was confused and confusing, and the big reveal at the end... meh.
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss
I guess thanks to Terry Pratchett I will always have a soft spot for sheperdesses (? I have no idea how to spell the plural). This is one of those really short, really quiet stories that nonetheless leaves a mark.
The Fluted Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Wow, very haunting. It actually tasted like a fairytale, but there was enough science in this to make this more scifi than many other stories in this book. I wish it was longer, I wish it was a whole book. And I loved the ending, so perfect in its openness.
Footvote by Peter F. Hamilton
Too short! This idea deserved at least an entire book, or maybe even a series! The laws of New Suffolk were hilarious.
Zima Blue by Alastair Reynolds
So weird. Artists are definitely weird people, even when they turn out to be something else entirely.
Blood Music by Greg Bear
I definitely read this one before, it must have been in one of the Year's Best Science Fiction that I've read in the past. Incredibly unsettling. I love the idea, but something about the writing didn't quite work for me. Everything happened incredibly fast, and still felt kind of slow at times.
Cabin On The Coast by Gene Wolfe
I loved, loved, loved the writing. I was quite disappointed though by the abrupt change of pace that happened right after the deal on the boat. I kind of get why that could be a good way to do that but... no. Also, it didn't feel like science fiction at all. More like a... fantastic story. I'm not sure.
Salvador by Lucius Shepard
War stories are really not my thing. This one was really disturbing, which I think was the point, but again... it didn't feel like science fiction.
Trinity by Nancy Kress
Ah, yes, this is the science fiction I know and love. Well, one kind of science fiction I know and love, but still. Trying to explore spiritual matters in a scientific way, ethical concerns, the dangers of human curiosity. Very, very interesting. It even had a pretty good ending. It feels a little outdated in some aspects, but it's a really good story.
Flying Saucer Rock And Roll by Howard Waldrop
Uhm... okay. I liked the idea but I never really got engaged by the story.
Dinner In Audoghast by Bruce Sterling
Ah Sterling, I definitely wasn't expecting this. I might try and read more books by him. The story was quite fascinating, but I probably would have to know more about actual history to understand how far this was from the reality.
Roadside Rescue by Pat Cadigan
Yes, yes, very lovely! Well, not really lovely, but short, amusing, effective. I love when writers get really creative with what it means to be an alien.
Snow by John Crowley
So weird, and sad. A little detached, too, but not too much. I'm sure that I have read something else by Crowley before, but I can't remember what.
The Winter Market by William Gibson
Gibson, my love. I had a really short cyberpunk phase where I LOVED his writing, then I think I grew out of it and couldn't stand him anymore. Maybe it's been enough time since then, and I can actually enjoy his stories again, with a different perspective. I also think I've read this story before. I liked it, but it was slightly unsatisfying, too short, too brief, too unconclusive. But I guess that was the point.
The Pure Product by John Kessel
Uhm, no. Oh well, there had to be some stories that just... don't work for me.
Stable Strategies for Middle Management by Eileen Gunn
Superweird, and interesting! I wish there was more.
Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick
It's not a bad story but... it left kind of unsatisfied.
Tale from the Venia Woods by Robert Silverberg
I found Silverberg books profoundly disappointing when I read them for the first time in english, but this story tickled my curiosity enough that I think I'm going to try something else from the Roma universe (yes, I really loved the idea of a timeline in which the Roman Empire never fell).
Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson
A quite, fascinating story. I didn't know Terry Bisson, but I'd like to read something else.
Even the Queen by Connie Willis
Oh I loved this! I want to live after the Liberation, thank you very much. Also, I found the spokeperson for the Cyclists quite amusing, and relevant if you think at some of the controversy surrounding the social justice warriors and their way of describing many things.
Guest of Honor by Robert Reed
Haunting. I found the idea quite fascinating, but the execution... a little less.
None So Blind by Joe Haldeman
I really loved the concept, but I think it was a little too short, a little too... compressed. I would have liked to read more about it.
Mortimer Gray's History of Death by Brian Stableford
I don't know if I've ever been so sad of disliking someones writing. It definitely not badly written, but for me the style just kept pushing me back from the story. And I liked the story! I loved the ideas, and the theme, and the way it made think about certain things.
The Lincoln Train by Maureen F. McHugh
I think not knowing much of American history really impaired my understanding of the story. From the introduction, and the fact that it has been included in a scifi book, I suppose it's some kind of alternate reality, but I'm not quite sure what is supposed to be an alternate of.
Wang's Carpets by Greg Egan
Not really my thing. I might have liked it more if it were longer, if it gave me more time to understand the world it was set in... but maybe not. I'm not sure.
Coming of Age in Karhide by Ursula K. Le Guin
I don't know how many times I read this story when I was a teenager. It's soft and hot and anthropological and everything I love of the scifi that I used to read back then. And amazingly, it was still really, really good. A super short story that feels as complete as a novel and as open as an introduction. It's a world condensed in a few pages. Amazing.
The Dead by Michael Swanwick
I like the concept, but I never really got engaged with the story, and then it ended.
Recording Angel by Ian McDonald
Interesting idea, compelling development, and yet I didn't find the end completely satisfying.
A Dry, Quiet War by Tony Daniel
Eerie, and fascinating. It made me want to know more, and yet there was a felling like everything that needed saying was already said. Interesting, though not my usual genre.
The Undiscovered by William Sanders
Once again, I felt like my ignorance was dampening my understanding of the story. I guess alternate histories rely on the fact that you know how things went in the real world, and this time me not knowing enough of Shakespeare work prevented me to notice the differences.
Second Skin by Paul J. McAuley
Uhm... I love the history and worlds the story hinted at, but the story itself? Not so much.
Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang
Okay, so this story... this story is everything I think about when I think of good science fiction. It has both very interesting science and very interesting human stories. It makes you care, and hurt, and rejoice. But most of all it makes you think: it has a very powerful what if at its core, and it manages to leave to the reader enough space to consider the implications. I truly loved it.
People Came From Earth by Stephen Baxter
I'm perplexed. It was a very intriguing story, but it felt more like reading a piece in a larger narrative rather than reading a complete story in itself.
The Wedding Album by David Marusek
Quite good, though at some point it kind of lost itself in the computer issues, neglecting the development of the story.
10^16 To 1 by James Patrick Kelly
Uhm. I guess I like the idea, but I didn't particularly enjoy the tone.
Daddy's World by Walter Jon Williams
Very diquieting. It was kind of difficult for me to get into the story, but once I understood what was going on I was captured.
The Real World by Steven Utley
I found it quite boring and pointless.
Have Not Have by Geoff Ryman
I wish it was longer, because I would have loved to know more about the world. The story felt a little forced, but I liked the ending.
Lobsters by Charles Stross
Maybe I'm not ready to try cyberpunk again. It's just... a lot of noise. It's tiring, and it makes following the story harder. I liked some ideas though.
Breathmoss by Ian R. MacLeod
I was quite unlucky with this antology, since the two novelettes (at least, I think it's just two) were my least favourite stories. This in particular was confused and confusing, and the big reveal at the end... meh.
Lambing Season by Molly Gloss
I guess thanks to Terry Pratchett I will always have a soft spot for sheperdesses (? I have no idea how to spell the plural). This is one of those really short, really quiet stories that nonetheless leaves a mark.
The Fluted Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Wow, very haunting. It actually tasted like a fairytale, but there was enough science in this to make this more scifi than many other stories in this book. I wish it was longer, I wish it was a whole book. And I loved the ending, so perfect in its openness.
Footvote by Peter F. Hamilton
Too short! This idea deserved at least an entire book, or maybe even a series! The laws of New Suffolk were hilarious.
Zima Blue by Alastair Reynolds
So weird. Artists are definitely weird people, even when they turn out to be something else entirely.