The critically acclaimed anthology series The Year's Best Science Fiction publishes its astounding 19th volume in 2002. Weighing in at well over 600 pages, this comprehensive volume contains 26 of the best SF stories of 2001 and a knowledgeable, thorough introduction/summation by the editor, 12-time Hugo Award winner Gardner Dozois. The contributors range from veteran greats like Nancy Kress and Michael Swanwick to cult gods like Howard Waldrop and Michael Blumlein to impressive newcomers like Andy Duncan and Charles Stross.

A brief review cannot discuss all the stories, but can only suggest the range of subgenres within. These include the hard SF of Alastair Reynolds's extrasolar murder mystery "Glacial"; the soft SF of Maureen F. McHugh's wise "Interview: On Any Given Day"; the testosterone-drenched adventure SF of Paul Di Filippo's "Neutrino Drag"; the doomed lesbian love in a future so distant it seems like fantasy in Ian R. MacLeod's "Isabel of the Fall"; alternate history about Philip K. Dick and Richard Nixon in Paul McAuley's "The Two Dicks"; the triple-timeline Trojan fantasy of Howard Waldrop and Leigh Kennedy's excellent collaboration, "One-Horse Town"; the scathing satire of Carolyn Ives Gilman's "The Real Thing"; and the high-density postcyberpunk of "Lobsters," in which new author Charles Stross blends bleeding-edge infotech and venture-capital bizbuzz to create the standout SF story of 2001. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly
This annual anthology remains the best one-stop shop for short fiction, and it's a must for fans of literary SF. The notion of intelligence links several stories. Nancy Kress, in "Computer Virus," posits an intelligent computer program trying to save its life, but it does so by risking that of a child. The dense and busy "Lobsters" by Charles Stross considers the implications of denying intelligent uploaded constructs here, of lobsters human rights or autonomy. Michael Blumlein's zany "Know How, Can Do," easily the best story, posits a self-aware worm linked to a human brain, told from the point of view of the worm, "Flowers for Algernon"-style, as it acquires human intelligence, language and emotions. Alternative realities remain a productive theme. In "The Two Dicks," Paul McAuley posits an alternative reality where Philip K. Dick, who in this world wrote mainstream fiction instead of SF, meets Nixon. Ken MacLeod's ambitious, character-driven "The Human Front," set in an alternative reality just a little different from ours, describes a man's growth toward adulthood in a war-torn Britain. Dan Simmons, Alastair Reynolds, Maureen F. McHugh and Paul Di Filippo also contribute especially memorable tales. Although one could quibble with Dozois's choices and there are one or two clunkers in here this anthology is an enjoyable read that overall maintains high standards of quality and variety. It's essential for SF fans who simply don't have time to separate the wheat from the chaff on their own.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The latest Dozois annual is as massive as its predecessors, even minus its customary summaries of the year's events in the sf field, which were not ready for review. As before, a variety of writers are presented: established names such as Nancy Kress, Dan Simmons, Michael Swanwick, and James Patrick Kelley; and lesser-known and rising hands, the likes of Michael Blumlein, Paul McAuley, and Charles Stross. Overall, the quality of Dozois' selections ranges between thoroughly respectable and very high. Some readers' tastes will be gratified more than those of others, but with more than two dozen stories all told, surely nearly every reader will find something outstanding here. It is worth noting that one story was originally published as a chapbook, and four were first published electronically, reflecting the fact that even some very good sf has had to find other routes to publication than through the conventional print channels, and that Dozois is keeping up with the new media, too. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"This annual anthology quite simply the best, most comprehensive look at today's sf . . . Dozois has chosen stories that define the genre and its trends today—tales that show that show that sf conintues to fruitfully forge across new boundaries."—Publishers Weekly

"The book that has to be read every year . . . It's silly to pick favorites among so many good stories."—Fred Cleaver, The Denver Post

"This series has become an institution, and deservedly so."—Clinton Lawrence, Science Fiction Weekly

"For anyone interested in sf short stories, this is the best—indeed the only—place to start."—Kirkus Reviews


Review
"This annual anthology quite simply the best, most comprehensive look at today's sf . . . Dozois has chosen stories that define the genre and its trends today—tales that show that show that sf conintues to fruitfully forge across new boundaries."—Publishers Weekly

"The book that has to be read every year . . . It's silly to pick favorites among so many good stories."—Fred Cleaver, The Denver Post

"This series has become an institution, and deservedly so."—Clinton Lawrence, Science Fiction Weekly

"For anyone interested in sf short stories, this is the best—indeed the only—place to start."—Kirkus Reviews


Review
"This annual anthology quite simply the best, most comprehensive look at today's sf . . . Dozois has chosen stories that define the genre and its trends today—tales that show that show that sf conintues to fruitfully forge across new boundaries."—Publishers Weekly

"The book that has to be read every year . . . It's silly to pick favorites among so many good stories."—Fred Cleaver, The Denver Post

"This series has become an institution, and deservedly so."—Clinton Lawrence, Science Fiction Weekly

"For anyone interested in sf short stories, this is the best—indeed the only—place to start."—Kirkus Reviews


Book Description
The twenty-first century has so far proven to be exciting and wondrous and filled with challenges we had never dreamed. New possibilities previously unimagined appear almost daily . . . and science fiction stories continue to explore those possibilities with delightful results:

Collected in this anthology are such compelling stories as:

"On K2 with Kanakaredes" by Dan Simmons. A relentlessly paced and absorbing tale set in the near future about three mountain climbers who must scale the face of K2 with some very odd company.

"The Human Front" by Ken MacLeod. In this compassionate coming-of-age tale the details of life are just a bit off from things as we know them-and nothing is as it appears to be.

"Glacial" by Alastair Reynolds. A fascinating discovery on a distant planet leads to mass death and a wrenching mystery as spellbinding as anything in recent short fiction.

The twenty-six stories in this collection imaginatively takes us far across the universe, into the very core of our beings, to the realm of the gods, and the moment just after now. Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including:

Eleanor Arnason
Chris Beckett
Michael Blumlein
Michael Cassutt
Brenda W. Clough
Paul Di Filippo
Andy Duncan
Carolyn Ives Gilman
Jim Grimsley
Simon Ings
James Patrick Kelly
Leigh Kennedy
Nancy Kress
Ian R. MacLeod
Ken MacLeod
Paul J. McAuley
Maureen F. McHugh
Robert Reed
Alastair Reynolds
Geoff Ryman
William Sanders
Dan Simmons
Allen M. Steele
Charles Stross
Michael Swanwick
Howard Waldrop

Supplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and a lengthy list of honorable mentions, making this book a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.


About the Author
Gardner Dozois has been working in the science fiction field for more than thirty years. Since 1985, he has been the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, during which time he has received the Hugo Award for Best Editor twelve times. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Each year, Gardner Dozois' Year's Best Science Fiction anthology wins plaudits for the quality and scope of its selections, not to mention its artful blend of new faces and crowd-pleasing veterans. (The summation of the year and recommended reading list have also become must-read items for devotees of the genre.) This 19th installment includes works by Nancy Kress, Robert Reed, Geoff Ryman, Allen Steele, Michael Cassott, and many others.

ANNOTATION

This award-winning collection continues to provide dozens of the best stories of the year, including works by renowned veterans and exciting newcomers, such as Terry Bisson, Greg Egan, Ursula K. Le Guin and Nancy Kress. Rounded out with a long list of honorable mentions, this remains the one book for every sci-fi reader.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The future, the past, and life today are boldly imagined and reinvented in the twenty-five stories collected in this showcase anthology. Many of the field's finest practitioners are represented here, along with stories from promising newcomers. A useful list of honorable mentions and Dozois's insightful summation of the year in SF round out this anthology, making it indispensable for anyone interested in SF today.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Dozois's Year's Best, like any successful representative of a large constituency, sometimes suffers from blandness and inconsistency. As usual, it's oversized23 stories, nearly 600 pagesand includes a variety of types of SF as well as near-horror, fantasy and humor. Five of the stories are final nominees for Nebulas, and two new ``Hainish'' stories by Ursula LeGuin were nominated for Tiptree Awards; ``The Matter of Segrri'' won. No story here is less than competent and professional; but, with a few exceptions, there is a voiceless sameness in the writing, practically a house style, that over so many pages grows tedious. (Nearly half the stories, by page count, come from the Dozois-edited Asimov's Science Fiction.) A number are flawed (``hard'' SF stories about ``aliens'' that think just like humans) or unremarkable, but these are outweighed by many fine pieces and by standouts such as LeGuin's ``Forgiveness Day,'' perhaps the best story in the book; Eliot Fintushel's ``New Wave''-like ``Ylem''; William Sanders's ``Going After Old Man Alabama'' and Terry Bisson's ``The Hole in the Hole,'' both of which are winning and funny; Katherine Kerr's chilling ``Asylum''; and Michael Bishop's grand and humane ``Cri de Coeur.'' Dozois's intelligently and ably put-together anthology does its stated job as well as any one book or editor could. Even with competition, it would still be the best of the Best. (July)

Publishers Weekly

This annual anthology remains the best one-stop shop for short fiction, and it's a must for fans of literary SF. The notion of intelligence links several stories. Nancy Kress, in "Computer Virus," posits an intelligent computer program trying to save its life, but it does so by risking that of a child. The dense and busy "Lobsters" by Charles Stross considers the implications of denying intelligent uploaded constructs here, of lobsters human rights or autonomy. Michael Blumlein's zany "Know How, Can Do," easily the best story, posits a self-aware worm linked to a human brain, told from the point of view of the worm, "Flowers for Algernon"-style, as it acquires human intelligence, language and emotions. Alternative realities remain a productive theme. In "The Two Dicks," Paul McAuley posits an alternative reality where Philip K. Dick, who in this world wrote mainstream fiction instead of SF, meets Nixon. Ken MacLeod's ambitious, character-driven "The Human Front," set in an alternative reality just a little different from ours, describes a man's growth toward adulthood in a war-torn Britain. Dan Simmons, Alastair Reynolds, Maureen F. McHugh and Paul Di Filippo also contribute especially memorable tales. Although one could quibble with Dozois's choices and there are one or two clunkers in here this anthology is an enjoyable read that overall maintains high standards of quality and variety. It's essential for SF fans who simply don't have time to separate the wheat from the chaff on their own. (July 23) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

As in previous volumes in this series, Dozois, who has won the Hugo for Best Editor 11 times, again presents a large helping of stellar short SF. Nine of the 27 stories are, quite appropriately, from his own magazine, Asimov's, which continues to dominate the various genre awards. Dozois also includes four stories each from Fantasy and Science Fiction and the British Interzone. Also represented are Analog, Amazing, Science Fiction Age, and two semi-pro magazines, Absolute Magnitude and the Australian Altair, as well as such original anthologies as Moon Shots, Not of Women Born and the Canadian Tesseracts. Among the high points are two time-travel pieces, Kage Baker's story of San Francisco before the great earthquake, "Son Observe the Time," and Michael Swanwick's pre-historic time-paradox tale, "Scherzo with Tyrannosaurus"; Eleanor Arnason's understated story of alien gender-role reversal, "Dapple"; Kim Stanley Robinson's "A Martian Romance," which is set not in the world of his Mars trilogy but in a subtly alternate universe; and Greg Egan's "Border Guards," hard-SF that imagines a future in which immortality is a given and soccer is played using the principles of quantum physics. Also included is quality fiction by such luminaries of the field as James Patrick Kelly, Frederik Pohl, Ben Bova, Robert Silverberg and Paul McAuley, plus such rising stars as David Marusek, Alastair Reynolds and Sage Walker. As usual, the anthology begins with a detailed survey of the year in SF and ends with a long list of Honorable Mentions. Dozois's annual volume remains a standard by which the field of SF should be judged. (July) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

From David Marusek's tale of a future where reality's borders collide with the unreal ("The Wedding Album") to Kage Baker's latest novella featuring the time-traveling "Company" ("Son Observe the Time"), the 27 stories in this annual collection bear witness to the vitality of the sf short story. Including tales by Tanith Lee, Frederick Pohl, Hal Clement, Michael Swanwick, and others, this volume displays the best and brightest of the genre to good advantage. Suitable for most sf or short story collections. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Library Journal