The Best of Jim Baen's Universe [With CDROM]

The Best of Jim Baen's Universe (2007) is a collection of SF and Fantasy short stories from the online magazine. It contains sixteen SF stories and nine Fantasy stories as well as four articles and an Afterword. Science Fiction Stories: Dog Soldier by Garth Nix tells of the introduction of artificial DOG units into the military. The Girl With the Killer Eyes by B. B. Kristopher is about the first day of a rookie in the Atlanta office of the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Investigation. Bow Shock by Gregory Benford relates the discoveries of an astronomer analyzing a spatial anomaly. Decaf and Spaceship, To Go by Katherine Sanger depicts a strange day at the local coffee drivethru. All the Things You Are by Mike Resnick explains why some heroes face almost certain death. A Time to Kill by S. Andrew Swann depicts the trials of a sniper with a time machine. Local Boy Makes Good by Ray Tabler provides a solution to the problem of an overpowering enemy. The Old Woman in the Young Woman by Gene Wolfe shows one way of achieving long life. Candy-Blossom by David Freer tells of an unusual way of powering a spaceship. What Would Sam Spade Do? by Jo Walton relates the story of the murder of a Jesus clone. Giving It Fourteen Percent by A. S. Fox is an Irish tale at superluminal velocities. Every Hole Is Outlined by John Barnes is about ghosts in an STL interstellar freighter. Fishing by Thea Hutcheson relates the problems of an interdimensional fisher with survival troubles. Bob's Yeti Problem by Lawrence Person conveys the woes of a man who has Yetis dropping in, but not surviving the fall. Brieanna's Constant by Eric Witchey depicts the problems of a researcher trying to eliminate a glitch in his calculations despite her lack of cooperation. The Darkness by David Drake shows the effects of combat on a junior officer. Fantasy Stories: The Cold Blacksmith by Elizabeth Bear tells the story of a blacksmith who mends a broken heart. The Nature of Things by Maya Kaathryn Bohnoff teaches an Assistant District Attorney something new about household Things. Sisters of Sarronnym; Sisters of Westwind by L. E. Modesitt, Jr., expands upon the story of Creslin and Megaera in Recluce. The Opposite of Pomegranates by Marissa Lingen relates the experiences of a second generation changeling who slips out of underhill. As Black As Hell by John Lambshead recounts the trials of a British Army special operations unit that impresses a vampire into the service. Benny Comes Home by Esther Friesner tells of a Jewish family that encounters a vampire. Femme Fatale by Jason Wittman is about a protection scheme that runs into a weather witch. A Hire Power by J. Simon depicts the dangers of checking the Inhuman Resources mail. Poga by John Barnes relates the romantic troubles of the daughter of a famous author. Articles: The Legacy of Jim Baen by Eric Flint is an appreciation of the works of Jim Baen. Why Die? by Jim Baen is about the genetic imp

I've been reading SF for about 64 years. Cut my teeth on the best, Campbell, Asimov, Heinlein, E.E.(Doc)Smith, Van Voght, McNealey. Never much cared for Fantasy. But, if the material in this book represents modern fantasy, then WOW! What have I been missing? This is a tremendously good book overall, and a tribute to Jim Baen. But the Big Surprise to me is that the fantasy stories are even better than the SF. Since I'm a retired engineer, let me be semi-quantitative. As I went along I rated each story on a 6 point scale (0 to 5) according to how much I liked it. Average point score for the SF was 2.25 with two 0's and one 5. Average point score for the Fantasy was 3.44 with the lowest 2 and one 5. That's good writing in my book. As usual with such categories some of the Fantasy could almost be SF and vice versa. Whatever your major interest, it's hard for me to imagine anyone being disappointed with this book. And now there is a paperback available. But I'm glad I bought the hardcover - I want to keep it forever.

Eric Flint, himself a best selling science fiction author from Baen's stable has compiled a wonderful tribute to Jim Baen. I thoroughly enjoyed this eclectic collection of most diverse stories. They range from the hardest science based science fiction to the traditional fantasy to the wildest dream stuff. Not to mention the occasional foray into main stream fiction, with subtle, (okay, not so subtle) twists. Heartily recommended!

Flint assembled this tribute to Jim Baen, shortly after Baen died. Most of the stories are worth reading. But who has been omitted is also revealing. Specifically Steven Stirling. Whose Draka series was published by Baen, and who probably is at least as prominent as any of the contributors to this book. But Baen and Stirling had a falling out. So nothing from Stirling here. Pity. :( Of the book's fiction stories, the driest has to be by Benford. But it does accurately convey the flavour of current scientific research in a university environment. In real life, Benford is a plasma physicist at UC Irvine. In his story, the protagonist is an astronomer at that campus, on tenure track and coming up for tenure review. The sociology of the pressure on a researcher is spot on. The high pressure gerbil treadmill to continually publish papers and to bring in external funding. It also shows that no one goes into astronomy for the money. There is a continual allure of jobs in finance, that are far better paying. Benford's story also is the most technical, in terms of actual scientific ideas and jargon. Not an easy read, to be sure.