The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection

I really enjoyed reading this anthology. A couple of my favorite stories were "Finisterra" and "Of Love and Other Monsters" One thing i enjoy about anthologies is that it is easy to skip around in order to keep yourself interested. I must admit that i skipped a story here and there to more entertaining ones, but i went back to see what i missed. I was not disappointed. If you like to read scifi, check this out.

I'll keep it short, as there are other lengthy and informative reviews here. I don't read a ton of sci-fi novels. I do love sci-fi short stories, and this series is the place to go for that. This collection runs the gamut from more literary to more purely entertaining works. I never got the urge to skip a story, each held my interest. At least half the stories in the book were memorable and drove me to seek out other works by their authors, but even the other half were worth reading. Some reviewers suggest that Dozois has a taste for depressing, "downer" works. I suspect these reviewers are perhaps not used to reading serious literature. Dozois clearly prefers more weighty, artful, and serious work, and tends to minimize the inclusion of more breezy, "entertaining" stories. If you are looking for the written equivalent of a Star Trek episode, you won't find too much of that here. Rather, most of these authors aim higher, aspiring to, and much of the time attaining, the status of art.

As always, Mr. Dozois keeps the excellent level of his choices for best SF shorts of the year.A fat volume, not a word wasted.

If you buy only one SF book this year, that should be that one. Gardner Dozois selects a wide range of stories among all those published in magazines and anthologies. there's something for everybody here. Enjoy Greg Egan's return to writing with "Glory" and "Steve Fever", one of the most powerful stories of the year, Hugo winner "Tideline" by new star Elisabeth Bear, Hugo and nebula winner "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by the too rare Ted Chiang, along with confirmed big names (Reed, Sterling, Baker, Kress, Baker, Benford, baxter, Reynolds) and exciting newcomers: Roberson (his story set in an alternate China is a pure delight), Stanchfield, McCormack, Singh. Space Operas, Alternate Histories, Techno-thrillers, Philosophical Tales, Social Changes, the whole range of SF is here.

Sure is a pity that such anthologies no longer put the year on the cover. This used to be common till the 80s and then died out. Probably because editors worried that the year would make the book seem quickly outdated, because a year really can go by quickly. Anyhow, Dozois has completed his usual annual massive compendium of worthy stories. Worthy in his opinion, true. But all such collections have a natural subjectivity. As usual, Dozois has a lengthy preface, where he summarises the passing year in science fiction, as well as fantasy and [slightly] horror. If you are a SF fan, seriously consider reading his introduction, even if you peruse nothing else in the book. Dozois found a gap in what is available in the field. Think of it as a State of the Union message, if you will. It's a valuable service he performs for his field, and no one else does this to the same extent. He covers novels, magazines and websites. As well as scuttlebutt about the various publishers, and a listing of those noteworthies who died during the year. This year, we lost Clarke and Saberhagen. As far as the stories go, Australian recluse Greg Egan stands out for having 2 entries. One of which shows his deep understanding of advanced physics. He gives a very original and plausible account of 2 explorers from starfaring civilisation replicating themselves to investigate a newly technological world, whose dominant species is still planetbound. Sure, at some level it is indeed fictional handwaving. But his scientific verisimilitude is far better than your average SF story. I would compare Egan to Vinge in this regard.