Unplugged: The Web's Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 2008 [Paperback]

Rich Horton (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2009

With the Craigslist of the future, apply for a job on Mars. In the maps of the past, learn the secrets of using dessicated penguin feet as an explorer of the Antarctic. These are just two of the voyages you will take in these pages, just a pair of the places you have been online. Featuring stories by legends such as Peter S. Beagle and Nancy Kress, speculative fiction stars Cory Doctorow and Catherynne M. Valente, newcomers Merrie Haskell and Beth Bernobich, plus many more, Unplugged surfs the Web so you don't have to.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A short but superlative substantiation of the quality of speculative fiction being published on the Internet, this exceptional anthology of the best science fiction and fantasy put online in 2008 includes gems by genre luminaries as well as rising stars like Tina Connolly and Beth Bernobich. Peter S. Beagle's fairy tale–like The Tale of Junko and Sayuri explores the love of a huntsman for a beautiful shape-shifter in feudal Japan. First Rites by Nancy Kress is a poignant examination of a genetically modified boy's connection with a cosmic consciousness. Cory Doctorow's The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away follows a monk/computer geek as he leaves his cubicle after 16 years in seclusion. After reading this 14-story compilation, online publishing naysayers may rethink their position. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

Unplugged aims to showcase the online fiction often neglected in standard best-of-the-year anthologies, and a rousing success it is, containing, among other things, Merrie Haskell’s genuinely delightful tale about a girl-prince who, over her parents’ objections, undertakes a risky journey to rescue a princess held in a tower that has brought to ruin many princes before her; she rescues quite a few people. Also prime delightful is the eerie “The Things That Make Us Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away,” one of Cory Doctorow’s more unnerving forays into the short story. The selections come from a truly excellent assortment of venues, including Tor.com, Lone Star Stories, Baen’s Universe, and Farrago’s Wainscot. They constitute a shining example of the good general anthology. Clearly, selecting only online stories imposed no limit on scope, variety, and high quality. --Regina Schroeder

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wyrm Publishing (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890464112
• ISBN-13: 978-1890464110
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,834,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Merrie Haskell was born Michigan, but grew up in North Carolina. She returned to her home state in 1993 to attend the University of Michigan. She now lives in Saline, Michigan, with her husband and stepdaughter. She works in a library with over 7 million books, and finds this to be just about the right number.

Merrie's short fiction has appeared in NATURE, ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE, and UNPLUGGED: THE YEAR'S BEST ONLINE FICTION 2008. THE PRINCESS CURSE is her first novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A showcase collection of short stories, January 14, 2011

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Wendy S. Delmater - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unplugged: The Web's Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 2008 (Paperback)

There's a overabundance of fiction published on the internet, and the quality is uneven. How can you get to the good stuff? You simply cannot read all the short fiction put out there on any given year, so this collection puts the best of the best of all 2008 in one convenient place for easy access.

I'd heard great things about many of these stories, such as Cory Doctorow's "The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away" (Wow, btw!) - but had not read them until I got this book. And it's so nice to have a paper copy of a personal favorite, Mercurio D. Rivera's "Snatch Me Another," a story about being able to steal from alternate universes and how that causes a breakdown in society. There's not a piece of deadwood in the bunch, and if you're a fan of short fiction this is a must-add to your collection.