Year's Best SF 13 (Year's Best SF (Science Fiction)) [Mass Market Paperback]

David G. Hartwell (Author), Kathryn Cramer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Year's Best SF (Science Fiction) | Publication Date: May 27, 2008

The thirteenth annual collection of the previous year's finest short-form sf is at hand. Once again, award-winning editors and anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have gathered together a stunning array of science fiction that spans a veritable universe of astonishing visions and bold ideas. Hitherto unexplored galaxies of the mind are courageously traversed by some of the most exciting new talents in the field—while well-established masters rocket to remarkable new heights of artistry and originality. The stars are closer and more breathtaking than ever before—and a miraculous future now rests in your hands—within the pages of Year's Best SF 13.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David G. Hartwell is a senior editor of Tor/Forge Books. His doctorate is in Comparative Medieval Literature. He is the proprietor of Dragon Press, publisher and bookseller, which publishes The New York Review of Science Fiction, and the president of David G. Hartwell, Inc. He is the author of Age of Wonders and the editor of many anthologies, including The Dark Descent, The World Treasury of Science Fiction, The Hard SF Renaissance, The Space Opera Renaissance, and a number of Christmas anthologies, among others. Recently he co-edited his fifteenth annual paperback volume of Year's Best SF, and co-edited the ninth Year's Best Fantasy. John Updike, reviewing The World Treasury of Science Fiction in The New Yorker, characterized him as a "loving expert." He is on the board of the IAFA, is co-chairman of the board of the World Fantasy Convention, and an administrator of the Philip K. Dick Award. He has won the Eaton Award, the World Fantasy Award, and has been nominated for the Hugo Award forty times to date, winning as Best Editor in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; 1- edition (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061252093
• ISBN-13: 978-0061252099
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,067,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Anthologies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The good, the bad, and the ugly, December 30, 2008

By 

Roket Pad (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Year's Best SF 13 (Year's Best SF (Science Fiction)) (Mass Market Paperback)

I guess it's a matter of taste. The anthology has a broad variety of sci-fi. Some of it I really liked.

I particularly disliked Memorare by Gene Wolfe, which never seemed to end and had dialog that grated at my bones.

I particularly liked Plotters and Shooters by Kage Baker, which surprised me and made me laugh. I never would have guessed this would interest me.

I don't normally read anothologies, so I can't compare it to anything. Sampling so much stuff reminded me how much I like my favorite authors, though, and warned me from straying from them for too long.

I did feel that the story introductions were annoying. Knowing something about the author and their normal writing is fine. But the short descriptions of the story didn't always match the tone and often ruined the atmosphere that the author would try to set in the next sentence. Why do I need a teaser for something I'm about to read?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good selection..., January 28, 2010

By 

Ryles (Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Year's Best SF 13 (Year's Best SF (Science Fiction)) (Mass Market Paperback)

The collection started slow, with the first few stories actually disappointing me. However, somewhere along, the stories got better and I started liking most of the rest. A few of my favorites include "Memorare" by Gene Wolfe, "End Game" by Nancy Kress (this one was particularly scary), and "The Bridge" by Kathleen Ann Goonan. One especially disturbing story I didn't like for its theme was "Pirates of Somali Coast" - not because it was not well written, but because it's just plain disturbing. All in all, it's a book with a good selection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enough good stories to get by, June 27, 2009

By 

T. Burket "tburket" (Potomac, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Year's Best SF 13 (Year's Best SF (Science Fiction)) (Mass Market Paperback)

The collection was rather disappointing for a "best of" and got off (to me) with a terrible start with the somewhat offensive "Baby Doll", which doesn't even seem to qualify as SF and is very heavy-handed in its message. The start wasn't helped by "Memorae", by Gene Wolfe, in the fourth slot, a story with excellent potential marred by the romantic and anti-romantic interactions of the characters.

"Plotters and Shooters" may be the best, snappy and amusing. Another favorite, "How Music Begins", was a very fresh (to me) take on alien abduction with an unusally dominant role for music for a SF story.

The others range from a few that are pretty good to some with no appeal, leading to an overall average rating. Don't be afraid to skim or abandon some of the stories if they don't engage fairly early.