The Year's Best Science Fiction : Tenth Annual Collection [Paperback]

Gardner R. Dozois (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Year's Best Science Fiction | Publication Date: July 1993

Collecting twenty-eight of the best short stories and novellas from science fiction veterans and new talents, including Frederick Pohl and Robert Silverberg, this anthology also includes a summary of the year in SF and a recommended reading list.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although Dozois ( Geodesic Dreams ) has assembled a collection of 24 very good stories and enhances it with a useful list of runner-up titles, one suspects these tales betray Dozois's idiosyncratic taste more than they represent "the year's best." Consider Ian R. MacLeod's alternative speculation on the Beatles. "Never quite made it to the very top," says one woman in this story, which finds an unemployed, 50-year-old John Lennon smoking, drinking and picking the fluff off his feet, while Paul, George, Ringo and Stuart Sutcliffe--who never did make it to the top--are still plugging along. It may be entertaining to Beatles fans, but not much more than that. Frederick Pohl describes how "vid" superstar Rafiel Gutmaker-Fensterborn, a mortal in a largely immortal society, give his final performance (in a tap-dance version of Oedipus Rex ) and finally evades oblivion the old-fashioned way: parenthood. Nancy Kress gives a grim picture of the near future in which gene scans for potential disease can be used to deny people employment and health insurance and doctors who dare treat the uninsurables can endanger their own lucrative careers and risk becoming professional outcasts.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

As the number of entries dwindles (28 last time, 24 this), the average length increases; here, take out the two novellas previously published as independent hardcovers (Michael Swanwick's Griffin's Egg and Frederik Pohl's Outnumbering the Dead) and the short-story version of Arthur C. Clarke's latest novel, The Hammer of Gold (p. 492), and 1992's Best SF begins to look decidedly hyperbolic. Still, veteran Kate Wilhelm's sharp, affecting tale of a lonely man helping a mutant child evade capture by predatory government agents is a standout. Again, Connie Willis not only writes a story about menstruation but succeeds in making it funny. Similarly amusing is Terry Bisson's foray into art and time travel. On the other side of the coin, Ian R. MacLeod weighs in with a creepy, unpleasantly fascinating future coming-of-age yarn; Joe Haldeman encounters some horrible Vietnam corpses; Nancy Kress portrays a grim future US with genetic screening and without medical insurance. And Tom Maddox writes tellingly of how real science is done or, rather, distorted by scientists. Also on the agenda, with less variety than usual: alternate worlds, time travel, computer personalities, art history and ecology, a spiritual crisis, labor camps, future grunge, artificial intelligence, literary figures, celebrities, names, and technology. Finally, a disappointing entry in a hitherto superlative series. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 10 edition (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312094248
• ISBN-13: 978-0312094249
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,526,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, July 31, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Year's Best Science Fiction: Tenth Annual Collection (Hardcover)

A story average of 3.5 is not that amazing for something like this, but no doubt that overall it is a good collection. Dozois's Yearly Summation of 30-40 pages is worth bonus points, though, as as rating the whole book goes.


Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Griffin's Egg - Michael Swanwick
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Even the Queen - Connie Willis
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Round-Eyed Barbarians - L. Sprague de Camp
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Dust - Greg Egan
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Two Guys from the Future - Terry Bisson
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Mountain to Mohammed - Nancy Kress
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Coming of Vertumnus - Ian Watson
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : A Long Night's Vigil at the Temple - Robert Silverberg
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Hammer of God - Arthur C. Clarke
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Grownups - Ian R. MacLeod
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Graves - Joe Haldeman
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Glowing Cloud - Steven Utley
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Gravity's Angel - Tom Maddox
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Protection - Maureen F. McHugh
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Last Cardinal Bird in Tennessee - Neal Barrett Jr.
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Birth Day - Robert Reed
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Naming Names - Pat Cadigan
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Elvis National Theater of Okinawa - Jonathan Lethem and Lukas Jaeger
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Territory - Bradley Denton
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : The Best and the Rest of James Joyce - Ian McDonald
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Naming the Flowers - Kate Wilhelm
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Snodgrass - Ian R. MacLeod
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : By the Mirror of My Youth - Kathe Koja
Year's Best Science Fiction 10 : Outnumbering the Dead - Frederik Pohl


Terran nuclear nightmare, moon mental mimetic mayhem amidst crisis predicted canoodling.

3.5 out of 5


The bleeding right to live how you like, mate.

4 out of 5


Woman goes for the big guns.

3 out of 5


A man is running an experiment in the ability to change times and geography for a simulated personality to see if it will cohere. At least that is what he thinks.

5 out of 5


Art nicker from next era is pleased with removal of knickers, so is ex-wearer of same.

4 out of 5


Emergency medicine restrictions.

3.5 out of 5


Vegie porn art magic investigation.

3.5 out of 5


Alien execution archaeology.

3.5 out of 5


Big space rock boom us without imparting a beating boof.

3.5 out of 5


Avuncular man baby.

3.5 out of 5


Creepy crawly chopped corpse dreams.

3 out of 5


Time travel chase needs fast result to avoid lava laving.

3.5 out of 5


Collision experiment singularity.

4 out of 5


Concentration camp changes.

4.5 out of 5


Captive creatures.

2 out of 5


Mysterious AI occasionally generous.

4 out of 5


Powers need care.

3.5 out of 5


Cross-cultural showbiz.

2.5 out of 5


Dream motivation, as Twain meet in war.

3 out of 5


Muso author dreaming.

3 out of 5


Fast growing kidnap.

3 out of 5


Lennon's just a bloke.

3.5 out of 5


Try the newer model.

4 out of 5


Famous actor guy unluckily gotta die through space will fly.

3.5 out of 5

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the field, January 26, 2003

By 

Glen Engel Cox (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Year's Best Science Fiction: Tenth Annual Collection (Hardcover)

I read this collection over the space of four years, picking it up off and on. It was from no fault of the collection's, just my weird reading habits. In retrospect, it was probably Utley's story that had me stymied for so long. As normal, I disagree with Dozois' choices about 25%, 50% I could take or leave, and think the remaining 25% golden. This anthology series is one, however, that I would hate to do without, even given those odds.

* Greg Egan, "Dust" -- The thing I like about Egan is that he writes science fiction similar to the kind I try to write--philosophical yet grounded in reality. It's not hard SF, yet it's not so wacko or adventure-based that it loses its message. This story is a nice mixture of the introspection of AI and cloning, the nature of self and reality.
* Terry Bisson, "Two Guys from the Future" -- Bisson's always good for these light, but excellently done, clever stories. In this one he plays fast and loose with time travel and art.
* Nancy Kress, "The Mountain to Mohammed" -- Kress continues her raid on the politics and issues of our time, this one taking a long view on the escalation of malpractice insurance and existing medical conditions. Her future is bleak, but there's a neat and clever ray of hope.
* Ian Watson, "The Coming of Vertummus" -- Wow! What a ride. Watson here pulls out all the stops, doing a tiny version of what Robert Anton Wilson has made his life work: the very question of is history true, can it be trusted. But he goes beyond that and also delves into the question of trusting the mind after drugs. The ending is the only weak spot, petering out a bit to show the character's state, but all in all, great fun.
* Robert Silverberg, "A Long Night's Vigil at the Temple" -- I don't care for the majority of Silverberg stories--they seem to go on forever with very little interesting things happening. This one is like a deep dive into the mind of a priest, the concept had promise, but the execution was boring.
* Arthur C. Clarke, "The Hammer of God" -- I don't read that much hard SF--I never read much of it in the past either--but Clarke has always had a way of bringing me into a good nuts and bolt story, and it's nice to see that he hasn't lost his touch. Basically a study of a possible asteroid collision with the Earth, but also some nice jabs at politics and religion.
* Ian R. McLeod, "Grownups" -- Kind of unsettling, in the "Bloodchild" soft of way, but not as ultimately affecting because it had no tie to our experience--some kind of connection to our sexual lives, not necessarily an explanation, but inferences beyond the obvious.
* Joe Haldeman, "Graves" -- Seems like I've read this one before, possibly in Datlow's Annual? In any case, not bad, but nothing to give an award to either. Decent use of personal knowledge and experience with a supernatural slant.
* Steven Utley, "The Glowing Cloud" -- This was way long for the subject, which seemed to me to be old hat anyway--that is, the ethics of changing the past. Didn't care for it at all.
* Tom Maddox, "Gravity's Angel" -- Dated now that the collider was killed in Congress, but you don't have to let that affect what is basically a study in the attitudes of scientists rather than the usual focus in science fiction on the science itself. A little long for the subject, but well done.
* Maureen F. McHugh, "Protection" -- I really liked this story--great setup, great characters, great idea. But it lacked one thing: a great ending. Still, this could be the basis for a great novel, which is likely the point here.
* Neal Barrett, Jr., "The Last Cardinal Bird in Tennessee" -- Interesting structure--it's told as a script to a play--but the subject is a little worn (future world in which everything's just gone downhill). As a deviant block off of Tennessee Williams, it's amusing, but I wouldn't care for another go.
* Robert Reed, "Birth Day" -- Simple little "AIs take over the world" story, but done with wit and feeling. Reed has a good touch, almost similar to James Morrow on a good day. Enjoyed this one.
* Pat Cadigan, "Naming Names" -- A gem from Cadigan, and I'd say that even if I wasn't biased. This one runs from the old premise that everyone has a secret name that gives you power over them, and turns some interesting corners.
* Jonathan Lethem and Lukas Jaeger, "The Elvis National Theater of Okinawa" -- Short, simple, culturally on-line and hip. Didn't care for it much but I don't do hip so well anymore.
* Bradley Denton, "The Territory" -- Tried to like this, an alternate history of the civil war with Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) as the main character, but I don't care for the time period, and Denton didn't provide enough oomph this time to carry me. Dozed off several times when reading this.
* Ian McDonald, "The Best and the Rest of James Joyce" -- Several alternate histories featuring the old dubliner himself. Interesting, but I'm sure that I missed a lot of the cleverness by not being a Joyce-a-phile.
* Kate Wilhelm, "Naming the Flowers" -- A strong story from Wilhelm about a strange child and a man with a desire to be more than just a success. I've never read Wilhelm's novels, but I rarely dislike her short stories, and this one is one of the best. Poignant and rewarding.
* Ian R. MacLeod, "Snodgrass" -- This time an alternate history story in which Stu Sutcliffe replaces John Lennon in the Beatles. 1992 was a year for alternate history stories, I guess. I liked this one a lot; MacLeod, I think, took a chance on his portrayal of the down-and-out Lennon, and I sense it was a good one.
* Kathe Koja, "By the Mirror of My Youth" -- A twisty story by Koja. I would have liked it, I think, except that she spent way too much time being stylistic rather than just getting on with the story.
* Frederick Pohl, "Outnumbering the Dead" -- Great story from the grandmaster. In this tale of a mortal among immortals, Pohl doesn't necessarily make a point, but carefully shows us the humanity of one brave individual.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Survey of the Field!, July 20, 2001

By 

D. W. Klyve "math prof" (Kenosha, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Year's Best Science Fiction : Tenth Annual Collection (Paperback)

Dozois is, and has long been, one of the best editors and anthologizers in all of SF. The anthology ranges over the many different sub-genres of Science Fiction, and I therefore cannot say I enjoyed all of his stories; nevertheless, all were well-written, and some of the stories were among the best I've ever read. I strongly recommend this and any other of Dozois' "Year's Best..." series.