Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2008 Edition (Science Fiction: The Best of ... (Quality)) (Paperback)

~ Rich Horton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Here is a collection of the best science fiction written in 2007, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by Rich Horton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Prime Books (October 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809572508
• ISBN-13: 978-0809572502
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #249,205 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, March 5, 2009

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

A pretty good short introduction to the year in SF by the editor, beginning with talking about mainstream and SF, via Chabon. A Stephen King story was not available for reprint, also one from Stephen 'Illusionist' Millhauser, likewise. At least he has named names, unlike some other editors who will intimate it, but won't name who refused. So that is good.

He then goes through the SF novels of the year, pointing out that the yanks are underrepresented in the good stuff.

"Also, no room for novellas, and liked these "My favorite SF novellas were Memorare by Gene Wolfe; Dead Money and Stars Seen Through Stone by Lucius Shepard; and Womb of Every World by Walter Jon Williams. Other stories I really wished I could have squeezed in here included The Lustration by Bruce Sterling; The Prophet of Flores by Ted Kosmatka; do(this) by Stephen Graham Jones; and Finisterra by David Moles."

Then a quick magazine situation overview, and naming The New Space Opera as the best anthology of the year. No doubt about that one.

Overall, a better overview than some of the short pieces in the Hartwell, Strahan and previous volumes of this have produced.

The fiction here is a 3.67, which to me is low for a science fiction best of the year anthology of the current day, with 5 of the 18 at average or so level.

He has also gone with lead off with the best, in this case, with Egan's brilliant followup to Luminous, Dark Integers.

Overall, a not quite 4.25 book.

SF Best of the Year 2008 : Dark Integers - Greg Egan
SF Best of the Year 2008 : A Plain Tale From Our Hills - Bruce Sterling
SF Best of the Year 2008 : An Eye for an Eye - Charles Coleman Finlay
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Always - Karen Joy Fowler
SF Best of the Year 2008 : An Ocean is a Snowflake Four Billion Miles Away - John Barnes
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Virus Changes Skin - Ekaterina Sedia
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Wikiworld - Paul Di Filippo
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Artifice and Intelligence - Tim Pratt
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Jesus Christ Reanimator - Ken MacLeod
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Night Calls - Robert Reed
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Everyone Bleeds Through - Jack Skillingstead
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Art of War - Nancy Kress
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Three Days of Rain - Holly Phillips
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Brain Raid - Alexander Jablokov
SF Best of the Year 2008 : For Solo Cello Op. 12 - Mary Robinette Kowal
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Perfect Violet - Will McIntosh
SF Best of the Year 2008 : Vectoring - Geoffrey Landis
SF Best of the Year 2008 : The Skysailor's Tale - Michael Swanwick

Mathematical Border Guards detente conflict resolution.

5 out of 5


A bleak, baroque tale of life after the fall of civilisation. One woman still has abnormal technology, biology and longevity.

2.5 out of 5


Hindsight gonad grab caper redux failure.

4 out of 5


Static cult life.

3.5 out of 5


Energetic documentary avalanche accident.

3 out of 5


Color shift vital.

3.5 out of 5


Dickieworld, with groups the Coodabeens could definitely love. Trade cybernetwarstylin'.

4.5 out of 5


Bad ghosts, bad machine, bad game.

4 out of 5


Second coming, blogging, shooting.

3 out of 5


Rocket science interracial relationship revelations.

3.5 out of 5


Lots of us to meet.

3 out of 5


Strange attractor society.

4 out of 5


Duelling decision time.

3.5 out of 5


D-level intelligence problems.

4 out of 5


Baby steps to regain musical ability.

4 out of 5


Memory selection.

3 out of 5


Meningocopy project is infectious.

4 out of 5


I'm not a bloke, but you can kiss me anyway, airship boy.

4 out of 5