The Year's Best Science Fiction, Volume 2: The Saga Anthology of Science Fiction 2021

The Year's Best Science Fiction, Volume 2: The Saga Anthology of Science Fiction 2021

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  • Create Date:2021-10-03 08:51:34
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Jonathan Strahan
  • ISBN:1534449620
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Summary

Multi-award-winning editor and Locus Magazine critic Jonathan Strahan presents the second definitive collection of best short science fiction。 With short works from some of the most lauded science fiction authors, as well as rising stars, this science fiction collection displays the top talent and cutting-edge cultural moments that affect our lives, dreams, and stories。 These brilliant authors examine the way we live now, our hopes, and struggles, all through the lens of the future。 An assemblage of future classics, this star-studded anthology is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the vast and exciting world of science fiction。
Contents:
* Selection and “Introduction • essay by Jonathan Strahan
* The Bahrain Underground Bazaar / by Nadia Afifi (Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 11/12/20)
* If You Take My Meaning / by Charlie Jane Anders (Originally published in Tor。com, 2/12/20)
* It Came From Cruden Farm / by Max Barry (Originally published in Slate Future Tense, 2/29/20)
* The Final Performance of the Amazing Ralphie / by Pat Cadigan (Originally published in Avatars Inc)
* An Important Failure / by Rebecca Campbell (Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, 8/20)
* Schrödinger’s Catastrophe / by Gene Doucette (Originally published in Lightspeed Magazine, 11/20)
* Midstrathe Exploding / by Andy Dudak (Originally published in Analog: Science Fiction and Fact, 3-4/20)
* The Pill / by Meg Elison (Originally published in Big Girl Plus… [PM Press])
* GO。 NOW。 FIX。 / by Timons Esaias (Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, 1-2/20)
* Drones to Ploughshares / by Sarah Gailey (Originally published in Motherboard Vice, 4/02/20)
* The Transition of OSOOSI / by Ozzie M。 Gartrell (Originally published in Fiyah Lit Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction Issue #13)
* Burn or The Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super / by A。T。 Greenblatt (Originally published in Uncanny Magazine, 5-6/20)
* How Quini the Squid Misplaced His Klobucar / by Rich Larson (Originally published in Tor。com, 1/15/20)
* The Mermaid Astronaut / by Yoon Ha Lee (Originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies 298)
* 50 Things Every AI Working with Humans Should Know / by Ken Liu (Originally published in Uncanny Magazine, 11-12/20)
* Beyond These Stars Other Tribulations of Love / by Usman T。 Malik (Originally published in Wired, 12/11/20)
* Yellow and the Perception of Reality / by Maureen McHugh (Originally published in Tor。com, 7/22/20)
* A Mastery of German / by Marian Denise Moore (Originally published in Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora)
* Father / by Ray Nayler (Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, 7-8/20)
* How to Pay Reparations: a Documentary / by Tochi Onyebuchi (Originally published in Slate Future Tense, 8/29/20)
* Don’t Mind Me / by Suzanne Palmer (Originally published in Entanglements: Tomorrow’s Lovers, Families, and Friends [MIT Press])
* A Guide for Working Breeds / by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Originally published in Made to Order: Robots and Revolution)
* Polished Performance / by Alastair Reynolds (Originally published in Made to Order: Robots and Revolution)
* The Suicide of Our Troubles / by Karl Schroeder (Originally published in Slate Future Tense, 11/28/20)
* Airbody / by Sameem Siddiqui (Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, 4/20)
* Sparklybits / by Nick Wolven (Originally published in Entanglements: Tomorrow’s Lovers, Families, and Friends [MIT Press])
* The Search for [Flight X] / by Neon Yang (Originally published in Avatars Inc。)

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Reviews

Lauren loves llamas

I adore short story collections, and I was particularly impressed by last year’s anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan。 It follows the same format as last year, with the editor’s introduction including other recommended reading as well as general comments on the state of the publishing industry in 2020。 And then we get into the real meat of it: 27 short stories that are, arguably, the best of the year。 While some stories missed the mark a bit for me, they were all well-written and interesting。“we I adore short story collections, and I was particularly impressed by last year’s anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan。 It follows the same format as last year, with the editor’s introduction including other recommended reading as well as general comments on the state of the publishing industry in 2020。 And then we get into the real meat of it: 27 short stories that are, arguably, the best of the year。 While some stories missed the mark a bit for me, they were all well-written and interesting。“well they’re all good dogseven the naughty ones” The collection starts out with the absolutely amazing “A Guide for Working Breeds” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad。 Can you die of cute? This is a story told mainly through chat transcripts between a robot mentor and its new mentee, and features so many dogs。 Adorable, original and uplifting, this is one of my favorites in the collection。 Also hitting high on the adorable scale is Timons Esaias’s “GO。 NOW。 FIX。” which stars a robotic pillow in the shape of a panda and a plane crash (just trust me on this one)。 And if you’re looking more for satire, “It Came From Cruden Farm” by Max Barry, about a newly inaugurated president who discovers that aliens exist, had me in stitches。“I feel like I’m watching the Ten Commandments being written here, and unless I say something, a burning bush is going to be gendered for the next two thousand years。” For more classic scifi, Yoon Ha Lee’s “The Mermaid Astronaut” is a gorgeously evocative retelling of The Little Mermaid。 I’m still not sure how he fit so much emotion in to so few pages。 I also adored the scifi romp of Gene Doucette’s “Schrödinger’s Catastrophe。” It had all the feels of some of my favorite TNG episodes, plus some hilarious absurdity mixed in with a tightly-paced action story。 “Burn or The Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super” by A。T。 Greenblatt is about Sam, who’s recently discovered he has the completely useless superpower of setting his head on fire。 In a society where most Supers go live out their days in seclusion, Sam instead decides to join the local Super team and help people… only it’s not exactly what he thought it would be like。 This is a lovely story about accepting yourself。“She frowned at the ham on the counter。 “Are you behind this?”“Why are you talking to a ham?” asked Donna。 “That’s just weird。” Of course, where would we be without a lot of whizzbang scifi goodness, from the titular weight loss treatment in Meg Elison’s horrifying “The Pill,” to the devices in “Don’t Mind Me” by Suzanne Palmer which make kids incapable of remembering certain things they hear, like swear words and that pesky climate change, to how cryptocurrency and AR can fix pollution in “The Suicide of Our Troubles” by Karl Schroeder, to AirBnb for bodies in Sameem Siddiqui’s “Airbody。”“I’ve never done so much math in my whole entire life。” And then there’s the ones that truly made me think。 I’d previously read Marian Denise Moore’s “A Mastery of German” and found its exploration of ethics and racial memory just as fascinating as the first time。 But the winner of the most thought-provoking goes to “How to Pay Reparations: a Documentary” by Tochi Onyebuchi。 I’m still chewing over that one。Overall, another excellent collection, and after two stellar anthologies, I’ll definitely be putting future editions on my autobuy list。I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。content notes: (view spoiler)[death (illness, violence), climate change, fatmisia, disordered eating, suicidal ideation, suicide, arson, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, body horror, racism (hide spoiler)] 。。。more

Anneke

Book Review: The Year’s Best Science Fiction Vol。 2: The Saga Anthology of Science Fiction 2021Author: Edited by Jonathan StrahanPublisher: Gallery Press/Saga BooksPublication Date: November 4, 2021Review Date: October 1, 2021I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blurb:“The most celebrated science fiction short story editor of our time, multi-award-winning editor and Locus Magazine critic Jonathan Strahan presents the definitive collection o Book Review: The Year’s Best Science Fiction Vol。 2: The Saga Anthology of Science Fiction 2021Author: Edited by Jonathan StrahanPublisher: Gallery Press/Saga BooksPublication Date: November 4, 2021Review Date: October 1, 2021I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blurb:“The most celebrated science fiction short story editor of our time, multi-award-winning editor and Locus Magazine critic Jonathan Strahan presents the definitive collection of best short science fiction of 2020。With short works from some of the most lauded science fiction authors, as well as rising stars, this science fiction collection displays the top talent and cutting-edge cultural moments that affect our lives, dreams, and stories。 These brilliant authors examine the way we live now, our hopes, and struggles, all through the lens of the future。An assemblage of future classics, this star-studded anthology is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the vast and exciting world of science fiction。”———The blurb says it all。 Not hyperbole at all: this is packed with the most amazing, creative, cutting edge stories by all our best speculative fiction writers。 It IS a MUST-READ for those of us that love science fiction, and if you haven’t touched your toe in, this a fantastic place to start。 Every story is a gem。 It is quite long, over 600 pages, which is a selling point for many of us。 And Jonathan Strahan is one of the very best editors of these sci fi anthologies。 Highly, highly recommended。 Such first class writing, such outside-the-box ideas。 This book is a golden treasure。Thank you to Saga for giving me access to this incredible book。 Best of luck to all the very talented authors in the anthology。This review will be posted on NetGalley and Goodreads/#netgalley #theyearsbestsciencefictionvol2 #sagapress #speculativefiction #jonathanstrahan 。。。more

Peter Tillman

Table of Contents:https://www。tor。com/2021/02/08/reveal。。。 Table of Contents:https://www。tor。com/2021/02/08/reveal。。。 。。。more