The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 3

by Jonathan Strahan (Editor)

Overview

The depth and breadth of what science fiction and fantasy fiction is changes with every passing year. The two dozen stories chosen for this book by award-winning anthologist Jonathan Strahan carefully maps this evolution, giving readers a captivating and always-entertaining look at the very best the genre has to offer. Jonathan Strahan has edited more than twenty anthologies and collections, including The Locus Awards, The New Space Opera, The Jack Vance Treasury, and a number of year's best annuals. He has won the Ditmar, William J. Atheling Jr., and Peter McNamara Awards for his work as an anthologist, and is the reviews editor for Locus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597802628
Publisher:	Night Shade Books
Publication date:	03/01/2009
Series:	Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Series , #3
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	478
Sales rank:	378,353
File size:	727 KB

About the Author

Jonathan Strahan has edited more than twenty anthologies and collections, including The Locus Awards (with Charles N. Brown), The New Space Opera (with Gardner Dozois), and The Starry Rift. He has won the Ditmar, William J. Atheling Jr., and Peter McNamara awards for his work as an anthologist and reviewer, and was nominated for a Hugo Award for his editorial work. Strahan is currently the reviews editor for Locus.

Editorial Reviews

Strahan's third annual anthology provides a solid sampler of good fiction. Stories by well-known authors Holly Black, Stephen King and the late Joan Aiken, though strong, are outclassed by masterful and innovative genre tales written by relative newcomers, such as Kij Johnson's “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss,” Meghan McCarron's “The Magician's House” and Ken Scholes's “The Doom of Love in Small Spaces.” Also notable, Paolo Bacigalupi's “The Gambler,” John Kessel's “Pride and Prometheus” and Rachel Swirsky's “Marry the Sun” use traditional storytelling techniques to build powerful, exciting tales. Only Garth Nix's overlong “Beyond the Sea Gates of the Scholar Pirates of Sarsköe” and Margo Lanagan's predictable “Machine Maid” are substandard. Strahan's introduction gives a nice overview of the state of the genre. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

A scientist ruminates on the true source of life in Ted Chiang's eerie "Exhalation," while a new widow receives the only phone call that matters in Stephen King's spookily poignant "The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates." Together with 26 other sf and fantasy stories published in 2008 by authors including Elizabeth Bear, Michael Swanwick, Stephen Baxter, and Joan Aiken, this collection provides a representative sample of the year's broad spectrum of interests and styles. Award-winning anthologist Strahan also summarizes trends in an introductory essay. VERDICT The overall quality and eclecticism recommend this anthology to readers who follow the genre.

Library Journal