austinbeeman's review
5.0
SOME OF THE BEST FROM TOR.COM: 2012 EDITION
RATED 90% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 4.10 OUT OF 5
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Doc Holliday leads a group of women into a spaceship that crashed in the desert. A young girl takes her imaginary friend to school. Werewolves hunt terrorists in a far away land. A pregnant scientist jump in and out of her past and future, but only on Christmas. One painter destroys what she paints. A doctor carves the memory of murder into the killer’s flesh as a design.
There are lots to enjoy in the brief anthology from Tor.com, a superb online magazine. All of the stories in this anthology can be read for free online.
THERE WERE THREE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE GREAT STORIES LIST.
See the whole list here: https://www.shortsf.com/beststories
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien. One of the few stories of Wolfe’s that are not only elegantly profound, but are easily understood on the first read.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
***
SOME OF THE BEST FROM TOR.COM: 2012 EDITION IS RATED 90% POSITIVE.
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe
Great. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien.
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia • novelette by Rachel Swirsky
Good. Fantasy. A painter who destroys the things she paints, while also immortalizing them on canvas, is summoned to paint her abusive mentor on her deathbed.
The Mongolian Wizard • short story by Michael Swanwick
Good. Fast-paced and fun fantasy with wizards, very small soldiers, and werewolf guards. There is a grand meeting of powerful people, but one of them is a spy for the feared (but distant) Mongolian Wizard.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross
Great. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell
Great. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
The Finite Canvas • novelette by Brit Mandelo
Good. A doctor in a clinic in what used be India, in the slums of Earth, is thrust into a situation where she has to creatively scar a Syndicate Assassin has a commemoration for the assassins most recent murder.
Am I Free to Go? • novelette by Kathryn Cramer
Average. Slightly convoluted story about private prisons, police overreach, and the power to strike back using computers.
About Fairies • short story by Pat Murphy
Good. Perhaps fantasy, perhaps not. A woman works at a tech company on a fairy design project while her Father is dying.
Our Human • novelette by Adam-Troy Castro
Average. Four beings with monstrous histories explore a dangerous and primitive planet to attempt to capture an even bigger monster known as the Beast Magrison.
Faster Gun • novelette by Elizabeth Bear
Good. Doc Holliday escorts some women from the future to explore a spaceship that crashed in the desert. Lots of fun.
RATED 90% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 4.10 OUT OF 5
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Doc Holliday leads a group of women into a spaceship that crashed in the desert. A young girl takes her imaginary friend to school. Werewolves hunt terrorists in a far away land. A pregnant scientist jump in and out of her past and future, but only on Christmas. One painter destroys what she paints. A doctor carves the memory of murder into the killer’s flesh as a design.
There are lots to enjoy in the brief anthology from Tor.com, a superb online magazine. All of the stories in this anthology can be read for free online.
THERE WERE THREE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE GREAT STORIES LIST.
See the whole list here: https://www.shortsf.com/beststories
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien. One of the few stories of Wolfe’s that are not only elegantly profound, but are easily understood on the first read.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
***
SOME OF THE BEST FROM TOR.COM: 2012 EDITION IS RATED 90% POSITIVE.
10 STORIES : 3 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
Dormanna • short story by Gene Wolfe
Great. Beautiful SF fairy tale of a young girl who takes to school what she believes is an imaginary friend, but really is an information gathering device for a large alien.
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia • novelette by Rachel Swirsky
Good. Fantasy. A painter who destroys the things she paints, while also immortalizing them on canvas, is summoned to paint her abusive mentor on her deathbed.
The Mongolian Wizard • short story by Michael Swanwick
Good. Fast-paced and fun fantasy with wizards, very small soldiers, and werewolf guards. There is a grand meeting of powerful people, but one of them is a spy for the feared (but distant) Mongolian Wizard.
A Tall Tail • short story by Charles Stross
Great. A very dry, droll, and hilarious story. A conversation in a hotel bar leads to a tall tail about a dangerous rocket fuel concept leaked to the USSR by the CIA in the 1980s to try to get them to destroy themselves.
The Ghosts of Christmas • novelette by Paul Cornell
Great. A woman invents a new technology and experiments with it while pregnant. The device allows time travel into the past and future, but only on the same day each year. And only within your own body of that time. The results are painful, destructive, and addicting.
The Finite Canvas • novelette by Brit Mandelo
Good. A doctor in a clinic in what used be India, in the slums of Earth, is thrust into a situation where she has to creatively scar a Syndicate Assassin has a commemoration for the assassins most recent murder.
Am I Free to Go? • novelette by Kathryn Cramer
Average. Slightly convoluted story about private prisons, police overreach, and the power to strike back using computers.
About Fairies • short story by Pat Murphy
Good. Perhaps fantasy, perhaps not. A woman works at a tech company on a fairy design project while her Father is dying.
Our Human • novelette by Adam-Troy Castro
Average. Four beings with monstrous histories explore a dangerous and primitive planet to attempt to capture an even bigger monster known as the Beast Magrison.
Faster Gun • novelette by Elizabeth Bear
Good. Doc Holliday escorts some women from the future to explore a spaceship that crashed in the desert. Lots of fun.
metaphorosis's review
4.0
This is a stronger collection than the [b:2011 edition|13448605|Some of the Best of Tor.com|Patrick Nielsen Hayden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328116888s/13448605.jpg|18968570], perhaps because it was less self-consciously global - the stories were better, but had a narrower reach. There were no weak stories here. Some were no more than adequate, but a number were quite strong. The anthology came closer than 2011's to fulfilling the goal of a simple collection of good stories.
In particular, I enjoyed:
"Portrait of Lisane de Patagna", by Rachel Swirsky, about a painter, her instructor, and magic. The ending could have been stronger, but the body of the story was well done.
"The Mongolian Wizard", by Michael Swanwick, about a steampunkish alternate Earth of wizards and espionage. I've not been taken with Mr. Swanwick's other work, but I found this very enjoyable. It suffers from giving a strong feeling of excerpt or prologue, but it does stand alone reasonably well.
All in all, a good collection, and worth picking up (it's free).
PS the information about the generic ebook edition is both wrong (pagination) and less full (contents) than the info for the Kindle edition.
In particular, I enjoyed:
"Portrait of Lisane de Patagna", by Rachel Swirsky, about a painter, her instructor, and magic. The ending could have been stronger, but the body of the story was well done.
"The Mongolian Wizard", by Michael Swanwick, about a steampunkish alternate Earth of wizards and espionage. I've not been taken with Mr. Swanwick's other work, but I found this very enjoyable. It suffers from giving a strong feeling of excerpt or prologue, but it does stand alone reasonably well.
All in all, a good collection, and worth picking up (it's free).
PS the information about the generic ebook edition is both wrong (pagination) and less full (contents) than the info for the Kindle edition.
jmartindf's review
4.0
The title gives a decent clue about what this is. Tor.com publishes a new short story every week. The editors collected the best stories from 2012 into this volume.
All of these stories are worth reading. I had a few particular favorites.
* "The Mongolian Wizard" by Michael Swanwick. A young soldier and his wolf stop a plot by a power hungry wizard. Or do they? And what are the consequences of succeeding?
* "A Tall Tail" by Charlie Stross. As you read this story, it helps to have a basic familiarity with chemistry. A tale of the space race and international intrigue that's just plausible enough to make it a true tall tale.
* "The Ghosts of Christmas" by Scott Bakal. A women creates an experimental treatment for schizophrenia and then uses it to affect her own past and her own present—and not always for the better.
* "The Finite Canvas" by Brit Mandelo. A country doctor on an ecologically devastated Earth does a small job for an assassin. As she works, she listens to the assassin's story.
* "About Faeries" by Pat Murphy. A woman mulls over the true nature of faeries, while dealing with her father's Alzheimer's and approaching death.
* "Our Human" by Adam-Troy Castro. How might societies be affected by dealing with aliens who live far longer than they do?
These stories are definitely worth reading. The book itself is free on Kindle, so you have no excuse not to.
All of these stories are worth reading. I had a few particular favorites.
* "The Mongolian Wizard" by Michael Swanwick. A young soldier and his wolf stop a plot by a power hungry wizard. Or do they? And what are the consequences of succeeding?
* "A Tall Tail" by Charlie Stross. As you read this story, it helps to have a basic familiarity with chemistry. A tale of the space race and international intrigue that's just plausible enough to make it a true tall tale.
* "The Ghosts of Christmas" by Scott Bakal. A women creates an experimental treatment for schizophrenia and then uses it to affect her own past and her own present—and not always for the better.
* "The Finite Canvas" by Brit Mandelo. A country doctor on an ecologically devastated Earth does a small job for an assassin. As she works, she listens to the assassin's story.
* "About Faeries" by Pat Murphy. A woman mulls over the true nature of faeries, while dealing with her father's Alzheimer's and approaching death.
* "Our Human" by Adam-Troy Castro. How might societies be affected by dealing with aliens who live far longer than they do?
These stories are definitely worth reading. The book itself is free on Kindle, so you have no excuse not to.
aceir's review
4.0
Not all the stories pulled me in, but I quite enjoyed many of them. This was a great and free way to get introduced to some authors I haven't read yet.
macthekat's review
4.0
I am going to write a little of what I thought about each story. Oh and this is a free e-book, so go grab it!
Dormanna: My note says "such a cute story", lets see if I can say bit more shall we ;) This is a adorable story about a girl befriending a little speck of something. The story is adorable, and by fare the lightest in the collection.
Lortrait of Lisane de Patagnia: Really good gothic story. Full of melloncoly and wishing for a past that never were. Beautiful and dark!
The Mongolian Wizard: A very nice alternative world story - quite enjoable and set in a world I would not mind more of. Great steampunk-ish story!
A Tall Tail: The only story I didn't read, it read too much like non-fiction for my taste.
The Finate Canvas: This was so powerful! Oh my that was beautiful and horrible at the same time but I think I can take that then it is this sort. This was a Sci-fi story but why I was reading it, it hit me, that it might no needed to have been a sci-fi to have worked. I am not quite sure why it is is a sci-fi story. But anyway, it is beautiful!
Am I free to go? Wow that was powerful and though provoking. "Would you rather wake up and find the police or robbers invading your bedroom at the am?"
About Faries Such a touching story about lose and the magical world around us and cats. It is one of the better stories I have read about parents growing old and during and dealing with that.
Our Human
Faster Gun like others I am not quite sure what to think of this story. Its not bad but I am not sure it is good either.
Dormanna: My note says "such a cute story", lets see if I can say bit more shall we ;) This is a adorable story about a girl befriending a little speck of something. The story is adorable, and by fare the lightest in the collection.
Lortrait of Lisane de Patagnia: Really good gothic story. Full of melloncoly and wishing for a past that never were. Beautiful and dark!
The Mongolian Wizard: A very nice alternative world story - quite enjoable and set in a world I would not mind more of. Great steampunk-ish story!
A Tall Tail: The only story I didn't read, it read too much like non-fiction for my taste.
The Finate Canvas: This was so powerful! Oh my that was beautiful and horrible at the same time but I think I can take that then it is this sort. This was a Sci-fi story but why I was reading it, it hit me, that it might no needed to have been a sci-fi to have worked. I am not quite sure why it is is a sci-fi story. But anyway, it is beautiful!
Am I free to go? Wow that was powerful and though provoking. "Would you rather wake up and find the police or robbers invading your bedroom at the am?"
About Faries Such a touching story about lose and the magical world around us and cats. It is one of the better stories I have read about parents growing old and during and dealing with that.
Our Human
Faster Gun like others I am not quite sure what to think of this story. Its not bad but I am not sure it is good either.
elusivity's review
4.0
I enjoyed almost all of the short stories in this collection.
Dormana - Gene Wolfe. 4 STARS. So simple, so sweet.
Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia - Rachel Swirsky. 3.5 STARS. In an alternate Renaissance Italy, art is combination of paint and magic. To paint something with magic is to destroy it. Lisane was famous for her painting and bed-hopping, as she taught and slept with most of her pupils then discarded them when they proved mediocre. The magic itself is interesting, but this is mostly a vivid analogy of what it takes to get over an intensely painful love.
The Mongolian Wizard - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Very enjoyable alternative fin-de-siecle world in which the aristocracy were all wizards. War is looming on the horizon, yet
A Tall Tail - Charles Stross. Found this one boring.
The Ghosts of Christmas - Paul Cornell. 3.5 STARS
The Finite Canvas - Brit Mandelo. 3 STARS Straight-forward story. A syndicate killer woman requests scar flowers be carved into her arm, to commemorate the death of her lover, whom she killed.
Am I Free to Go? - Kathryn Cramer. 4 STARS. A neuro-atypical mind hides in plain sight, fighting attempts to make her neurotypical.
About Fairies - Pat Murphy. 4 STARS. Almost no magic in this one. Fairy myth and lore, speculation, musing interweaves normal life. A woman finds a mirror in the woods and imagines it is gateway to fairyland.
Our Human - Adam-Troy Castro. 4 STARS. As always with this writer, amazingly conceived, truly inhuman aliens. As well, sordid sexuality, and horrific ways to die. Entertaining read.
Faster Gun - Elizabeth Bear. 3 STARS
Dormana - Gene Wolfe. 4 STARS. So simple, so sweet.
Spoiler
A tiny little alien visits a little human girl for one day, on its journey of knowledge gathering.Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia - Rachel Swirsky. 3.5 STARS. In an alternate Renaissance Italy, art is combination of paint and magic. To paint something with magic is to destroy it. Lisane was famous for her painting and bed-hopping, as she taught and slept with most of her pupils then discarded them when they proved mediocre.
Spoiler
As she lay dying, she calls upon her most magically-talented (but not so artistically) to paint her.The Mongolian Wizard - Michael Swanwick. 4 STARS. Very enjoyable alternative fin-de-siecle world in which the aristocracy were all wizards. War is looming on the horizon, yet
A Tall Tail - Charles Stross. Found this one boring.
The Ghosts of Christmas - Paul Cornell. 3.5 STARS
Spoiler
Pregnant scientist invents time travel -- can only travel into one's own past and future, and only for one day of the years. As she traveled into the past, the past changed, and as the adult woman peeked through the child's eye she was a spooky child to her parents, which explained why their relationship was always tense. Then she went forward into the future, and... maybe... ruined her relationship with her daughter...The Finite Canvas - Brit Mandelo. 3 STARS Straight-forward story. A syndicate killer woman requests scar flowers be carved into her arm, to commemorate the death of her lover, whom she killed.
Am I Free to Go? - Kathryn Cramer. 4 STARS. A neuro-atypical mind hides in plain sight, fighting attempts to make her neurotypical.
About Fairies - Pat Murphy. 4 STARS. Almost no magic in this one. Fairy myth and lore, speculation, musing interweaves normal life. A woman finds a mirror in the woods and imagines it is gateway to fairyland.
Our Human - Adam-Troy Castro. 4 STARS. As always with this writer, amazingly conceived, truly inhuman aliens. As well, sordid sexuality, and horrific ways to die. Entertaining read.
Faster Gun - Elizabeth Bear. 3 STARS
Spoiler
Doc Holiday of Tombstone -- coughing blood but still the fastest draw in the West -- leads a bunch of time-travelling magical government agents to explore an alien spaceship wreck in 1881, and found an actual alien. The ending seem to hint that this episode would turn into some kind of a special event that many such agents to visit and revisit again and again and again...grognard's review
2.0
Wolfe and Swanwick almost rescues this collection from total embarrassment. A boring, but thankfully, free read.
sgtbigg's review
4.0
Short SF stories taken from Tor's website in 2012. The title says it all, these are some of the best and I don't tghink there was a bad one in the bunch. Best of all the e-book is free.
will_sargent's review
4.0
Holy crap, Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia is amazing. And I loved some of the other stories "Our Human" among them. I was a bit surprised how weak the Gene Wolfe was though, and the Charles Stross I just found vaguely clever and mostly lazy.
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