A review by oleksandr
The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One by Neil Clarke
4.0
This is an anthology of short SF works (from short stories to novellas) collected by x, who is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Clarkesworld a monthly science fiction and fantasy magazine first published in October 2006 and currently one of the major SFF publications, with quite a few of SFF works, which ended up in nominee lists of Hugo, Nebula, Locus and other SFF awards. This is his first annual collection of SF stories. A few of them ended up in awards’ lists or even won.
The contents:
Introduction: A State of the Short SF Field in 2015 a general state of the genre and SF market. The general move toward online in magazines, but high reliance of kickstart-type one-time efforts but problems with sustainability. Surprisingly, no mention of Puppies scandal.
Today I Am Paul by Martin L. Shoemaker a robot that emulates Alzheimer patient’s relatives and this inadvertently gives self-awareness. 4* nominated for Nebula
Calved by Sam J. Miller father-son conflict in environmentally devastated world. A dad works long shifts in sea after emigrating from drowned USA, worries that his teenage son stopped enjoying their times together. 2.5*
Three Bodies at Mitanni by Seth Dickinson a group of three astronaut judges are sent on a mission across the universe – find seeded centuries ago human colonies and if they changed enough to rival ‘traditional’ humans – destroy them. another take on post-humanity, but with a lot of bickering. Nice ideas, mediocre execution. 3*, was nominated for AnLib
The Smog Society by Chen Qiufan a strange story about an old guy whose wife left him and who joins the group that monitor smog data and relation between pollutions and psychic issues. 3*
In Blue Lily’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard a girl accidentally brings an epidemy, which affects both humans and living ships. A group of scientists investigate. 2*
Hello, Hello by Seanan McGuire a scientist works on software that helps AI to understand a sign language, like her deaf siter uses. From her sister’s videophone someone calls and tries to communicate with her kids, hidden behind a generic image generated by that sign recognition. The surprise I guessed almost instantly. 2.5*
Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang Hugo award winner for the best novelette. A story of a man, who works on separating garbage in the Third Space – the worst part of Beijing built in three spaces, from almost utopic First with individual houses and self-driving clean cars to ‘ordinary’ second that produces for the First and finally the Third that works on waste disposal of the first two. I think that class system was too bluntly done. 2.5*
Capitalism in the 22nd Century by Geoff Ryman a group of people are gathered (thousands?) to be sent from Earth, they are modified for new environments, but were they told truth? 2*
Hold-Time Violations by John Chu some kind of strange pocket universe, with different competing groups which fight over keeping that reality version or changing it 2*
Wild Honey by Paul McAuley an interesting post-apoc, where an old woman works with genetically modded bees, which generate honey with specific qualities, including healing. A local gang came to cure their member and maybe loot. 3*
So Much Cooking by Naomi Kritzer a quarantine story years before COVID-19 – a cooking blog entries by a women, who has to cope with ever lesser variety of food and ever greater number of dependents. 3.5*
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn a team of investigators come to a little town, to find out why of coop members in pregnant w/o a document allowing it. I cannot see originality. 1*
Another Word for World by Ann Leckie two groups co-habitate on a planet, representatives of both go to a meeting on a flyer, which it shot from the sky. Losing computer that translated they have to find a way to understand each other. 2*
The Cold Inequalities by Yoon Ha Lee while the title clearly references the famous ‘Cold Equations’, the story’s protagonist (AI?) likes books among digitized materials a colony ship carries, while a stowaway appears… 2*
Iron Pegasus by Brenda Cooper a woman pilot and her android(?) companion answer to a distress signal to find out that a human has died and a companion (which lacks rights of a person) is alone. 2*
The Audience by Sean McMullen a first crewed ship travels to a planet beyond Oort cloud, a great ocean under ice cover. An attempt to break ice leads to vanishing of several members (from their suits) and discovering another life. 3.5*
Empty by Robert Reed a bizarre piece about a world after humans went extinct with different AIs solving problems. 2*
Gypsy by Carter Scholz a ship from environmentally devastated Earth, with POVs of each member as the ship moves to another star to restart the mankind. As they go, different accidents happen, decreasing their number. 3*
Violation of the TrueNet Security Act by Taiyo Fujii a world, where internet as we know it is dead after an attack. A new system bases on quantum computing and no anonymity. The protagonist works checking old sites attempting to connect to the new net to wipe them off. 2.5*
Damage by David D. Levine a fighter ship AI with a personality and built-in love of its pilot. The war between Earth and asteroids, the latter ('our' side) are losing and plan a desperate mission that will leave millions dead. 3*
The Tumbledowns of Cleopatra Abyss by David Brin remains of humanity live underwater on Venus, which is still bombareded by comets in a terraforming project. They lost a war to some aliens, who decided to keep Venus project going. An interesting take on post-human low tech civilization in ocean. 3.5*
No Placeholder for You, My Love by Nick Wolven a weird word where people (?) live in a constant party, and meet each other only once, maybe a group of simulations to find some optimum? 2*
Outsider by An Owomoyela a planet was colonized centuries ago, people changed to adept to the new environment, including a kind of telepathy. A ship from Earth comes, with a single runaway, but the story from a person from this new colony. 3*
The Gods Have Not Died in Vain by Ken Liu the middle story out of three, much better to read from the start, which is in [b:The End is Nigh|18870640|The End is Nigh (The Apocalypse Triptych, #1)|John Joseph Adams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392378542l/18870640._SY75_.jpg|26869750]. 3.5*
Cocoons by Nancy Kress some alien form cocoons humans and they re-appear changed, but is any change for worse? A new glance on an old alien invasion. 3*
Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World by Caroline M. Yoachim a new list of seven wonders, some closely following the classic ones, which a linked by a story of several persons as mankind grows, withers and dies. 3*
Two-Year Man by Kelly Robson there are classes of (hu)man – 2, 4, 8 years, lowest to highest, but who set the hierarchy and is it justified? A 2-year janitor brings from work a baby/being scheduled for an incinerator. 2.5*
Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer Hugo winner, one of the best stories of the 2010s, now extended to at least two YA novels. A remake of x’s story (referenced openly in the text) about an AI that guides people to make the world a better place. 5*
Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan by Ian McDonald a story set in Venus of old SF, where it was a lustrous jungle / ocean world. A very pleasant homage. 4*
Meshed by Rich Larson a sport recruiter checks a potential young star for basketball, but the boy don’t want to install a usual monitoring/control system because it was related to a war trauma of his granddad. 3.5*
A Murmuration by Alastair Reynolds a researcher observes flocks of birds, finds how they a like neuron networks. 4*
The contents:
Introduction: A State of the Short SF Field in 2015 a general state of the genre and SF market. The general move toward online in magazines, but high reliance of kickstart-type one-time efforts but problems with sustainability. Surprisingly, no mention of Puppies scandal.
Today I Am Paul by Martin L. Shoemaker a robot that emulates Alzheimer patient’s relatives and this inadvertently gives self-awareness. 4* nominated for Nebula
Calved by Sam J. Miller father-son conflict in environmentally devastated world. A dad works long shifts in sea after emigrating from drowned USA, worries that his teenage son stopped enjoying their times together. 2.5*
Three Bodies at Mitanni by Seth Dickinson a group of three astronaut judges are sent on a mission across the universe – find seeded centuries ago human colonies and if they changed enough to rival ‘traditional’ humans – destroy them. another take on post-humanity, but with a lot of bickering. Nice ideas, mediocre execution. 3*, was nominated for AnLib
The Smog Society by Chen Qiufan a strange story about an old guy whose wife left him and who joins the group that monitor smog data and relation between pollutions and psychic issues. 3*
In Blue Lily’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard a girl accidentally brings an epidemy, which affects both humans and living ships. A group of scientists investigate. 2*
Hello, Hello by Seanan McGuire a scientist works on software that helps AI to understand a sign language, like her deaf siter uses. From her sister’s videophone someone calls and tries to communicate with her kids, hidden behind a generic image generated by that sign recognition. The surprise I guessed almost instantly. 2.5*
Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang Hugo award winner for the best novelette. A story of a man, who works on separating garbage in the Third Space – the worst part of Beijing built in three spaces, from almost utopic First with individual houses and self-driving clean cars to ‘ordinary’ second that produces for the First and finally the Third that works on waste disposal of the first two. I think that class system was too bluntly done. 2.5*
Capitalism in the 22nd Century by Geoff Ryman a group of people are gathered (thousands?) to be sent from Earth, they are modified for new environments, but were they told truth? 2*
Hold-Time Violations by John Chu some kind of strange pocket universe, with different competing groups which fight over keeping that reality version or changing it
Spoiler
actually an attempt to revive one’s motherWild Honey by Paul McAuley an interesting post-apoc, where an old woman works with genetically modded bees, which generate honey with specific qualities, including healing. A local gang came to cure their member and maybe loot. 3*
So Much Cooking by Naomi Kritzer a quarantine story years before COVID-19 – a cooking blog entries by a women, who has to cope with ever lesser variety of food and ever greater number of dependents. 3.5*
Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn a team of investigators come to a little town, to find out why of coop members in pregnant w/o a document allowing it. I cannot see originality. 1*
Another Word for World by Ann Leckie two groups co-habitate on a planet, representatives of both go to a meeting on a flyer, which it shot from the sky. Losing computer that translated they have to find a way to understand each other. 2*
The Cold Inequalities by Yoon Ha Lee while the title clearly references the famous ‘Cold Equations’, the story’s protagonist (AI?) likes books among digitized materials a colony ship carries, while a stowaway appears… 2*
Iron Pegasus by Brenda Cooper a woman pilot and her android(?) companion answer to a distress signal to find out that a human has died and a companion (which lacks rights of a person) is alone. 2*
The Audience by Sean McMullen a first crewed ship travels to a planet beyond Oort cloud, a great ocean under ice cover. An attempt to break ice leads to vanishing of several members (from their suits) and discovering another life. 3.5*
Empty by Robert Reed a bizarre piece about a world after humans went extinct with different AIs solving problems. 2*
Gypsy by Carter Scholz a ship from environmentally devastated Earth, with POVs of each member as the ship moves to another star to restart the mankind. As they go, different accidents happen, decreasing their number. 3*
Violation of the TrueNet Security Act by Taiyo Fujii a world, where internet as we know it is dead after an attack. A new system bases on quantum computing and no anonymity. The protagonist works checking old sites attempting to connect to the new net to wipe them off. 2.5*
Damage by David D. Levine a fighter ship AI with a personality and built-in love of its pilot. The war between Earth and asteroids, the latter ('our' side) are losing and plan a desperate mission that will leave millions dead. 3*
The Tumbledowns of Cleopatra Abyss by David Brin remains of humanity live underwater on Venus, which is still bombareded by comets in a terraforming project. They lost a war to some aliens, who decided to keep Venus project going. An interesting take on post-human low tech civilization in ocean. 3.5*
No Placeholder for You, My Love by Nick Wolven a weird word where people (?) live in a constant party, and meet each other only once, maybe a group of simulations to find some optimum? 2*
Outsider by An Owomoyela a planet was colonized centuries ago, people changed to adept to the new environment, including a kind of telepathy. A ship from Earth comes, with a single runaway, but the story from a person from this new colony. 3*
The Gods Have Not Died in Vain by Ken Liu the middle story out of three, much better to read from the start, which is in [b:The End is Nigh|18870640|The End is Nigh (The Apocalypse Triptych, #1)|John Joseph Adams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392378542l/18870640._SY75_.jpg|26869750]. 3.5*
Cocoons by Nancy Kress some alien form cocoons humans and they re-appear changed, but is any change for worse? A new glance on an old alien invasion. 3*
Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World by Caroline M. Yoachim a new list of seven wonders, some closely following the classic ones, which a linked by a story of several persons as mankind grows, withers and dies. 3*
Two-Year Man by Kelly Robson there are classes of (hu)man – 2, 4, 8 years, lowest to highest, but who set the hierarchy and is it justified? A 2-year janitor brings from work a baby/being scheduled for an incinerator. 2.5*
Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer Hugo winner, one of the best stories of the 2010s, now extended to at least two YA novels. A remake of x’s story (referenced openly in the text) about an AI that guides people to make the world a better place. 5*
Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan by Ian McDonald a story set in Venus of old SF, where it was a lustrous jungle / ocean world. A very pleasant homage. 4*
Meshed by Rich Larson a sport recruiter checks a potential young star for basketball, but the boy don’t want to install a usual monitoring/control system because it was related to a war trauma of his granddad. 3.5*
A Murmuration by Alastair Reynolds a researcher observes flocks of birds, finds how they a like neuron networks. 4*