2024 the best 18 review

Price: $20.99 - $10.80
(as of Dec 12, 2024 16:09:10 UTC - Details)

Once again, the finest SF short stories of the year have been collected in a single volume.

With Year's Best SF 18, acclaimed, award-winning editor and anthologist David G. Hartwell demonstrates the amazing depth and power of contemporary speculative fiction, showcasing astonishing stories from some of science fiction's most respected names as well as exciting new writers to watch. In this anthology, prepare to travel light years from the ordinary into a tomorrow at once breathtaking, frightening, and possible with some of the greatest tales of wonder published in 2012.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tordotcom (December 10, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0765338203
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0765338204
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.93 x 9 inches
Reviewer: Peter Kaiser
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great series
Review: I am a lover of science fiction and anthologies. The Year's Best SF series has always been one of my favorites and this one was quite satisfying.

Reviewer: John M. Ford
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Best SF of 2012
Review: This is the latest volume of David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer's year's best science fiction stories. There are twenty-eight stories in this year's collection. The editors observe that 2012 was a good year for science fiction publishing. E-book says are still growing, but paper book sales remain strong as well. This collection appeared mid-year in paper format as usual, but not until the end of the year in Kindle format. Perhaps there is some strategy afoot to reduce the erosion of paperback sales to the electronic format.I enjoyed all of this year's stories, but seven stood out from the rest:Megan Lindholm's "Old Paint" is about a family's attachment to a robotic car. The car was programmed by their grandfather, who is no longer around to explain his work. Or figure out how it may have gone wrong.Paul Cornell's "The Ghosts of Christmas" is about a woman's periodic trips to the future, always on the same day of the year. She intends to be a passive observer of her own future life. But it doesn't turn out that way.Naomi Kritzer's "Liberty's Daughter" reads like a well edited Robert Heinlein juvenile story. Beck lives with her father on a seastead, an independent, manmade island with minimal government. She makes a living facilitating trade deals and seems smarter than most of the adults around her. So it's no surprise when she notices that she has been lied to.Lewis Shiner's "Application" is another one of those stories that make us feel like our personal computers have their own agenda. This can be disturbing, even when it seems they are trying to help.Andy Duncan's "Close Encounters" focuses on an old man who became well known for his stories about alien visitors. It is something of a surprise when a reporter tracks him down long after everyone else's interest has faded. There are a few more surprises around the corner.Aliette de Bodard's "Two Sisters in Exile" is about the aftermath of a military training exercise in which a ship is killed. The commander of those who killed the ship takes the body home and offers condolences to the ship's family. She learns just how close this family is to their fallen relative.Gregory Benford's "The Sigma Structure Symphony" is from the same setting as "The Hydrogen Wall" in Year's Best SF 9. A librarian works with a complex artificial intelligence downloaded from signals sent across space. She finds musical inspiration in the patterns she uncovers. And is deeply affected by them.This is a better-than-average set of stories and is worth reading. And you can finally read the electronic version.

Reviewer: Polekat
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: some good some not as.
Review: All in all, it is a collection of short novels. These are good stories but are not "short stories" (depending on ones personal definition). I like my short stories a little shorter.

Reviewer: R. Corkran
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good Collection
Review: I purchased this so I could read work by authors that I haven't read before and looking to expand who I read. I found several and feel that this is a great place to start if you are looking for new authors.

Reviewer: M. Stewart
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: What happened to Mass Market Paperback format?
Review: I've followed this excellent series from the beginning. As always, a strong selection of SF authors and stories here. I always check first on how much is a duplication with Dozois' Year's Best Science Fiction series released earlier in the year. This year I see only two stories are duplicates: Eleanor Arnason's and Andy Duncan's. I wasn't expecting the change of format. I prefer the handy size and feel of the Mass Market Paperback-which was the format for editions 1 -17. I was looking forward to being 'old-school' and taking it to Starbucks instead of my Kindle. But this year's changed to the larger, bulkier paperback format. (And for the first time, hardback format available!?) I should have paid closer attention when ordering. I would have got the Kindle edition had I picked up on this. So for those of you collecting these, there goes the nice, uniform row on your bookcase. Now the format of Hartwell's series will physically fit better next to your Dozois series, maybe even get confused with it (and perhaps that's the publishers intent). My vote is to not abandon the MMP format. I love my Kindle and my other tablet (and my smartphone) for digital editions, but Tor, please don't dump the MMP format for this great series.

Reviewer: Scifi-Norse
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very good collection, and amazing how much punch you can ...
Review: Very good collection, and amazing how much punch you can pack in such short stories. My guess is many of these could easily be developed into much longer books, and even multiple books. Well worth the money (and time).

Reviewer: Allen Paul
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Like Bradbury and Clarke
Review: This collection reminds me of works by Bradbury and Clarke — big ideas with fun. Buy it and then read them all.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Has a few good stories. Not the best of the many "years ...
Review: Has a few good stories. Not the best of the many "years best".

Reviewer: Ulla Bjørg Gundersen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I just read the first story "Old Paint" and I'm buying the book on the strength of that. It was heartwarming. Goes to prove that good writing is in the telling, not in the subject matter. 🙂 Reminded me of Heinlein at his best.

Reviewer: James Bowman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great Stories from a Master Anthologist year on year