Welcome to Best SF – reviewing the very best SF short stories since April 16th 2000. Use the links below to browse reviews.

Latest updates :

24th June 2020 – been busy setting up an online shop for my brewery of late, but I’ve now found my reading glasses and the book I was reading and so I can report that I really enjoyed Sofia Samatar’s ‘Hard Mary’ in Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ which has a lot to enjoy in it | 26th May 2020 – no reviews recently as I’ve been a bit busy with other stuff of late! As has been my erstwhile old school chum who I used to write SF with between the ages of 10 and 14 or so. We’ve still got the books we hand-wrote, as well as the audio cassettes of the narrated versions we did. Well, he’s been and gone and written a children’s book : more details here | 21st April 2020 – R.S. Garcia’s ‘The Anchorite Wakes’ in Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4′ last year was an intriguing ecclesiastical story that ramps up the SF at the every end | 20th April 2020 – bit of a gap as I actually got round to reading an SF novel, the first in years! I was zipping through Alastair Reynolds’ ‘Revenger’ until I realised halfway through it was a YA novel and ergo somewhat less complex, dense and gothic than it could have been. The setting was a doozy, but although I finished it, it didn’t give anything like Full Reynolds, and a bit of research into the plot of the follow-up means I won’t be continuing with it. Anyhoo, with a mention that 16th April 2020 was the 20th anniversary of the launch of Best SF, I will now mention that I really enjoyed reading Lavie Tidhar’s ‘The Buried Giant’ which appeared in the anthology ‘Robots vs Fairies’ two years ago and in Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ last year | 4th April 2020 – just read Samantha Murray’s ‘Singles’ Day’ and Daryl Gregory’s ‘Nine Last Days on Planet Earth both from Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ and both of which get the Best SF Seal of Approval | 3rd April 2020 – just read Erin Robert’s ‘Sour Milk Girls’ from Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ | 2nd April 2020 – I was hoping for a bit of far-future space opera but Vandana Singh’s ‘Requiem’ from Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ is much closer to home in terms of time and space | 31st March 2020 – three stories read and reviewed in a day! #3 is Linda Nagata’s ‘Theories of Flight’ whose inclusion in Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ is a bit of mystery to me. | 31st March 2020 – two stories read and reviewed in a day! #2 is Vanessa Fogg’s ‘Traces of Us’ which took the fancy of this sentimental old fool. Originally online on GigaNotoSaurus (and still there) I read it in the dead-tree version of Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ | 31st March 2020 – read Naomi Kritzer’s ‘Prophet of the Roads’ in Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ | 30th March 2020 – read Ian McDonald’s ‘Ten Landscapes of Nilli Fossae’, collected in Neil Clarke’s ‘The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 4’ | OLDER UPDATES FWIW

Currently published Year’s Best SF Anthologies

Neil Clarke’s Best Science Fiction of the Year : 1 (2016) | 2 (2017) | 3 (2018) | 4 (2019)

Rich Horton’s Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy : 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019

Year’s Best SF Anthologies no longer published

Jonathan Strahan’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year : 1 (2007) | 2 (2008) | 3 (2009) | 4 2010) | 5 (2011) | 6 (2012) | 7 (2013) | 8 (2014) | 9 (2015) | 10 (2016) | 11 (2017) | 12 (2018) | 13 (2019)

Gardner Dozois’ Year’s Best Science Fiction : 1 (1984) | 2 (1985) | 3 (1986) | 4 (1987) | 5 (1988) | 6 (1989) | 7 (1990) | 8 (1991) | 9 (1992) | 10 (1993) | | 11 (1994) | 12 (1995) | 13 (1996) | 14 (1997) | 15 (1998) | 16 (1999) | 17 (2000) | 18 (2001) | 19 (2002) | 20 (2003) | 21 (2004) | 22 (2005) | 23 (2006) | 24 (2007) | 25 (2008) | 26 (2009) | 27 (2010) | 28 (2011) | 29 (2012) | 30 (2013) | 31 (2014) | 32 (2015) | 33 (2016) | 34 (2017) | 35 (2018)

Bleiler/Dikty : There’s a very convolulted publishing history for this series. A listing is in the pipeline (Feb 2020)

Terry Carr : Best Science Fiction of the Year : 1 (1972) | 2 (1973) | 3 (1974) | 4 (1975) | 5 (1976) | 6 (1977) | 7 (1978) | 8 (1979) | 9 (1980) | 10 (1981) | 11 (1982) | 12 (1983) | 13 (1984) | 14 (1985) | 15 (1986) | 16 (1987) Best Science Fiction Novellas of the Year : 1 (1979) | 1 (1980)

Lester Del Rey/Gardner Dozois : 1 (1972) | 2(1973) | 3 (1974) | 4 (1975) | 5 (1976) | 6 (1977) | 7 (1978) | 8 (1979) | 9 (1980) | 10(1981)

Harry Harrison/Brian Aldiss : Best SF 1968 | Best SF 1969 | Best SF 1970 | Best SF 1971 | Best SF 1972 | Best SF 1973 | Best SF 1974 | Best SF 1975 |

David G. Hartwell : The Year’s Best SF (1996) | The Year’s Best SF 2 (1997) | The Year’s Best SF 3 (1998) | The Year’s Best SF 4 (1999) | The Year’s Best SF 5 (2000) | The Year’s Best SF 6 (2001) | The Year’s Best SF 7 (2002) | The Year’s Best SF 8 (2003) | The Year’s Best SF 9 (2004) | The Year’s Best SF 10 (2005) | The Year’s Best SF 11 (2006) | The Year’s Best SF 12 (2007) | The Year’s Best SF 13 (2008) | The Year’s Best SF 14 (200) | The Year’s Best SF 15 (2010) | The Year’s Best SF 16 (2011) | The Year’s Best SF 17 (2012) | The Year’s Best SF 18 (2013)

Judith Merril : The Year’s Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy (1956) | The Year’s Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy Second Annual Volume (1957) | 1958 | Years Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy 4th Annual Volume (1959) | The Fifth Annual of the Year’s Best SF. (1960) | The Sixth Annual of the Year’s Best SF. (1961) | The Seventh Annual of the Year’s Best SF. (1962) | The Eighth Annual of the Year’s Best SF. (1963) | The Ninth Annual of the Year’s Best SF. (1964) | The Tenth Annual of the Year’s Best SF. (1965) | The Eleventh Annual Year’s Best SF | Best SF 12. (1967)

Robert Silverberg/Karen Harber and then Karen Harber/Jonathan Strahan :Science Fiction : the best of 2001 | Science Fiction : the best of 2002 | Science Fiction : the best of 2003 | Science Fiction : the best of 2004

Donald A. Wollheim : The 1972 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1973 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1974 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1975 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1976 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1977 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1978 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1979 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1980 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1981 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1982 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1983 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1984 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1985 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1986 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1987 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1988 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1989 Annual World’s Best SF | The 1990 Annual World’s Best SF |

Donald A. Wollheim/Terry Carr : World’s Best Science Fiction : 1965 | World’s Best Science Fiction : 1966 | World’s Best Science Fiction : 1967 | World’s Best Science Fiction : 1968 | World’s Best Science Fiction : 1969 | World’s Best Science Fiction : 1970 | World’s Best Science Fiction : 1971 | Best Science Fiction for 1972. | Best Science Fiction for 1973. After Wollheim and Carr went their separate ways, the final two volumes were edited by Pohl and then Ackerman.

Award Winner collections

Nebula Award Winners : 1 (1966) | 2 (1967) | 3 (1968) | 4 (1969) | 5 (1970) | 6 (1971) | 7 (1972) | 8 (1973) | 9 (1974) | 10 (1975) | 11 (1976) | 12 (1977) | 13 (1978) | 14 (1979) | 15 (1980) | 16 (1981) | 17 (1982) | 18 (1983) | 19 (1984) | 20 (1985) | 21 (1986) | 22 (1988) | 23 (1989) | 24 (1990) | 25 (1991) | 26 (1992) | 27 (1993) | 28 (1994) | 29 (1995) | 30 (1996) | 31 (1997) | 32 (1998) | 33 (1999) | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |2017 | 2018 | 2019

Hugo Award Winners (no longer published) : The Hugo Winners (1964) | The Hugo Winners 1963-1967 (1971) | The Hugo Winners 1968-1970 (1971) | The Hugo Winners Volume 3(Part I)1970-1972, ed Isaac Asimov | The Hugo Winners Volume 3(Part II) – 1973, ed Isaac Asimov | The Hugo Winners Volume 5 – 1980-1983, ed Isaac Asimov, 1986 | The New Hugo Winners, Isaac Asimov, Baen Books, 1989 | The New Hugo Winners, Volume II, Presented by Isaac Asimov, edited by Martin H Greenberg, Baen Books, 1991″ | The New Hugo Winners, Volume III, Connie Willis (ed), Baen Books, 1994 | The New Hugo Winners, Volume IV, Gregory Benford (ed), Baen Books, 1997 | The Hugo Award Showcase 2010 Volume. (ed Mary Robinette Kowal, Prime Books 2010) ( There’s a convoluted publishing history regarding US/UK and hardback/paperback volumes! )

Other reviews

Individual Story Reviews : Individual Stories – well over a thousand stories from magazines, websites, and anthologies.

Magazines : Analog | Asimovs | F&SF | Interzone | Spectrum SF (2000 – 2002) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Anthologies (most of these for sale): John Joseph Adams : Wastelands – stories of the apocalypse (2008) | John Joseph Adams and Hugh Adams : The End is Nigh (2014) | The End is Now (2014) | The End has Come (2015) | Lou Anders : Live Without a New (2003) | Fast Forward 1 (2007) | Fast Forward 2 (2008) | John L. Apostolou and Martin H. Greenberg : The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories (1997) | Mike Ashley : The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF (2010) | Stephen Baxter : Phase Space | Traces (1998) | Adam Boucher : Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sixth Series (1957) | Keith Brooke and Nick Gevers : Infinity Plus Two (2003) | Jim Burns : Imago : the fantasy art of Jim Burns | Pete Butler : Triangulation – End of Time (2007) | Pat Cadigan : The Ultimate Cyberpunk (2002) | Dario Ciriello : Panverse 3 (2011) | Peter Crowther : futures (2001) | infinities (2002) | cities (2003) | Constellations (2005) | Forbidden Planets (2006) | We Think, Therefore We Are (2009) | Jetse de Vries : Shine (2010) | Paul di Filippo : Babylon Sisters and Other Posthumans () | Little Doors (2003) | Gardner Dozois : Geodesic Dreams : the short fiction of Gardner Dozois | One Million A.D. (2005) | Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan : The New Space Opera (2007) | The New Space Opera 2 (2009) | Noreen Doyle : Otherworldly Maine (2008) | Edward L. Ferman and Gordon van Gelder : The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction, the Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology | Nick Gevers : Extraordinary Engines : the definitive steampunk anthology (2008) | Nick Gevers and Marty Halpern : Is Anybody Out There? (2010) | James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel : The Secret History of Science Fiction (2009) | George Mann : The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction (2007) | The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume Two (2008) | Paul McAuley : Little Machines | MIT Technology Review : trsf : The Best New Science Fiction (2011) | Twelve Tomorrows (2013) | Parsec Inc : Triangulation – End of the Rainbow (2010) | David Pringle : The Ant-Men of Tibet and Other Stories (2001) | Alastair Reynolds : Diamond Dogs Turquoise Days : tales from the Revelation Space Universe (2003) | Galactic North (2006) | Zima Blue and Other Stories (2006) | Deep Navigation (2010) | Robert Silverberg : Far Horizons (1999) | Science Fiction 101 (2001) | Bruce Sterling : Mirrorshades : the Cyberpunk Anthology (1986) | Jonathan Strahan : The Starry Rift (2008) | Eclipse 3 (2009) | Engineering Infinity (2011) | Edge of Infinity (2012) | Reach for Infinity (2014) | Meeting Infinity (2015) | Charles Stross : Toast : and other rusted futures | Ian Whates : Time Pieces (2006) | disLocations (2007) | Celebration (2008) | Subterfuge (2008) | Conflicts (2010) | Further Conflicts (2011) | Solaris Rising (2011) | Solaris Rising 1.5 (2012) | Solaris Rising 2 (2013) | Solaris Rising 3 (2014) | Neil Williamson and Andrew J. Wilson : Nova Scotia : new Scottish speculative fiction (2005)

Chapbooks and novels (most of these for sale): Brian Aldiss. Sanity and the Lady. PS Publishing, 2004. | Stephen Baxter. Mayflower II. PS Publishing 2004 | Stephen Baxter. Riding the Rock. PS Publishing, 2003. | Stephen Baxter. Reality Dust. PS Publishing, 2003. | Terry Bisson. Dear Abbey. PS Publishing 2003 | Eric Brown. Approaching Omega. Telos Publishing, 2005. | Eric Brown. The Extraordinary Voyage of Jules Verne. PS Publishing, 2005. | Richard Calder. The Twist. (Four Walls Eight Windows 2003) | Cory Doctorow. Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. Tor, 2005. | Paul Di Filippo. A Year in Linear City. PS Publishing, 2003. | Paul Di Filippo. A Princess of the Linear Jungle. (PS Publishing 2010) | Mary Gentle. Under the Penitence. PS Publishing, 2004. | Gary Greenwood. Jigsaw Men. (PS Publishing, 2004). | Peter F. Hamilton. Watching Trees Grow. (PS Publishing 2002) | James Patrick Kelly. Burn. Tachyon Publications, 2005. | Paul J. McAuley. Making History. PS Publishing 2003. | Ken Macleod. The Highway Men. (Sandstone Vista, March 2006.) | Ken MacLeod. The Human Front. PS Publishing, 2003. | Ian McDonald. Tendeleo’s Story. PS Publishing, 2003. | China Mieville. The Tain. PS Publishing, 2003. | Alastair Reynolds. The Six Directions of Space. Subterranean Press, 2008. | Alastair Reynolds. Understanding Time and Space. Birmingham Science Fiction Group, 2005. | Alastair Reynolds. Century Rain. Gollancz, 2005. | Alastair Reynolds. Absolution Gap. Gollancz, 2005. | Adam Roberts. Park Polar. PS Publishing, 2003. | Adam Roberts. Jupiter Magnified. PS Publishing, 2003.