This was really difficult for me to get into. I only got maybe 20% into it and just didn't pick it back up again. I normally really like Scifi. I may pick this up again another time and try again.

This collection, the start of a new series of Year's Best, has twenty-eight well-chosen stories from 2019 that will entertain anyone who loves short science fiction.

This 600+ page book is dedicated to Gardner Dozois, whose death in 2018 not only was an enormous tragedy to his friends and family but also to the whole science fiction community. Gardner had edited The Year's Best Science Fiction since 1984, ultimately producing thirty-five annual collections. Strahan's Year's Best Science Fiction does not continue Gardner's numbering and is published by Saga Press, not St. Martin's Press, but it does continue Gardner's tradition of summarizing the year in science fiction publishing including listing a great number of novels (despite the author's admitting to only having a limited amount of time to keep up with novel-length work).

Of course, Strahan, an experienced editor himself, does more than copy Gardner. Strahan has edited thirteen volumes of his previous The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year series as well as many other original and reprint anthologies. He has been a Hugo finalist ten times and serves as Reviews Editor for Locus. The twenty-eight stories here show the enormous breadth of his reading. Almost all the tales in Year's Best Science Fiction come from different sources; he only uses five twice and none more than that.

Some of my favorite stories in this issue include:

"The Bookstore at the End of America" by Charlie Jane Anders that features a bookstore with entrances from both the independent (and liberal) country of California and the conservative and religious nation of America, which causes problems when these two nations go to war against each other.
"It's 2059, and the Rich Kids Are Still Winning" by Ted Chiang; a fictional essay set in a world where the Gene Equality Project genetically enhanced the intelligence of 500 low-income children only to find that just a few achieved the same success as children of the rich despite having the same enhancements. This shows how the U.S. is not a society that rewards ability.

"As the Last I May Know" by S.L. Huang has a society where the key to the military's ultimate mass-killing weapon is implanted in a young girl so that the nation's ruler, before he can access the weapon, must kill the girl with his own hands. This ensures that the weapon would only be used as a last resort and that the ruler cannot simply order a mass slaughter without ever confronting a victim.

"A Catalog of Storms" shows a town where a few people gain the power to name storms and control them.

"Now Wait for This Week" by Alice Sola Kim is an interesting riff off the Groundhog's Day theme with time continuously resetting itself for a week. What makes this interesting is the voice since it is told from the point of view of the roommate of the rich girl caught in the time loop, not the looper herself.

"The Work of Wolves" by Tegan Moore is convincingly narrated by a dog whose intelligence has been greatly increased for search and rescue operations.

"Emergency Skin" by N.K. Jemisin is about a servant of the descendants of the wealthy elite who fled Earth right before the environmental catastrophe they assume would destroy an overcrowded planet. But on a mission to Earth, the servant discovers the truth, much to the annoyance of the implanted intelligence programmed with the attitudes of the Founders that is narrating the story.

"At the Fall" by Alec Nevala-Lee is a survival story about an artificially created cephalopod designed to explore undersea vents but who has been abandoned, along with her sisters, by humanity.

"Secret Stories of Doors" by Sofia Rhei has the flavor of a combination of Kafka with Orwell as a worker who is secretly inserting fake stories into the World Encyclopaedia, is contacted by a secret society.

"This Is Not the Way Home" by Greg Egan has a couple win a lottery to honeymoon on the actual moon only to become stranded when Earth mysteriously ceases all communications.

It is interesting to note how the field of science fiction has become so broad, and the personal taste of editors can differ so much, that there is little overlap among the stories in The Year's Best Science Fiction and other "Best" anthologies also covering 2019. Five stories overlap with Neil Clarke's Best Science Fiction of the Year and a different five overlap Diana Gabaldon's The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020.
Readers of science fiction short stories who are seeking a replacement for Gardner's Year's Best will find Strahan's volume a worthy successor. People who don't routinely read all the science fiction magazines, original anthologies, and other sources (even The New York Times) will find this volume a great way to catch up on the short science fiction world.

I love anthologies, an opinion most likely stemming from my English degree and the ever-present heft of enormous period anthologies being dragged between classrooms. I look forward to SFF short story anthologies every year and was thrilled to get a review copy of The Year's Best Science Fiction Volume 1 from Gallery Books. It’s a compendium of 2019’s best short stories and it served as a great refresher on how talented our current SFF authors truly are. The editor, Jonathan Strahan, has chosen some of my favorite stories from 2019, including Charlie Jane Anders’ ‘The Bookstore at the End of America,’ a fascinating tale about borders between a divided America that seems all the more relevant in the current political climate. The collection goes on to include stories from N. K. Jemisin, Elizabeth Bear, S. L. Huang, and Ken Liu, to name a few – all brilliant authors whose work I’ve long enjoyed. Over a dozen other authors combine with these personal favorites to provide a solid showcase of talent and worldbuilding. If you’re looking for compelling stories from a slew of talented writers and exciting voices, this is it.

Love this. Each short story inside this book was extremely well written and brought you fully into the story. As each story was finished you partly want to jump into the next story and at the same time want to delve into the story you just read and luxuriate inside it just a bit longer.

i enjoyed reading this years best science fiction it was a great anthology. i look forward to more anthologies.

Short story collections can be a great way to find new authors, but I didn't feel like there any hidden gems in these stories. The selection seemed repetitive in theme even though there's a lot of diversity in the authors, and most of these authors are well-known and ones I've already read. With a name like "the year's best", I was hoping to find more new to me because I'm no longer widely read in contemporary science fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. A great collection of great authors. Loved most all of the stories. Highly recommended to lovers of fantasy and sci-fi.

I am the type person that usually stays away from short story collections. I am not completely sure why. Perhaps it is that I prefer stories that have longer story arcs, with multiple plot twists and a larger cast of characters. Maybe I feared that some short stories are not going to be “as good” as the author’s longer stories, almost like these were brief concepts or ideas. I think it’s the former and not the latter. The author’s in this collection got my attention and I’m glad it did. Jonathan Strahan did a phenomenal job pulling together fantastic short stories from some fantastic authors. Some of which I already knew, and others which I didn’t. The best part being that I got to discover new authors in the process of reading this collection and maybe that is one of the reasons collections such as this are awesome. There are too many stories to cover here but I will cover some of my favorites of this book.

This collection starts off with a bang and really sets the tone for the entire collection. Charlie Jane Anders’ story is thought provoking and intense. I don’t think there is a better story to start off with. There are similarities from our real world cultural/political divides in this story. This story might be an exaggeration of our social divide but 2020 has been an extreme year with social distancing due to a virus and social injustices. There has been enough craziness in our reality that makes Anders' story feel like a possible reality due to the conflicts we are seeing as a nation. After reading this story I was left feeling like we just need to stop, take a moment and think…like really think. What are we doing to each other?

Equally as thought provoking is N. K. Jemisin’s Emergency Skin. This first came out as part of the Forward collection from Amazon Original Stories and it was my favorite from that collection. It really feels at home in this book and fits right in with this collection of stories. The pacing of this story is just perfect slowly revealing layers of truth to a space traveler returning to Tellus (our planet) after a group of humans leave a dying Earth to start a new society. They return with caution to explore the old Earth they left behind. I don’t want to spoil this one, I love it and if don’t have time to read all of these stories, you should definitely read this one.

I enjoyed the lighter tone of I (28M) Created a Deepfake Girlfriend and Now My Parents Think We’re Getting Married by Fonda Lee. There is a bit of craziness in this story too and a sense of exaggeration but with a feel of “I can see this happening”. People in society would take hold of something like this and turn it into an obsession. This story shines a light on the chain of events that lead one person to obsess over this “tool” but sadly, I there are people in the real world that cling to social media and do the very same thing with current social apps.

Other stories that you might want to jump to first (you don’t have to read these in order!) The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex by Tobias S. Buckell, Now Wait for This Week by Alice Sola Kim and Song of the Birds by Saleem Haddad. There is something here for any fan of science fiction and you may find yourself adding to your TBR list after discovering a new author from this book. I highly recommend this collection.

I want to thank Jonathan Strahan, all the authors who are in this book, Simon & Schuster, Saga Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I find it difficult to review anthologies, Most of these stories are really good. There are always good and bad in anthologies but the good far outweighs the bad in this one. 

If you are looking for some interesting short stories get this book. The stories are by both established and new authors and I can't say I was bored with any of them. I think Mr, Strahan picked a very good mix!

Some good, some not so much

What can I say, it's an anthology. Some stories are good, some are bad, with one or two standing out at either end. It's always good to read new authors.

I was going to post this review the other day but when I opened the Amazon review page, the one-star review by Futurearrival caught my eye. Futurearrival writes that except for a few, the stories here are full of biggotry and hate. These are strong words so I went back and reevaluated the collection.

I'm not a short story reader and I don't have Futurearrival's history with the earlier editions of this anthology series edited by the late Gardner Dozois.  So I have no notions about Dozois' legacy and how that might affect Futurearrival's opinions.

There are 28 stories in the collection and while there is a lot of anger in these stories, I don't see it as bigotry and hate. Most of anger is about caste oppression and the fight against it. Many of the rest of the stories reflect anger at damage to the environment. A few express anger about bad men and the havoc they cause. All in all I don't see that Futurearrival's reflective anger is warranted.

Anthologies can be hit or miss depending on the editor’s vision. I picked this one up on NetGalley hoping to see a glimpse of the current short fiction world. What I didn’t expect was how many of the twenty-eight stories would win me over. These stories provide a diversity of voices and narrative styles, along with authors from many nations and/or ethnicities. The stories overall have more of a literary and sociological feel than the pulpy roots of the genre, but for every surreal tale, there is one more plot driven.

Jonathan Strahan begins the anthology with an essay on the state of the genre not only in short stories but across all mediums including non-fiction. This essay has enough examples you could easily use it as a reading list for the year. He also names the short fiction venues that he considers top markets.

The purpose of this volume, according to Strahan, is to honor works by stellar authors whether established or still becoming known. The theme celebrates diversity and the impact of culture. Rather than attempting to constrain speculative fiction into a narrow definition, Strahan aims to reveal how the genre can be both timely and interesting.

He succeeded on behalf of this reader. I am posting my review in two parts so I can call out all the stories that spoke to me, whether my favorites or those that came close. So, with no further ado, on to the stories:

These two were my favorites in the first half, a purely personal reaction. However, there is no question they are strong, well-written tales.

Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das
While I appreciated other stories, in Kali_Na I found my first favorite. It’s hard to articulate why without spoilers, so I’ll say only this: When Internet trolls come out in force to greet a newborn AI version of the Goddess Durga, the caste system might not be the only tradition to survive to modern day. It’s a cyberpunk-like vision of future India seen from the bottom looking up.

Sturdy Lantern and Ladders by Malka Older
I usually tidy my notes for the review, but here’s a direct quote: “Okay, wow. This is just wow.” I love this story for how it begins, because I’m sympathetic, then it takes us somewhere fascinating and new. Besides, it stars an octopus. I’d say more, but better you experience it on your own.

The below stories all had something about them I enjoyed, and/or which made them stand out. Appreciation is personal. While the missing stories did not catch my attention, they might still earn yours.

The Bookstore at the End of America by Charlie Jane Anders
The Bookstore at the End of America begins this volume with a glimpse down the path America is currently walking. The story has an almost magical realism tone. It looks at bias and the consequences of same, but more in raising questions than forcing answers on the reader. I like how it makes me think about these questions while reminding me of reading about a real-world library that exists on the U.S./Canadian border. I hope that library never faces what Charlie Jane Anders’ one does.

The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex by Tobias S. Buckell
As you might have guessed from the title, this short story offers a quick glimpse of a future where alien tourism wins. It’s something we’ve seen in smaller scales on our planet, but this is planetwide. But how our world has changed because of this commerce is only part of the story. Seen through the eyes of a taxi driver, the struggle to anticipate alien demands is both compelling and thought provoking.

Song of the Birds by Saleem Haddad
This story didn’t speak to me in part because of the focus on suicide. However, the strong imagery was compelling enough to warrant a mention. Nor is it the only story to include suicide as an aspect.

The Painter of Trees by Suzanne Palmer
This is an odd story, but a powerful one about ambition, arrogance, and claiming what is not your own. The author plays on the anonymity of first person, shared with a third person point of view (POV), to create a sense of mystery. There were enough clues to give me the answer before the reveal, but I still needed confirmation. It’s not only the mixed POV that makes this story stand out, however. I found the first-person narrator unsympathetic to the point of arguing with the page. In terms of engagement, this story earns a place, and I appreciate the questions it raises for all the method leaves me frustrated.

The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir by Karin Tidbeck
This story doesn’t have a firm plot, which is bizarre in a lot of ways since it’s a spaceship passenger vessel and has many of the older tropes mentioned. Instead, it’s beautiful for what it says and shows for both the speaking characters and those without a voice. The story didn’t go quite where I expected, but living ships and mechanically inclined, fix-it characters are some of my favorites.

Contagion’s Eve at the House Noctambulous by Rich Larson
The story sucked me into the moment with its sensory detail, so I accepted the strange happenings around me without question. And what’s happening is strange beyond question. This is the first one I’d classify as horror, and I don’t read horror because of the ability to be sucked in rather than despite it. I can safely say this is a strong horror offering, in part because it had the possibility of being something different had it made another choice.

Submarines by Han Song Translated by Ken Liu
As an example of the diversity within these pages, this story has two names attached, the author and the translator. It’s another odd story of unknowns and unknowables told through the perspective of an ignorant narrator. There are no answers to the many questions raised, and as a reader, I’m left trying to find meaning where none is offered. I don’t know whether this makes it more powerful a story or less. The imagery lingers, as does the tantalizing possibility of answers far beyond the life of our narrator.

As the Last I May Know by S. L. Huang
This is a powerful story of understanding war. It asks the same question covered in the movie War Games but puts it into more personal terms. The practice that serves as the story’s backbone is horrific, but that very quality makes it the best and possibly only way. The story offers a deep dive into another culture and the conflict between old and new ways. It plays with the reader’s emotions and pushes us to ask what we would do in the same situation.

A Catalog of Storms by Fran Wilde
This is a neat, surreal concept. It turns a story of lists into something emotional that plays with the reader’s sympathies tangibly. I enjoyed the imagery, the concept, and ultimately the question between desire and cost.

Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
The narrative voice in this story is powerful and the description strong. I found the story to turn on belief and choice. Nata is trying to find her mother and find other civilizations. She rejects the ways of her village, choosing to reach for freedom rather than huddle in the dark and let fear swallow their voices whole. This makes it powerful.

P.S. I received this Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

PART TWO

As I read through the second half of this book, I found the editor’s focus on current concerns led to several stories with themes and elements in common. I’d expect something like this in a themed anthology, but it surprised me here where the publication date is what brings these stories together. While this repetition could have disadvantaged the later stories, their approaches had enough originality to counter the downsides. The included stories explore a variety of differences whether or not sharing a theme. Narrative style, plotting, and even perception of time proved flexible in these tellings, something intriguing while it asks a lot of the reader at times.

As with the first section, I’m only mentioning the stories I connected with, which doesn’t mean there’s nothing interesting about the others. My choices result from personal taste, whether in content, characters, style, or theme. The other stories could be someone else’s favorite, despite not speaking to me.

Once again, two stories stood out from the rest of the second half.

Soft Edges by Elizabeth Bear
This is a beautiful story about philosophy and human nature running alongside a police procedural. It shows how to respect people’s choices and contrary positions without compromising the bigger picture. It also demonstrates how personal pronouns can become part of a normal introduction without awkwardness or stopping the narrative. Nicely done.

The Archronology of Love by Caroline M. Yoachim
This story is right in my sweet spot. It mixes alien contact with neat technology while still making the characters approachable. It’s both personal and immense with real learning and change.

While not my absolute favorites, as you can see from the blurbs below, these stories were strong contenders.

Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin
This is a strange story with an odd but perfect narrator. It’s mostly told sideways from the collective voice embedded in the main character’s head as it tries to explain away everything the character encounters as a false narrative. The meaning and plot are obvious from the start but that doesn’t matter. A fun read with deeper implications.

Thoughts and Prayers by Ken Liu
This story focuses more on the timely and less on the speculative element, though when it appears, the element is critical. The tale explores the problematic nature of media consumption on the internet through the window of gun violence. Thought provoking, the story is painful in its circumstances. The narration cleverly mirrors the characters’ progress through the story.

At the Fall by Alec Nevala-Lee
This story grew on me as I read it. I found the narration through an advanced research vehicle (?) creature (?) fascinating. The plot itself was predictable first in the cause and then by design as the narrator undergoes a long, dangerous journey. Her method of experiencing space and memory informs her discovery path, but the reader knows little and not much happens actively. It’s a gentle story, an odd adjective considering the circumstances she faces, but one I learned to appreciate.

Reunion by Vandana Singh
This is a story of becoming rather than doing. While the main character accomplished a lot in her attempt to restore the planet, it is her growth in connection and understanding that form the foundation. This is a fresh approach to the theme of climate repair and one that speaks to me. I enjoyed the vision she has of humans as part of the world, not controlling it. But the small glimpses of her interactions with people and the frailty of her own body made this story work for me.

Secret Stories of Doors by Sofia Rhei
The beginning of this story didn’t grab me, but I’m glad I kept going. In a surreal narrative, this tale takes the premise of “history is written by the victors” a step further. It offers a warped future with more twists to discover.

And there you have it. I clearly found many stories to enjoy. This anthology tackles questions we face in modern times through the lens of speculative fiction. Most fell into the science fiction category, though often near future, and didn’t shy away from the more painful topics of suicide, rape, and gun violence either. Climate reconstruction seems the most common element taken on. The differing proposals spoke not just to the science but also to the underlying cultural and social elements, much to my delight.

I’m happy I plucked this anthology from the list and plan to track down more by authors I “met” or was reminded of here.

P.S. I received this Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As primarily a reader of novels, short story collections are not always on my reading list. However, I do find them to be an interesting way to find some possible new authors to read further. So, I do find value in collections like this one. There is much food for thought in most entries, whether they were favorites or not. Many authors of diverse cultures are included, so this anthology also serves as an introduction to many. Although I have read several author's works previously, there were many that were new to me.

I believe my favorite selection is "Emergency Skin," by N.K. Jemisin. I am an optimist at heart and this story not only was one of the most optimist (in my opinion), but has a fun little quick that appeals to my sense of humor. And, has something to say about how we treat our world. Overall, I believe the second half of the book is the strongest, but others may feel otherwise.

Which is a great segue into this discussion; most of these stories do deal with issues that need to be taken seriously in our world. Climate change is a major topic in many stories. Sexual politics and consequences are included, as well others. There is much to think about in these stories, even if the story itself doesn't appeal. If readers enjoy dystopian fiction they will find the majority show a disturbing view of our future as a world (species?)

A worthy contribution to an examination of international short science fiction.

Gardner Dozois’ Year’s Best collections were a staple of my childhood, mostly because it was some of the only science fiction my local library could be relied on to buy every year. If this inaugural volume is anything to go by, Jonathan Strahan is a worthy successor. This is an anthology of 28 stories from 2019, delightfully diverse and spanning a wide range of themes.

“Everybody needs books, Molly figured. No matter where they live, how they love, what they believe, whom they want to kill. We all want books.”


Charlie Jane Ander’s “The Bookstore at the End of America” serves as a not particularly subtle introduction to a group of stories about how the stories we tell divide us, unite us, and bring us hope. Almost all of the stories were new to me even if the authors weren’t. The only exception was S.L. Huang’s bombshell “As the Last I May Know,” about one child and a nation’s “ethical” solution to nuclear warfare, which won the Hugo for short story this year. Also as unsurprisingly exceptional – even though I hadn’t read it before – was N.K. Jemisin’s “Emergency Skin,” which handles a topic (climate change and apocalypse) others cover in this anthology with unbelievable skill and a frankly unparalleled storytelling ability. Despite the subject matter, it’s surprisingly hopeful, as is Malka Older’s “Sturdy Lantern and Ladders” about a behavioral researcher who job is to provide stress relief for a research octopus.

For new-to-me authors, I was particularly taken by Indrapramit Das’ “Kali_Na,” about an AI goddess and a poor, lower-caste Indian girl. On the less than hopeful and more rage-filled side (this is 2020, we all need a little bit of screaming into the void at this point), Alice Sola Kim’s “Now Wait For This Week” is a not-particularly-subtle Groundhog-Day-like take on sexual harassment. Karin Tidbeck’s “The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir” is one of the few outright adventure-type stories, following a human grease monkey on a strange interstellar cruise ship. I’d also add Tegan Moore’s “The Work of Wolves,” from the point of view of an Enhanced search and rescue dog who’s puzzled by her cold relationship with her handler, to that pile.

I was especially touched by Caroline M. Yoachim’s “The Archronology of Love.” One of my favorite styles of science fiction is plopping down relatable characters in different-but-not-so-different places and times, using that lens to reinterpret our lives. This story is a heart wrenching tale of a woman who’s lost her husband and the future they were planning to share and now has to unravel the mystery of the failed colony, all the while dealing with her nearly grown up son.

Overall, even if some of the stories weren’t to my taste, they were for the most part high quality. I also appreciated the long introduction listing the editor’s favorites from the year, regardless of length or format. While I’d already read or added most of them to my TBR, I found a few new gems. This is definitely a worthy successor to one of my childhood favorites and I will definitely be picking up next year’s edition!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Excellent way to get into science fiction. 

Excellent variety and length of well-written stories.

Highly recommended for new and season sci-fi readers.

I have always been a huge fan of The Year's Best Science Fiction anthologies and was elated to see they were back. I love reading short stories from well-loved authors as well as discovering many new authors through these incredible stories. There are author introductions at the beginning of each short story and a recommended sci-fi reading list at the of the volume. I have to say, I was quite impressed with Strahan’s inaugural edition.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of science fiction and speculative fiction. 3 of my favorites were, “The Bookstore at the End of America,” by Charlie Jane Anders (about a bookstore and masterful world building), “The Work of Wolves,” by Tegan Moore (Fascinating perspective), and “I (28M) created a deepfake girlfriend and now my parents think we’re getting married” by Fonda Lee (Had me giggle snorting). And in my true fashion where I can’t stick to anything, I’m gonna add a 4th lol, simply because I love dystopians, dark humor,  and the rebel in me doesn’t want to stick with 3, “Secret Stories of Doors,” by Sofia Rhei.  

Many thanks to Saga Press and Netgalley for the DRC and the opportunity to share my thoughts.

A great assortment of very varied science fiction from many perspectives and in many different settings.  They described worlds and futures that were imaginative and interesting and came up with different less conventional sources of conflict to keep things down that direction.  

I would definitely recommend this collection.  Thanks to Gallery/Saga and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I love discovering new authors and amazing short stories by some of my favorites.  The easiest way to accomplish both is by reading anthologies.  Short to medium length stories, usually written around a theme, by both well known and coming up authors.  This one is truly some of the best science fiction this year.  Invest an afternoon and evening to these 10 stories and you will not be sorry.

With Gardner Dozois' passing, science fiction lost not only a brilliant writer but also one of the most prominent editors in the genre. Since 1984, he'd presided over the premiere collection of sci-fi's shorter works via his Year's Best collections, which numbered thirty-five at the time of his demise. Two years on, Jonathan Strahan and Saga Press have stepped into the void to present 2019's best for eager fans who've missed these definitive anthologies.

Mr Strahan's inaugural volume starts off strong, from an introduction that champions diversity to several shorts that absolutely kick ass in delivering on that promise. My belief in Charlie Jane Anders' talent was finally vindicated with her story here, The Bookstore At The End Of America. The volume opener isn't exactly a subtle tale but it is both entertaining and thoughtful, and I felt it much more deeply than I have her other, more celebrated works. The next story, Tobias S Buckell's The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex is a must for fans of Nnedi Okorafor's Hugo-winning <a href="http://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2020/06/10/laguardia-by-nnedi-okorafor-tana-ford/">LaGuardia</a>, treading in the same far-future of extraterrestrial immigration. The Hugos are actually quite well represented here, with 4 of the 28 stories being nominees for either <a href="http://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2020/06/08/hugo-awards-2020-short-story-nominees/">Best Short Story</a> or <a href="http://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2020/06/11/hugo-awards-2020-novelette-nominees/">Best Novelette</a>. Tbh, I didn't really care for any of those selected for this volume besides N. K. Jemisin's terrific Emergency Skin, which has also been my favorite work of hers so far.

Continuing the theme of short stories that improved my opinion of the author compared to their prior works was Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das, whose debut novel <a href="http://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2019/01/04/the-devourers-by-indra-das/">The Devourers</a> was firmly meh for me. In contrast, I was blown away by Kali_Na's ideas of godhood and virtual avatars, a wonderful application of real-world sociology to the ways technology can transcend the mundane. I was also impressed by another Indian-set story that melded technology with psychology, Anil Menon's The Robots Of Eden. While Saleem Haddad's Song Of The Birds was set hundreds of miles away in Palestine, it was another excellent, and moving, examination of behavior modification technology. Crossing Asia in the other direction, we get to Han Song's Submarines -- translated for us here by Ken Liu, who also contributes an original story -- about migrants on the Yangtze River. All four of these stories manage to evoke a sense of place that's as vital to the narrative as their speculative natures are.

There's a very similar feel to Sofia Rhei's Barcelona-set Secret Stories Of Doors, as well as to the scathing critique of New York City's upper class in E. Lily Yu's Green Glass: A Love Story. Ted Chiang's It's 2059, And The Rich Kids Are Still Winning reads less like a story and exactly like a sociological treatise, only from the future. I almost forgot I wasn't reading an article while enjoying it. Fonda Lee's near-future comedy I (28M) Created A Deepfake Girlfriend And Now My Parents Think We're Getting Married is also the kind of thing I could imagine reading on Reddit in ten years or less. Well, from the Twitter account AITA_reddit anyway; I've so far managed to avoid getting a Reddit account and am quite happy to keep it that way. Of the other far future stories, Rich Larson's Contagion's Eve At The House Noctambulus was my absolute favorite for sheer goriness (plus it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books, Gideon The Ninth.) Honorable mention goes to Alec Nivala-Lee's At The Fall, which was like Homeward Bound meets Finding Dory, only with AI.

Despite the vast majority of these books dealing with planet Earth and humanity's secrets, there were several stories that traveled off into space. Of these, my favorite was Karin Tidbeck's The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir, which deals with a very unusual form of interstellar travel. Overall tho, there was less of a focus on outer space and more on the planet we're living in and what we're doing to it, an understandable change of emphasis given the ways we're beginning to reap what we've sown on this planet. Which isn't to say that this is a depressing book: on the contrary, many of the stories here speak of resilience, resistance and optimism, in the finest tradition of the genre.

The Year's Best Science Fiction Vol. 1: The Saga Anthology of Science Fiction 2020 edited by Jonathan Strahan was published yesterday by Saga Press, and is available from all good booksellers.

This first volume in a new series of "The Year's Best Science Fiction, edited by Jonathan Strahan, is a great collection of current visions and important overarching themes in the genre. Many of the stories carry a message of economic and societal inequity amid vast climate and ecological changes and technological advances that affect, to varying degrees, rich and poor alike. A few pure fantasy stories are mixed in with an otherwise strong showing of global authors in hard, soft, and speculative fiction. The nearly-pure fantasy ranges into space, while a few stories descend to the seabed, and several bring us to witness shifting sea-level as it reclaims megacities such as Mumbai and New York. 

In my own opinion, three of the stories stand out for their different focus amid the sci-fi and fantasy of the others.  In one, "The Work of Wolves" by Tegan Moore, the inner life of an enhanced-intelligence search-and-rescue dog is told from the dog's perspective, an innovative approach to a narrative that might otherwise have remained a mundane story about augmented biology. In "Now Wait for This Week" by Alice Sola Kim, a young woman relives the week of her birthday over and over, sort of like "Groundhog Day" but with a strong #MeToo element to the story. And in "Secret Stories of Doors," Sofia Rhei turns the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell's "1984" fully inside out, with some help from HG Wells and Orson Welles, in a global dystopia where fiction is banned. 

Finally, one story by Ken Liu entitled "Thoughts and Prayers" strikes a particularly resounding note in our present time, when the mother of a teenager killed in a mass shooting allows the anti-gun lobby to tell her child's story. The public grieving brings out a particularly virulent troll response, leading to psychological terrors that tear the surviving family apart and send the mother into an emotional spiral from which she never recovers. With such events going on in the real world and online, it's no wonder that every day feels like another foray into the increasingly uncanny valley between memory and good science fiction.

The Year's Best Science Fiction by Jonathan Strahan is a superb page turner. Well worth the time and the read! Looking forward to the next novel.