Year's Best SF 18
Edited by David G. Hartwell
After an extended hiatus, I eased
back into reading over the first four months of the year, and I found Year's Best SF 18 to be an excellent way
to get back into reading with its strong group of (mostly) compelling stories. Editor
David G. Hartwell has clearly made an attempt to reflect many of the genre's
nuances by including stories of varying subgenres, styles, and length. Not all
of the stories are particularly memorable (and some, of course, left me quite a
bit flabbergasted for one reason or another), but the highs are very high
indeed. Some of the highlights are the stories that effortlessly transport
readers into their realms and explore those settings through the plot; these
include Eleanor Arnason's delightful pastiche "Holmes Sherlock: A Hwarhath
Mystery" and Naomi Kritzer's "Liberty 's
Daughter." Though the latter story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (as it
is part of a larger narrative), I was so drawn to the setting that I didn't
even mind the ending; I can't wait to get my hands on the whole thing (if it
comes into being). Every anthology has its duds and its stories that could be
good for other readers- just not for me- but I was pleased with the overall
quality of fiction here. In other contexts, I might skip the very military (but
surprisingly intellectual) "The Battle of Candle Arc" by Yoon Ha Lee;
instead, I read it and loved it. The story is set in a universe that is a
little difficult to fully digest within the context of a single short story, but
it has compelling characters and an ending that perfectly encapsulates a
previously unnoticed theme running throughout the whole story. I believe, upon
reflection, that it is "Weep for Day" (by Indraprimit Das) that has
had the most lasting effect on me. Beautiful, elegiac, and allegorical, it is a
deeply human story that serves as a fine example of the ways in which the
fantastic settings, characters, and scenarios of science fiction can provide us
with valuable and unexpected mirrors with which to view ourselves. Sure, there
are plenty of aliens here, but Year's
Best SF 18 demonstrates the vast scope of modern science fiction and offers
enough variety that everyone should find at least a story or two that speaks to
them.
Grade: A-
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