Publishing Information: Paperback; 544 pages
Publisher: Prime Books; 6 January 2010
ISBN 10: 1607012146
ISBN 13: 978-1607012146
Series: Annual publication
Reviewer: Tyson
Back of the Book: "The first volume of The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy features over a quarter million words of fiction by some of the genre's greatest authors, including Peter S. Beagle, Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Ian McDonald, Sarah Monette, Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Robert Reed, Patrick Rothfuss, and many more, as selected by Rich Horton, a well-known and well-received contributor to many of the field's most respected magazines."
Title of Story and Author -
26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss, Kil Johnson
Shoggoths in Bloom, Elizabeth Bear
Glass, Daryl Gregory
The Hiss of Escaping Air, Christopher Golden
Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake, Naomi Novik
We Love Deena, Alice Sola Kim
The Art of Alchemy, Ted Kosmathka
Falling Angel, Eugene Mirabelli
The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross, Margo Lanagan
King Pelles the Sure, Peter S. Beagle
Character Flu, Robert Reed
Gift From a Spring, Delia Sherman
The Region of Unlikeness, Rivka Galchen
Daltharee, Jeffery Ford
The Ray-Gun: A love Story, James Alan Gardner
The God of Au, Ann Leckie
The Fantasy Jumper, Will McIntosh
The Magician's House, Meghan McCarron
Balancing Accounts, James L. Cambias
Suicide Drive, Charles Anders
The Small Door, Holly Phillips
The Eyes of God, Peter Watts
Firooz and his Brother, Alex Jeffers
Infestation, Garth Nix
A Water Matter, Jay Lake
The Golden Octopus, Beth Bernobich
Blue Vervain Murder Ballad #2: Jack of Diamonds, Erik Amundsen
The Road to Levinshir, Patrick Rothfuss
Fixing Handover, Jeff Vandermeer
Boojum, Elizabeth Bear and Sara Monette
The Difficulties of Evolution, Karen Heuler
Catherine Drewe, Paul Cornell
Silent as Dust, James Maxey
Evil Robot Monkey, Mary Robinette Kowal
If Angels Fight, Richard Bowes
Spiderhorse, Liz Williams
The Tear, Ian McDonald
I am not a huge short story reader, I read a few here and there but usually if I am in the mood to read a series of short stories I tend to pick up a collection by a single author but, this particular collection featured a story by Patrick Rothfuss that I really wanted to read as I am eagerly awaiting the next book in his Kingkiller Chronicles. Not to mention it gave me an opportunity to read a few authors I have not had a chance to read before and get a sample of their work. There were also a few authors that I had not read in quite a while and it allowed me a chance to catch up with them as well.
There were quite a few stories that I either dealt with a subject matter that failed to get my attention or in some cases just was not anything I was interested in; however, there were quite a few gems inside. Mainly, the stories by Rothfuss, Beagle, Nix and James Alan Gardner.
If you are a fan of Peter S. Beagle, his story King Pelles the Sure should be right up your alley. Strong characters from the start with the moral of be careful what you wish for.
Garth Nix is an author I haven't read in a fairly long time and his story Infestation is a vampire tale that explores a new origin for the species and has a impressive, yet mysterious protagonist. Full of action and while it had a Young Adult slant to it, that did not keep it from being really entertaining. If it were to become a novel or series I would more than likely put down cash to read it as I was hooked and hoping for more.
James Alan Gardner chimes in with his story The Ray-Gun: A Love Story, in which I found rather clever. When the main character finds an alien weapon on Earth and we follow him as he uses his new found power. The weapon also has the ability to protect itself and we see just how small and fragile humanity and Earth are in the big picture of the universe.
The reason I purchased this collection was for Patrick Rothfuss' short story The Road to Levinshir, the main character from his Kingkiller Chonicles, Kvothe is featured in this story as he is in his role of bard and rights the wrongs of a fellow traveling troupe that had recently visited a small village. While it was nice to read something featuring Kvothe again it was rather disappointing from the prospective that I was hoping to gain more dirt on Kvothe but that was not to be the case. It was still a strong story but I was hoping for a few glimpses into Kvothe or at least a taste of what was to come in the second book that I have been waiting forever for it to be released.
The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2009, has a lot to offer if you are looking for a new author or want to read a few quick but fascinating stories from some of the best in the business. The only real complaint is that a few of the stories contain minimal fantasy or science fiction; however, nearly every story is strong and capable of standing on its own, the complaint is minor. It is hard to give the book that contains several stories from different authors a score, but this is what I came up with.
Plot(s) 8
Characters(s) 7
Style(s) 9
Overall 8.5/10
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