World's Best Science Fiction 1977 Annual Book

A great collection. Judging by the very high quality of most stories in this book, I'd say science fiction was in top form in 1977 (or 1976, as each volume in this series aimed to give us the best from the previous year).

Appearance of Life (Brian W. Aldiss) - An anticipation of modern day gadgets and a love triangle stretched out in time. A beautiful introduction to the book and, for me, to Aldiss.

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (John Varley) - An early cyberpunk story, before the term existed. There's some crazy stuff here that will twist your mind pretty much like the protagonist's. It could have gone in many directions; it went the cheeky way.

Those Good Old Days of Liquid Fuel (Michael G. Coney) - One of my favorites. Timeless and unforgettable. Not for the hard sci-fi fans; although, they wouldn't know what they'd be missing.

The Hertford Manuscript (Richard Cowper) - Having not read Wells's The Time Machine (I will try to correct that), I thought I won't be able to make much sense of this story and that I won't enjoy it much. Luckily, it worked just fine. Richard Cowper is a very good storyteller and I've always loved time traveler's tales.

Natural Advantage (Lester Del Rey) - The only one in the collection that I didn't like. It was written, seemingly, with a "retro" look in mind - to recreate the feel of space operas from SF's pulp era - it was weak and uninteresting.

The Bicentennial Man (Isaac Asimov) - A longer story from the old master. Impeccable storyline; could've used a bit of color, though.

The Cabinet of Oliver Naylor (Barrington J. Bayley) - This was a huge surprise. I was actually becoming rather bored with it, having the impression I was reading nothing more than a personal dissertation on the nature of identity - and then, BAM! It hit so hard and so unexpectedly, right to the funny bone. I'm left with a permanent chuckle.

My Boat (Joanna Russ) - Not a very original theme, but nicely done. What sets it apart, I guess, is that it touches on racial integration - a subject, at that time, rarely spoken of in the genre.

Houston, Houston, Do You Read? (James Tiptree, Jr.) - Tiptree's most famous story, and a magnificent one indeed. It won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards. A view of humanity's distant future that would send most men screaming in horror to the nearest space colony.

I See You (Damon Knight) - Another gadget story, this one a little scarier. The ultimate techno-voyeurism.