Year's Best SF 10 Book

Year's Best SF 10
Edited by David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer

This collection of twenty-three stories represents what the editors considered the best published in 2004. All the stories are science fiction, in the truest sense of the word. Not horror, fantasy, speculative fiction, or slipstream or postmodern literature, just science fiction. It's been a while since I read some real science fiction and I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed it. This is a good collection, only two that I couldn't make it through. 3.4 out of 5.

"Sergeant Chip" by Bradley Denton.
Sergeant Chip is a military K-9 partnered with Captain Dial. Sent to a war zone reminiscent of Afghanistan, Dial and Chip are betrayed by their own, their company slaughtered. Dial orders Chip to take a local family of refugees to safety. Sad and horrifying, too close to reality for comfort. I would've called it speculative fiction rather than science fiction, but whatever the classification, it was brilliantly written. 5 out of 5.

"First Commandment" by Gregory Benford.
Biologist Cindy Locke has been all around the world to inventory the creatures affected by man's changes in the environment. A holy man warns her that, while God had commanded Adam to name all that lived in the Garden of Eden, he might not be pleased by those man has destroyed over the centuries. Intriguing, if far-fetched even for science fiction. After all, wouldn't God have already known? 3.5 out of 5.

"Burning Day" by Glenn Grant.
In a world filled with humans, cogents, and cybrids, there is still crime and prejudice. Police Detectives human Danny Aramaki and cogent Gene Engine Mohad are called when a small private party is bombed, killing some of the cogent participants. I became suspicious about the truth halfway through, but wasn't 100% certain. A strong police procedural, an undercurrent of morality that could come up in our near future if IA research continues. 3.5 out of 5.

"Scout's Honor" by Terry Bisson.
A scientist who studies Neanderthals starts getting mysterious emails from someone who appears to have gone back in time to study and snatch one. Our unnamed scientist appears to be autistic, confirmed by the note at the beginning of the story. The stories about how NTs were eliminated are many. Bisson explores one possible solution. A tragic end for a gentle people. 3.5 out of 5.

"Venus Flowers at Night" by Pamela Sargent.
Mukhtar Karim al-Anwar has a dream, to look to the future of mankind. As Earth becomes hotter, thanks to pollution and the Greenhouse Effect, Karim considers how to terraform Venus, Mars being already taken. The other mukhtars are stuck in the now, but Karim is convinced this could yield enough knowledge to someday possibly restore Earth to its former state. Using virtual reality to explore the possibilities as well as the problems of terraforming Venus is inspired. An interesting look at what could happen to the United States if we don't take the situation seriously, if we stop looking for solutions. 3.5 out of 5.

"Pulp Cover" by Gene Wolfe.
Our unnamed hero fell in love with his boss' daughter when she was just 15 years old. Unfortunately, she becomes engaged to another man, supposedly the son of the boss' best friend. Something is wrong, but the wedding goes through before it can be proven. A slightly different take on the BEM tales of the past. Creepy as hell. 3.5 out of 5.

"The Algorithms for Love" by Ken Liu.
Are we truly real or just programmed creatures? A designer and programmer of lifelike dolls becomes convinced that we are just that, programmed to react to certain words and situations. This is something that certain scientists have dabbled in, along with being a virtual reality program. Talk about creepy! Shivers. 4.5 out of 5.

"Glinky" by Ray Vukcevich.
Karl Sowa finds himself flipping from one universe to another. He's asked to help return Glinky, a character rat back to his proper home before the universes explode. Not my cup of tea. I've never been a fan of what I call "acid SF" stories. This was a DNF for me after struggling halfway through the story.

"Red City" by Janeen Webb
Miles Smythe and his annoying wife, Lucinda Ponsonby-Smythe, travel to India on a combined vacation and research trip. Their driver, picking up extra money during the summer tourist season, is Professor Singh, who is investigating a particular site that intrigues Miles with the possibility of time-travel. Talk about the Ugly Tourist. Lucinda is all that is bad, not even willing to hide her bigoted and demeaning actions. I'd almost feel sorry for Miles, but he stays married to her. He isn't strong enough to stand up to her. She deserved her fate. 4 out of 5.

"Act of God" by Jack McDevitt.
Jerry stops by Phil's place for a drink, telling him about the work he had been doing with Abe and Mac and Sylvia, all of whom are now dead. Abe had made his own Big Bang, bringing into life a universe filled with planets. They tinkered to help intelligent flourish, but the creatures all seemed to stall at the basic village and savagery level. Maybe if they sent the Ten Commandments over, with an extra commandment added. Playing God is a favorite trope in science fiction, but it is rare to be so distant, much less that they are punished by another God. Or could it be a scientist doing the same thing they did? An intriguing tale. 3.5 out of 5.

"Wealth" by Robert Reed.
Wealth, an independent AI, has come to Mars with plans, the first of which is buying a crumbling old mansion. The house is also an AI, authorized to negotiate. Strange and wonderful and sad (just a little bit). Characters that I would love to see more of. 4.5 out of 5.

"Mastermindless" by Matthew Hughes.
Henghis Hapthorne, famed freelance discriminator, suddenly finds himself physically and mentally changed, his back account virtually empty. When he realizes that his isn't the only victim, he must struggle, with the help of his Integrator, to find the villain. When this started, I was dubious. But the idea of a Holmesian genius losing that intellect just when he most needed it was an interesting idea. 3.5 out of 5.

"Time, as It Evaporates…" by Jean-Claude Dunyach (translated by Jean-Louis Trudel).
When time rips apart, only one small Muslim town survives in a pocket caused by surrounding mountains. But that time like is slowly receding. So incredibly deep. Faith and humanity, love and hate, all have a place in this tale. 4.5 out of 5.

"The Battle of York" by James Stoddard.
3000 years have passed since America fell. Scientists struggle to put together the history of that long ago country, mixing quite a bit up in the process. What a hoot! The Pilgrim, Waynejon. Custard, Arm Strong. The head eagle, E. Perilous Union, and his son, Apollo Leven, who live in the Peaks of Usps. A mighty quest that is beyond hysterical. 4.5 out of 5.

"Loosestrife" by Liz William.
Poor Aud had been kept a virtual prisoner by her mother. A little slow, Aud is now fending for herself and her baby. Kept a secret from everyone except her friend, Danny, Aud wants to give the baby a better life than London. Tragic, yet in many ways hopeful for Aud. This one really hits you emotionally. 4.5 out of 5.

"The Dark Side of Town" by James Patrick Kelly.
Talisha has longed for a child and a house for ages, but Ricky always said that they couldn't afford them. Then she discovers expensive sexual fantasy pills hidden under his boxers. She's furious, but she still loves him. Does she dare take one of the pills to see exactly what Ricky has been up to? Ricky's fantasy was so much more than Talisha could ever have imagined. While sad in so many ways, it might be that Ricky is right, that it was the only way for them to have their dreams come somewhat true. 3.5 out of 5.

"Invisible Kingdoms" by Steven Utley.
Mr. Cahill, brilliant and wealthy inventor of IntelliGelatintm, has encased himself in a protective shell as his body began to fail him, retreating from public view. Now he is being hunted by Mr. Selby and various government agencies over the illegal trade from the Paleozoic era. It might not be the first collector done in by his obsession, but is he really the victim? Is he really gone? Will SpokesMomtm save the man's most special collection? I really could see this happening, other than the space/time travel part. 4 out of 5.

"The Cascade" by Sean McMullen.
An unnamed protagonist meets Julia while watching the first Mars landing at a local bar. He finds himself on the edges of a conspiracy that will radically change both the mission as well as life on Earth. A tough story, one that has at the core a belief in space exploration being untaken by humans, not robots. It is an argument that those of us interested in space exploration have heard since we stopped the Apollo program. I found Julia's solution to be self-defeating. In many ways, she has made it impossible to do manned exploration beyond that of Mars itself. 3.5 out of 5.

"Pervert" by Charles Coleman Finlay.
In a future time, there are only homosexuals and hydrosexuals. Or so the teaching goes. But what if you are neither? Frightening in its implications, yet a simple switch of sexuality would show how it is in many parts of the planet now. 3.5 out of 5.

"The Risk-Taking Gene as Expressed by Some Asian Subjects" by Steve Tomasula.
Studying the Risk-Taking gene in a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Another DNF for me. While I understand that the inherent racism in this story was more than likely the point, I found it too uncomfortable to read. Add the pseudo-science in the narrative and I was unable to force myself to continue.

"Strood" by Neal Asher.
Human David Hall is dying of cancer. The alien doctors are unable to cure him, instead giving him a ticket to travel to their space station. While exploring, David realizes that a strood, another type of alien who some believe could be pets, is following him. A group making a documentary helps David find the truth. And what a glorious truth it was! You have to feel for the poor strood, desperately following David about, only wanting to feed. Such a special, extraordinarily written story. 4.5 out of 5.

"The Eckener Alternative" by James L. Cambias.
John Cavalli adores airships so he decides to sneak back in time and tinker so that they will survive. He keeps trying over and over again, but they never seem to survive past World War II. I feel for John, I think zeppelins are very cool as well. 4 out of 5.

"Savant Songs" by Brenda Cooper.
Adam Giles had fallen in love with autistic savant Elsa Hill years ago. He became her assistant, remaining long after he received his doctorate. Always interested in multiverses, Elsa and her PI are searching for themselves in those other universes. Prepare to tear up at the end of this tale. The search for ourselves may be as old as humanity, definitely as old as religion. Maybe even as old as science itself. 4.5 out of 5.