The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction
Editor Dozois' ample annuals have long been considered the standard by which other best-of-the-year sf anthologies are judged. After two decades of his treasure troves of superlative sf, Dozois now sees fit to issue a retrospective compilation culling from all 20 of them. The results are breathtaking. Under one banner are assembled some of the best work of the genre's leading authors, from grandmasters Robert Silverberg, Gene Wolfe, and Ursula K. LeGuin to such rising stars as Stephen Baxter, Geoff Ryman, and James Patrick Kelly. A number of the selections are now considered classics--"Blood Music," Greg Bear's Hugo-winning exploration of nanotechnology, for instance, and "Bears Discover Fire," Terry Bisson's tongue-in-cheek consideration of future ursine evolution. While Dozois admits to selecting primarily personal favorites rather than following the more equitable formula of blending the older and the newer, he couldn't help producing a feast of good reading and an essential acquisition for virtually every sf library, anyway.Carl HaysCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved