I love SF novels, and count stories like The Forever War and The Ghost Brigades among my all-time favorites, but in the last year, I’ve grown very fond of the SF short story. Since an SF short story is what I hope to scrape out of my brains as my next writing project, I’ve been reading as many short stories as I can get my hands on, in places like Subterranean online, the Subterranean magazine, and in various anthologies.
I recently finished a great anthology called the Nebula Awards Showcase 2007, edited by Mike Resnick. In addition to some great SF from established writers, it included some fantasy (Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners was wonderful), some poetry, and a novellette from Harlan Ellison that, while not SF or Fantasy, was probably my favorite tale in the book.
Now that I’m done with it, I’m looking for a new SF anthology. I’ve spent some time in the bookstore and on the googles trying to pick out a new one, but it’s tricky. Most anthologies are, by their nature, uneven, and some are downright garbage. I haven’t red enough to know if there’s one editor who I can rely upon more than another, of if there’s one publisher who puts out books with pretty covers and not much else.
While I wait for my sample issues of F&SF to arrive, I’m looking for a new anthology that’s not huge (some are over 800 pages, which is just too big for me to schlep around town) that focuses on speculative fiction.
Any suggestions?
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The other day I got a book called The Bicentennial Man and Other Short Stories by Issac Asimov. Even though its not an anthology it is a collection of short stories. I only read the first few stories because I had to return it due to late fees. 🙂 What I did read was pretty good.
By SF do you mean specifically science fiction or are you looking for speculative literature, which includes fantasy?
I used to like Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine very much, especially back when the good doctor was still around and helping with editing. I have a lot of issues from back in the late eighties where he wrote forewards to the magazine. If you can find a collection of “best of” from that magazine, I’d recommend it.
Tempest: More SF than Fantasy. I’m more interested in the PKD style of storytelling than anything else, to be honest.
I really enjoyed “The Road to Science Fiction”, especially Volume 3 which is a collection of stories from the golden age of Heinlein and Asimov all the way through Dick and LeGuin to the mid 80s. Every story in there is great.
Wil, see if you can order this. It’s very hard to find and seems as if it might be a SF primer for kids, but damn if doesn’t have some incredible stories.
It was the earliest SF I’d ever read – back when I was a stripling of 10 or so – and introduced me to one of my favorite stories, “It’s A Beautiful Day” by Isaac Asimov.
Here’s a list of the stories. Thirty years later and I’m still haunted by some of them.
BTW, Beyond Belief was published the month I was born. No wonder I feel such a connection!
Recently, I got an anthology from SFBC named One Million AD. It had some pretty interesting tales in there. A couple disappointed, but overall it was a good, quick read.
I’m mostly enjoying “The New Space Opera” anthology I found in the bookstore. Here is my current partial review, and here’s the amazon link to prove I’m not trolling for visits to my site. 🙂
Hey Wil,
Gardner Dozois edits an anthology of SF short stories every year, and I’ve been picking it up since I discovered it in the early 90’s. It’s called (appropriately) The Year’s Best Science Fiction. It’s consistently presented me with some damn compelling reading.
“Tales of Known Space”
Nuff said – not get at it!
One name, Wil: Ellen Datlow. Ellen is the former editor of Omni and SciFiction, the now defunct SciFi.com webzine. In the world of editors, they don’t come any better.
I think that just about any anthology you pick up with Ellen’s name on it will have an excellent selection of speculative fiction. Considering the title of this post, perhaps you should look up the seminal SF anthology Alien Sex that she edited.
Also, if you are interested in reading what’s current from new writers in SF, the Writers of the Future anthologies are excellent. Forget the fact that they have L. Ron Hubbard’s name on them; they have nothing whatsoever to do with Scientology, and Hubbard just set up the initial fund for a writing contest that helps new authors break into print. Lots of big names broke into the market through this contest, and the best part is you can submit stories of your own and receive feedback and critique from authors like Robert Silverberg, Larry Niven, Orson Scott Card, and Gregory Benford. And, if your story is good enough to win a quarterly prize, you will get a cash reward plus a separate offer to publish the work in an anthology.
some food for thought.
http://contento.best.vwh.net/0start.htm
now I need to add a few things to my reading list.
You’ve probably already read this, but if not, man, you gotta: “Nine Tomorrows,” by Isaac Asimov. As they say, “It will better you.”
I second the suggestion of Gardner Dozois. His anthologies are pretty good. If you want to read the best of the best, you might try Orson Scott Card’s anthology called Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Twentieth Century. (You can read my review of that anthology if you want. Warning: minor spoilers.)
I am an avid reader of SF short stories. Our tastes might differ a lot, but I think there are some good anthologies I could recommend, regardless of these differences.
First, I always buy David G. Hartwell’s Year’s Best SF paperbacks whenever I see a new one out. The styles vary enough that you’re almost certain to find at least a few stories you really like.
If you don’t mind reading older stuff (your mention of “speculative fiction” might preclude that) you should look for volumes that collect the Hugo and Nebula award winners ever since they started giving the awards.
I also own a volume titled “The Best of Orbit 1-10” which was an anthology of stories taken from volumes 1-10 of the original anthology series “Orbit” edited by Damon Knight, and almost all the stories inside are really good, and interspersed with illuminating correspondence between Knight and the writers. Amazon seems to have some used copies:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Orbit-1-10-Damon-Knight/dp/0425031616/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196279297&sr=1-9
Another anthology that blew my mind was “The Best of Interzone”. I have to say that I love ALL the stories in that book.
I think this is it: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Interzone-David-Pringle/dp/B000OTB1G4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196279413&sr=1-2
(if it starts out with the story “Mitochondrial Eve” you have it.)
But really, when it comes to SF anthologies, my view is, unless it mostly contains stories by writers you already know you hate, it’s usually worth it, if for no other reason than for the variety in styles, subject matter, and points of view.
Maybe my standards are lower than yours (or I’m just less picky) but I’ve never come across an anthology that didn’t contain at least one story I liked.
Now, if someone could put out one or two volumes of “The Best of SF Age”, the slick that lasted about 10 years from the 90’s up until the beginning of the new millennium, I would buy those without hesitation.
One last suggestion about the writing part: if you still feel insecure about your ability to write fiction (said the unpublished writer to the published and successful writer) you might want to try transitioning slowly. What I mean by this is: either take an event from your life of the kind you might have written about, but add a simple science-fictional element to it, a kind of “what if…” twist. That way, you can keep the tone you’ve been using in your stories up until now, which has been proven to be succesful.
Anyway, that’s one way to do it, I guess.
I have absolutely nothing to add except “hi.”
Sooner or later you’re going to get curious and follow the link to my blog, no?
Or I could put it for you here:
http://lawyermama.blogspot.com
I haven’t read a lot of anthologies, but those I have read were very good. The Year’s Best edited by Gardner Dozois has already been mentioned, but definitely worth the read.
Also one that I liked was “Redshift” edited by Al Sarrantonio, and also “Flights” by the same, though it’s a fantasy collection.
In an actual sane, useful legacy left behind by L. Ron Hubbard, there have been regular anthologies published with the winners of the “Writers of the Future” contest that he started and is currently being sponsored by his estate. I bought some of the early volumes, and not only are there good stories in there (with a mix of styles), but essays from established authors on the art. Of course my experience is from 20 years ago, when the contest was new and I was under the illusion that one day I would be published in said anthology…
If you want some stories from the “Golden Age” of SF, look for “The Science Fiction Hall of Fame”, Vol I, IIa and IIb. Some classic SF was collected in them. Vol I is made up of short stories including “It’s a Good Life”, “Microcosmic God”, “Nightfall”, “The Cold Equations”, and (ObTrek-Classic) “Arena”. The full contents are on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_Fiction_Hall_of_Fame_Volume_One,_1929-1964.
Vol IIa and IIb collected novellas. They are out of print in PB, from what Amazon shows, but SF Book Club or OOP booksellers should have them.
See ya @ BARGE….
I don’t know about reading, but if you’re in the mood for *listening*, I highly recommend Escape Pod.
http://escapepod.org/
There’s some excellent short F/SF there, and the editor rather likes speculative fiction. Escape Pod is great for me because I love F/SF, but I rarely make time to sit and read anymore. Driving to work? Listen to a story. Doing monotonous manual labor, like raking leaves? Listen to a story.
As a collection of Short Stories I heartily recommend “GUD Magazine” – There’s SCI-FI in there, to be sure. Available as a PDF ($3.50) or print ($10).
Currently two issues out, each roughly 200 pages.
http://www.gudmagazine.com
I’m reluctant to pass this off as it could be construed as blatant self/friends promotion, but it is seriously good stuff and I sincerely want to pass it along.
I second the recommendation of the Year’s Best anthologies, which tend to be excellent. Also – not recent, not compact, but among the finest anthologies ever, with any focus, Dangerous Visions and Again, Dangerous Visions. They’re just superb.
First, I have a subscription to F&SF as well, and I love it. A lot of good stuff in there (and i usually read it cover to cover).
Second, there’s a website called “Stranger Horizons” that is similar to F&SF in content (more on the SF side, though), but is only online.
I second the comment about Ellen Datlow as an editor(although I’ve mostly read her dark fantasy/horror type collections)… I’m also pretty fond of Martin H. Greenberg … he edits a wide range of genres, but I also enjoy most of the anthology if he’s the main editor, no matter the field.
There’s a new short fiction collection by Neil Gaiman that came out not too long ago called “Fragile Things.” I’ve been absolutely forbidden by every member of my family to buy books for myself this close to Christmas, so I haven’t grabbed a copy yet, but there’s no way it’s *not* good. I think at least one of the stories is supposed to be a follow-up of American Gods…
The World Turned Upside Down, edited by Eric Flint, Jim Baen, and David Drake. It’s an amazing collection of golden-age SF.
Ok, 1)I recommend exploring the Web 2.0 world of LibraryThing. Here’s what the people on LT have tagged for your search:
http://www.librarything.com/tag/anthology,science%20fiction
2)I have 45+ sci fi anthologies. Two favorites:
Elemental : the Tsunami relief anthology — because the stories were higher quality than I usually see in anthologies
and
101 Science Fiction Stories (Hardcover) by Martin H. Greenberg (Author) from 1987. Pick it up used for $1. It has a really good selection. Greenberg I usually see as airport anthologies, but this one I go back to again and again. It has some classic stories.
Bonus: and fun w/ LT continued:
http://www.librarything.com/unsuggester/7617 — 72 books you won’t like if you like “Just a Geek”
-Cheryl
You might dig the new Nightshade books anthology Eclipse. I haven’t read it yet, but the lineup is awesome and includes some of the authors you talked about. It’s probably in the vein you’re looking for. The year’s best I’m currently in love with is Rich Horton’s.
I don’t know, I haven’t red enough either…
“luminous” is a collection of short stories by greg egan. some of it is more “math fiction” than “science fiction”, but it’s a pretty uniformly good book.
–regis
I’ll second the recommendation of Hartwell’s Year’s best SF. I’ve been picking it up for years and, while there’s sure to be at least one story in there you don’t like, I think most of them are fairly good. This year had a really solid novella from Michael Flynn, and quite a few other good stories.
There’s a collection of flash-fiction (and some poetry) called “Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic” that was just released.
I’ll second Kendra with regards to Neil Gaiman’s newest short story collection, “Fragile Things”. Loads of fun! I personally enjoy “A Study in Emerald” (think Sherlock Holmes in the world of H.P. Lovecraft) and “How to Talk to Girls at Parties”, which IS science-fiction, though the title might not sound like it. Also, I liked “The Monarch of the Glen” at the end of the book, which is kind of a novella in of itself, taking place after the events in “American Gods”. I have his other short story collection “Smoke and Mirrors” as well, which I enjoyed immensely. Of course, not all of the stories, poems, etc., in either collection are science-fiction, but I really think they’re both very well done in any of the genres represented.
Anything by George R. R. Martin is fantastic, I think. “A Song For Lya” and “Sandkings” are great SF short story books. He has an anthology out with all of his stuff, but those two should get you going. Incidently, “Sandkings” was turned into an Outer Limits episode also written by GRRM. Marvelous.
If you enjoy Mike Resnick’s editing, you may like “Sherlock Holmes in Orbit”. Yes, they are all Sherlock Holmes stories, but each one has a SF/Fantasy element.
If you are feeling more fantasy inclined, “Legends” and “Legends II” may do you right. It’s by the big names in fantasy, each one writting a legend of the worlds they usually write in, in short story form.
Let us know what you think!
Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series is actually a very interesting read. There are several books to this series and it chronicals the adventures of a man in a strange world with magic, evil, mutants, and mythical creatures. I think there are eight books total. I haven’t read all of them yet, but the first four were extremely creative and addicting.
I heartily second the referral to the “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” books.
What about “Analog” the magazine? Especially older issues (when Bova edited) but Analog will appeal to the geek scientist in you.
Wil, instead of an anthology let me recommend an author who writes both novels and short stories. I have been a fan for over 30 years and have rarely been disappointed. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has awards and accolades as long as my arm and I can assure you they are all well deserved. She’s written many novels and short stories but what shes known best for is her character Count Saint-Germain, a four thousand year old vampire who is always the good guy in all her stories. She’s about to release her 20th book about the count and has written several short stories with him as her central character. Each story leaves you wanting more. Her latest group entitled Saint Germain Memoirs is available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Germain-Memoirs-Chelsea-Quinn-Yarbro/dp/1934501018/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196286932&sr=8-1). I know this is more fantasy then SF, but her use of language is well worth the side trip. BTW when your done give the book over to Anne if she’s into intelligent romance and history – the count never disappoints. http://www.chelseaquinnyarbro.net/index.html
BTW I almost forgot, you will probably find her in many of the anthologies listed here by the others.
As with everyone else present, I can’t stress enough Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best collections. You can shortcut to the first Best of the Year’s Best if you want to see if that’s the sort of fiction you see yourself writing.
Patrick Nielsen Hayden had three anthologies called Starlight — volumes 1 and 2 are, in particular, brilliant.
If you want to experience some lovely YA stuff, there’s A Wizard’s Dozen, A Starfarer’s Dozen, and A Nightmare’s Dozen. You may also want to check out Bruce Coville’s Book of Monsters, Book of Nightmares, Book of Ghosts, Book of Aliens, and Book of Spine Tinglers. (For that matter, checking out Bruce Coville’s personal short story collections would not hurt, particularly Oddly Enough.)
And one last pair: Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg edited a pair of anthologies called Werewolves and Vampires. They are brilliant, touching, frightening, and most likely out of print. Worth it anyway.
Good luck! (And I love answering these kind of questions!)
Hey Wil —
I know you asked for anthologies, not single-author story collections, but a story collection I’d enthusiastically recommend is Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. Everything the man writes is brilliant. Though you may want to hold off and see what you think of “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” which I believe is in one of the back issues of F&SF you ordered. (If blog readers are wondering how I know that, I work at F&SF.)
As for anthologies, you might like REWIRED: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology. Also, FAST FORWARD, Vol. 1 is a good all-original antho. Both of these are entirely SF (IIRC); I’d also recommend ECLIPSE, which someone else pointed out, though it’s a mix of SF and fantasy. You might like more a different antho edited by the same person (Jonathan Strahan)–called THE STARRY RIFT, which is an all-original, all-SF anthology.
And then, of course, there’s my own anthology, WASTELANDS: Stories of the Apocalypse, but you’ve got that already. 🙂
I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend Maureen McHugh’s collection, “Mothers & Other Monsters”. It was a finalist for the 2005 Story Prize. It includes her Hugo winning short story, “The Lincoln Train”. It’s currently on sale at Small Beer Press for $9.
You might also enjoy her essay about being a stepmother. There’s a link at SBP: http://www.lcrw.net/mchugh/index.htm
Another great collection from Small Beer Press is “Howard Who?” by Howard Waldrop. He’s a national treasure.
If you’re interested in integrating humor in fiction writing, I highly recommend anything edited by Esther Friesner. Most of it is fantasy, which you’re not looking at, but she has been known to dip into scifi. If you can find anything she’s written, even better.
Also, anything edited by John Clute. He’s a real prick and told my entire Odyssey class to not even bother, but also highly picky about quality. Anything he allows in a book is going to be top notch. They often tap him for “Years best…”
If you’re looking for hard science fiction, you might try a collection called “The Hard SF Renaissance”. 41 stories by various authors; I think you’ll enjoy it.
If you can track it down, there’s a great little book called “Space Suits & Gumshoes,” edited by Richard Lunn (MacMillan Press). I picked mine up at a second-hand sale, so I don’t know how available it is generally speaking.
It’s just under 300 pages long; the first half are science fiction stories, and the second half are crime/mysteries. It’s a weird combination, but it seems to work. There’s one particularly SF story called “And Lo! The Bird” by Nelson Bond. Doubleplusgood.
I third the recommendation for The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 1 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380007959).
I got it because I wanted to read “Mimsy Were the Borogoves” (which was fabulous), but I was truly floored by this entire collection. You won’t be disappointed.
Along the lines of The Nebula Awards Showcase – The Hugo Winners, edited by Isaac Asimov. I’ve got volumes 1-4, which span the years 1955-1979. Science fiction’s best writers, in short story and novelette form.
I wanted to mention that Fictionwise sells subscriptions and individual issues of F & SF in non DRM-ed electronic formats if you have any interest in reading on a computer, PDA, etc. Plus you get instant gratification.
Thanks for everyone else sharing their ideas – I’m going to have to check out some of these myself – but I couldn’t help but toss out one more:
The Past Through Tomorrow
by Robert A. Heinlein
This collection is short stories and novellas of most of the “Future History”, including the amazing short “Life Line” which launched RAH on his career back in 1939. I wish they would have filmed that for the recent TV show instead of the nightmare they chose instead. Enjoy!
“Time Untamed” is an old (1967) short paperback, but definitely worth seeking out. Only eight stories, but they’re by Asimov, Robert Bloch, Bradbury, Clifford Simak, John Wyndham, Theodore Sturgeon, L. Sprague DeCamp and Fritz Frakking Leiber. It’s like a pulp geek all-star squad.
Hey Wil, I did like “Redshift: Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction” edited by Al Sarrantonio (ISBN 9780451458599). Lots of cool stories in there by a bunch of different authors. (His fantasy anthology “Flights” was good too.) Also, given you’ve played Car Wars, I expect you’ve read “With Friends Like These” by Alan Dean Foster. That has one of my favorites, “Why Johnny Can’t Speed” (exceedingly reminiscent of Car Wars). Have fun!