The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology

The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology
Gordon Van Gelder (editor)
Tachyon: 2009


The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is generally acknowledged as one of the Big Three of SFF magazines published today. Along with Asimov’s, F&SF annually accumulates a significant number of the genre’s most prestigious award nominations. Stephen King is on record saying that the magazine is “still the gold standard for short fiction in America”. This is all to say that an anthology titled “The Very Best of” this well regarded magazine has some inherently high expectations to meet. By definition, the bar is set very high.

This Sixtieth Anniversary anthology truly spans the decades, leading off with 1951’s “Of Time and Third Avenue”, by Alfred Bester and closing with Ted Chiang’s 2008 novella “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate”. This anthology is packed full of the legends of the genre: Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, Damon Knight, Shirley Jackson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, Kurt Vonnegut, and James Tiptree Jr. Van Gelder has also included a healthy selection of modern masters, including Jeffrey Ford, Neil Gaiman, Ted Chiang, M. Rickert, and Peter S. Beagle. Without knowing anything about what stories are included, the names on the cover should be enough to inspire people to pick up a copy. These are the masters of science fiction and fantasy.

Gordon Van Gelder has included two truly legendary stories in this anthology: “Flowers for Algernon”, by Daniel Keyes, and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”. There is an excellent chance that many readers first encountered these stories in their school textbooks (really) and they hold up both as classics of the genre as well as simply excellent stories. While these two stories are perhaps the most notable stories included in this anthology, there are other fine gems to be found.

"The Women Men Don't See" from James Tiptree, Jr is a standout, as is Ursula K. Le Guin's "Solitude". Shirley Jackson is perhaps most famous for her story "The Lottery" (not in this anthology), but her story "One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts" is excellent.

This anthology represents both a cross-section of the history of science fiction and fantasy stories and an overview of the stylistic changes the genre has undergone. The earliest stories collected here represent a kind of “classic” science fiction story. Mr. Van Gelder mentions in his introduction to “I See You” that he could have saved himself a fair amount of time over the years if he simply wrote on rejection letters that "Damon Knight used this same idea better and more succinctly years ago." The later stories reflect a more magic-realist type of story. The genre element is often inherent in the story, rather than being the hook of the story. Now, that is a very gross generalization and counter-examples can be given on both sides of the divide, but it serves to demonstrate a stylistic shift in the sort of story published today compared to fifty or sixty years ago. This anthology represents that shift and the change in style and tone is noticeable.

What is rather curious, though, is what is only evident if readers look through the bibliography pages. While nearly sixty years of fiction is included in this volume, Mr. Van Gelder declined to include any stories published in the 1980’s. Now, there is no reason Van Gelder should be required to include stories published in a given year or a given decade, but it is curious. Was the 80’s a weak decade for F&SF? Was it an oversight? Were those stories previously included in the Fiftieth Anniversary anthology and Mr. Van Gelder did not wish to duplicate the many previous anthologies F&SF has put out? Does it matter?

There is also the curious practice where Gordon Van Gelder would mention in story introductions that he could have included better known stories from a particular author and he included the Zelazny story "partly because I think it's overlooked too often and partly because this story left a huge impression on me when I was thirteen." Not necessarily because he thought it was best.

Readers more familiar with the history of F&SF can identify which stories may have been neglected and merited inclusion. Readers less familiar with that history can only judge what is included here.

If a reader was to only consider the best of the best stories included here, this anthology could easily be considered one of the best retrospective anthologies to ever hit the marketplace. When taken as a whole anthology, however, the reader is left to settle for a very good anthology that was likely three or four stories away from being great. The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology does represent the best writers of the last sixty years, but with the exceptions of some true standouts, there is some question that it represents the best work those writers contributed to F&SF. Not to mention the missing decade.

Included in The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology are some very good stories which likely rank among the best published in this magazine. They just may not be “The Very Best” of the best which the title indicates.

Is this anthology worth picking up? Oh, absolutely. There is some fine, fine fiction here.


Reading copy provided courtesy of Tachyon

F&SF Giveway: Aug / Sept issue

Gordon Van Gelder is running a giveway for the August / September issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. It's for anyone willing to accept a copy and then blog their thoughts of the issue.

I've already had my shot with the July 2008 issue, so I don't qualify, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get a chance to read some F&SF for free.

now don't that just figure?

(thanks to Spontaneous Derivation for the heads up)


So, back in July I was fortunate enough to be able to receive a blogger's review copy of Fantasy and Science Fiction. I wasn't horribly impressed, but it was cool that I got a chance to read the magazine since it isn't something I subscribe to and I sure haven't seen it on a local newsstand. I'm sure if I went to one of our two specialty stores in the area (Uncle Hugos and Dreamhaven), I'd be able to purchase a single issue, but that would take me out of my way and I'm lazy.

Why am I writing now?

There's a new offer out for the Oct / Nov issue. Mr. Van Gelder also requests that folks who received the July issue sit out this one, and I think that's perfectly fair and reasonable. I don't want to monopolize the publication and keep getting free swag to review. Well, that's not true. I do want to get a subscription for free just for blogging about it, but let's be fair here to F&SF. I (and everyone else who received the July issue for free) should sit this one out.

One of my complaints about the July issue was that it was just "average" and not outstanding and with little star quality. I wanted something enticing, and in the comments to the post Mr. Van Gelder explained why an All Star issue wouldn't be fair to the reader considering subscribing (and hey, it should be a representative issue).

So, who's in the Oct / Nov issue on offer?

Carol Emshwiller.

Michael Swanwick.

Robert Reed.

M. Rickert.

Stephen King.


Now don't that just figure?

Fantasy & Science Fiction: July 2008

The good people at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF) offered up the July 2008 issue of their magazine to bloggers to read and review. As I fit the bill, I requested and received a copy. This is a magazine I have considered subscribing to, and one which had a good number of stories included on the list of Nebula Nominees and is considered one of the Big Three SFF magazines. So, why not?


This issue opens with “Fullbrim’s Finding” from Matthew Hughes. It is a Henghis Hapthorn story, which may mean something to those familiar with the character. Henghis has appeared in several stories as well as two novels from Hughes. Hapthorn (unnamed in the story, I believe) investigates the disappearance of Doldam Fullbrim, a scientist of some renown. From the start, I was bored. The fact that I was not familiar with the character had no bearing on my interest in the story, but this is just one of those tales that didn’t work for me. Not the most auspicious of starts to the issue.

“Fullbrim’s Finding” is followed by two sections of book reviews. Charles de Lint covers Duma Key and a Repairman Jack novel. James Sallis takes on The New Weird and The Dragons of Babel. De Lint succeeded in making me more interested in Duma Key than I was from reading the short story the novel is expanded from, and Sallis does good work in his section.

For those keeping track at home, the opening story in the magazine was underwhelming, but I like the reviews.

On to the second story, this one from Lisa Goldstein: “Reader’s Guide”. Loved it. It starts as a list of questions as one might find in those reader’s guides at the back of YA novels (or book club editions), but the questions turn ridiculous. “10. Are these symbols and coincidences so obvious that Donny might come to suspect that he’s in a story?” Just perfect. Then it moves into the story of the person who wrote the reader’s guide and the story gets even better.

“Reader’s Guide” is followed by the lone novella in this issue: “The Roberts” by Michael Blumlein. Here we have cloning (eventually), but really a story of a man who loves a woman and when in love he does his best work as an architect. When he does his best work, he begins to neglect his woman, and thus the work suffers when the relationship falls apart. Rinse, wash, and repeat. It ends in cloning. Other than my fairly basic disgust with the man, who should be adult enough to know how to prioritize or accept, the story is fine. I can imagine some readers will delight in “The Roberts”, others will be bored. I’m somewhere in between. I expected a bit more from the novella and I’m not sure I got it.

Not much to say about Paul Di Filippo’s “Plumage from Pegasus: Galley Knaves”. I started out thinking it was nonfiction, but by the end, I think there is a healthy dose of fiction in it. It is an interesting story (sort of) of the lengths publishers may / could go to get their Advanced Reading Copies noticed by reviewers. Silly, fun, but what the hell is this supposed to be?

Scott Dalrymple’s “Enfant Terrible” is a highlight of this issue. A man from “university” looks in on an elementary school class for extraordinarily gifted children. The story is told straight, but there is still a decent layer of humor in the story. Good stuff.

Albert E. Cowdrey's novelette "Poison Victory" is something I did not expect to like, but I did. It is an alternate history tale set in 1949 AFTER Nazi Germany won the war. It features a former soldier turned landowner recounting a dual story: his actions in the war which allowed the Nazis to win, as well as his quiet rebellions in 1949 Nazi Germany. Well written and dark, "Poison Victory" was an unexpected story, but a solid one.

This issue concludes with "The Dinosaur Train" by James L. Cambias. It's about a traveling dinosaur show in the present day (or in the 80's, I can't tell) and a sick dinosaur. It was...I don't know. Fine. Boring. Moderately readable. Sort of compelling. A mixed back that didn't amount to a whole lot? All of the above. I expected a bit more from this one and got a bit less (which is the exact opposite of my experience with "Poison Victory".


So, now, having read the July 2008 issue of F&SF, would I actually spend my hard earned money on a subscription?

Nope.

I’ve been far more impressed with the Nebula Nominees which have come out of the magazine than I have been with the stories in this collection. Naturally I wouldn’t expect every story to be Nebula level, but I was disappointed with this issue. There were two stories that were good (“Enfant Terrible” and “Reader’s Guide), another that I liked but I can’t get excited about (“Poison Victory”), but overall a bunch of blah. That’s my basic impression of this issue: Blah. There is nothing to get excited about here and as a promotional copy I would have hoped that the quality would be a bit better than average to really excite new readers. It didn’t. I would not actively seek out a subscription to F&SF based on this issue or recommend that others do the same.


Reading copy provided courtesy of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Preliminary Nebula Ballot: F&SF stories available online

John Joseph Adams provides a link to the 7 stories from Fantasy and Science Fiction nominated for the Nebula. Adams mentions they will only be up a limited time, so it's time to check them out!

We've got fiction from Gene Wolfe, Ted Chiang, and Lucius Shepard, among others.

I'll have to check these out. I've read Ted Chiang's story previously, and Geoff Ryman's story, but the other five are new to me.

Gardner Dozois and Adventure SF

Dave Truesdale over at The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction has a great column detailing editor Gardner Dozois' history with, passion for, and interest in Adventure Science Fiction / Space Opera. It's a good read.