The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 22nd Annual Collection
Page 1
THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF
BEST NEW
SCIENCE FICTION
Also available
The Mammoth Book of 20th Century Science Fiction, vol. 2
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THE MAMMOTH BOOK
OF BEST NEW
SCIENCE FICTION
22nd Annual Collection
Edited by
GARDNER DOZOIS
ROBINSON
London
Constable & Robinson Ltd
3 The Lanchesters
162 Fulham Palace Road
London W6 9ER
www.constablerobinson.com
First published in the USA by St Martin’s Press 2009
First published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson, 2009
Copyright © Gardner Dozois, 2009
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication
Data is available from the British Library
UK ISBN 978-1-84529-930-9
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint the following materials:
“Turing’s Apples”, by Stephen Baxter. Copyright © 2008 by Stephen Baxter. First published in Eclipse Two (Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled,” by Michael Swanwick. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Gambler,” by Paolo Bacigalupi. Copyright © 2008 by Paolo Bacigalupi. First published in Fast Forward 2 (Pyr), edited by Lou Anders. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Boojum,” by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. First published in Fast Ships, Black Sails (Night Shade), edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. Reprinted by permission of the authors.
“The Six Directions of Space,” by Alastair Reynolds. Copyright © 2008 by Alastair Reynolds. First published in Galactic Empires (Science Fiction Book Club), edited by Gardner Dozois. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“N-Words,” by Ted Kosmatka. Copyright © 2008 by Ted Kosmatka. First published in Seeds of Change (Prime), edited by J. J. Adams. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“An Eligible Boy,” by Ian McDonald. Copyright © 2008 by Ian McDonald. First published in Fast Forward 2 (Pyr), edited by Lou Anders. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Shining Armour,” by Dominic Green. Copyright © 2008 by Dominic Green. First published in The Solaris Book of Science Fiction: Volume Two (Solaris), edited by George Mann. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Hero,” by Karl Schroeder. Copyright © 2008 by Karl Schroeder. First published in Eclipse Two (Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Evil Robot Monkey,” by Mary Robinette Kowal. Copyright © 2008 by Mary Robinette Kowal. First published in The Solaris Book of Science Fiction: Volume Two (Solaris), edited by George Mann. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Five Thrillers,” by Robert Reed. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, April 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Sky That Wraps the World Round, Past the Blue and Into the Black,” by Jay Lake. Copyright © 2008 by Jay Lake. First published electronically online in Clarkesworld, March 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Incomers,” by Paul McAuley. Copyright © 2008 by Paul McAuley. First published in The Starry Rift (Viking), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Crystal Nights,” by Greg Egan. Copyright © 2008 by Interzone. First published in Interzone, April 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Egg Man,” by Mary Rosenblum. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“His Master’s Voice,” by Hannu Rajaniemi. Copyright © 2008 by Interzone. First published in Interzone, October 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Political Prisoner,” by Charles Coleman Finlay. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, August 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Balancing Accounts,” by James L. Cambias. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Special Economics,” by Maureen F. McHugh. Copyright © 2008 by Maureen McHugh. First pub
lished in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy (Del Rey), edited by Ellen Datlow. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Days of Wonder,” by Geoff Ryman. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The City of the Dead,” by Paul McAuley. Copyright © 2008 by Paul McAuley. First published in Postscripts 15. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Voyage Out,” by Gwyneth Jones. Copyright © 2008 by Gwyneth Jones. First published in Periphery: Exotic Lesbian Futures (Lethe Press), edited by Lynne Jamneck. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm,” by Daryl Gregory. Copyright © 2008 by Daryl Gregory. First published in Eclipse Two (Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“G-Men,” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Copyright © 2008 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. First published in Sideways in Crime (Solaris), edited by Lou Anders. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Erdmann Nexus,” by Nancy Kress. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Old Friends,” by Garth Nix. Copyright © 2008 by Garth Nix. First published in Dreaming Again (Eos), edited by Jack Dann. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Ray-Gun: A Love Story,” by James Alan Gardner. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Lester Young and the Jupiter’s Moons’ Blues,” by Gord Sellar. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, July 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Butterfly, Falling at Dawn,” by Aliette de Bodard. Copyright © 2008 by Interzone. First published in Interzone, December 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Tear,” by Ian McDonald. Copyright © 2008 by Ian McDonald. First published in Galactic Empires (Science Fiction Book Club), edited by Gardner Dozois. Reprinted by permission of the author.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Summation: 2008
TURING’S APPLES• Stephen Baxter
FROM BABEL’S FALL’N GLORY WE FLED • Michael Swanwick
THE GAMBLER • Paolo Bacigalupi
BOOJUM • Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette
THE SIX DIRECTIONS OF SPACE • Alastair Reynolds
N-WORDS • Ted Kosmatka
AN ELIGIBLE BOY • Ian McDonald
SHINING ARMOUR • Dominic Green
THE HERO • Karl Schroeder
EVIL ROBOT MONKEY • Mary Robinette Kowal
FIVE THRILLERS • Robert Reed
THE SKY THAT WRAPS THE WORLD ROUND, PAST THE BLUE AND INTO THE BLACK • Jay Lake
INCOMERS • Paul J. McAuley
CRYSTAL NIGHTS • Greg Egan
THE EGG MAN • Mary Rosenblum
HIS MASTER’S VOICE • Hannu Rajaniemi
THE POLITICAL PRISONER • Charles Coleman Finlay
BALANCING ACCOUNTS • James L. Cambias
SPECIAL ECONOMICS • Maureen F. McHugh
DAYS OF WONDER • Geoff Ryman
CITY OF THE DEAD • Paul McAuley
THE VOYAGE OUT • Gwyneth Jones
THE ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY OF LORD GRIMM •Daryl Gregory
G-MEN • Kristine Kathryn Rusch
THE ERDMANN NEXUS • Nancy Kress
OLD FRIENDS • Garth Nix
THE RAY-GUN: A LOVE STORY • James Alan Gardner
LESTER YOUNG AND THE JUPITER’S MOONS’ BLUES •Gord Sellar
BUTTERFLY, FALLING AT DOWN • Aliette de Bodard
THE TEAR • Ian McDonald
HONORABLE MENTIONS: 2008
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The editor would like to thank the following people for their help and support: Susan Casper, Jonathan Strahan, Gordon Van Gelder, Ellen Datlow, Peter Crowther, Nicolas Gevers, Jack Dann, Mark Pontin, William Shaffer, Ian Whates, Mike Resnick, Andy Cox, Sean Wallace, Robert Wexler, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Torie Atkinson, Jed Hartman, Eric T. Reynolds, George Mann, Jennifer Brehl, Peter Tennant, Susan Marie Groppi, Karen Meisner, John Joseph Adams, Wendy S. Delmater, Rich Horton, Mark R. Kelly, Andrew Wilson, Damien Broderick, Gary Turner, Lou Anders, Cory Doctorow, Patrick Swenson, Bridget McKenna, Marti McKenna, Jay Lake, Sheila Williams, Brian Bieniowski, Trevor Quachri, Alastair Reynolds, Michael Swanwick, Stephen Baxter, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Nancy Kress, Greg Egan, Ian McDonald, Paul McAuley, Ted Kosmatka, Paolo Bacigalupi, Elizabeth Bear, Robert Reed, Vandana Singh, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Daryl Gregory, James Alan Gardner, Maureen McHugh, L. Timmel Duchamp, Walter Jon Williams, Jeff VanderMeer, Gwyneth Jones, Dominic Green, William Sanders, Lawrence Watt-Evans, David D. Levine, Liz Williams, Geoff Ryman, Paul Brazier, Charles Coleman Finlay, Gord Sellar, Steven Utley, James L. Cambias, Garth Nix, David Hartwell, Ginjer Buchanan, Susan Allison, Shawna McCarthy, Kelly Link, Gavin Grant, John Klima, John O’Neill, Rodger Turner, Tyree Campbell, Stuart Mayne, John Kenny, Edmund Schubert, Tehani Wessely, Tehani Croft, Karl Johanson, Sally Beasley, Connor Cochran, Tony Lee, Joe Vas, John Pickrell, Ian Redman, Anne Zanoni, Kaolin Fire, Ralph Benko, Paul Graham Raven, Nick Wood, David Moles, Mike Allen, Jason Sizemore, Karl Johanson, Sue Miller, David Lee Summers, Christopher M. Cevasco, Tyree Campbell, Andrew Hook, Vaughne Lee Hansen, Mark Watson, Sarah Lumnah, and special thanks to my own editor, Marc Resnick.
Thanks are also due to Charles N. Brown, whose magazine Locus (Locus Publications, P. O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661. $60 in the United States for a one-year subscription [twelve issues] via second class; credit card orders 510-339-9198) was used as an invaluable reference source throughout the summation; Locus Online (locusmag.com), edited by Mark R. Kelly, has also become a key reference source.
SUMMATION: 2007
The publishing world proved not to be immune to the deepening recession, and the genre suffered several major losses in 2008. About the best spin that can be put on it is to say that things could have been worse. (And things may yet still get worse, of course. The rumoured possible bankruptcy of the Borders bookstore chain, which has been buzzed about for months now, would, if it happens, likely have an adverse effect on many publishers.)
Much of 2008’s bad news was delivered on 3 December, what has come to be called Black Wednesday in the publishing industry, when Random House announced major restructuring and layoffs, making Bantam Dell part of Random House instead of an independent operation; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt saw resignations and firings even at the highest levels of the company (and caused a furore by announcing a “buying freeze” on new titles); and Simon & Schuster also announced significant staff cuts. Earlier, many people had been let go by Doubleday, and later there were huge layoffs at Macmillan, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, and elsewhere. Random House, the largest publisher in the United States, was the most strongly affected, undergoing sweeping changes, with many divisions being consolidated. The Random House Publishing Group swallowed the adult imprints of the Bantam Dell Publishing Group, including Bantam Spectra and Del Rey. The Knopf Publishing Group will absorb Doubleday as well as imprint Nan A. Talese. Senior Bantam Spectra editor Juliet Ulman was let go, as was Bantam Dell publisher Irwyn Applebaum and Doubleday publisher Steve Rubin; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publisher and senior vice-president Rebecca Saletan resigned and executive editor Ann Patty was fired; Simon & Schuster Children’s president Rick Richter and senior vice-president and publisher Rubin Pfeffer; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux lost publisher Linda Rosenberg, the heads of production and sub rights, a senior editor, and several assistants---and scores of people in lesser positions lost their jobs throughout the industry. The slaughter continued into the early months of 2009, with Del Rey editor Liz Scheier and Ballantine editor Anika Streitfeld being fired, along with Pantheon Books publisher Janice Goldklang.
German
media conglomerate Bertelsmann, which had bought BookSpan, publisher of numerous book clubs, including the Science Fiction Book Club, just last year, turned around and sold their Direct Group North America in 2008, including BookSpan, to private investment firm Najafi Companies. What effect this will ultimately have on the Science Fiction Book Club is as yet uncertain, although at the moment they seem to be continuing to function pretty much as normal. Small press Wheatland Press went on “hiatus”, usually a bad sign, as far as issuing new titles is concerned, and may or may not be back, although they’re continuing to make already-released titles available for order. Several other small presses are rumoured to be teetering on the edge (while others seem to be doing okay).
Horrendous as all this is, it could have been worse. It was possible to see much of the restructuring of Random House coming a year or so back, even before the economic downturn had really taken hold, as a result of corporate mergers, and to date the party line is that Del Rey and Spectra will be kept as separate imprints. Most of the major SF lines are still in business, and a few, like the Hachette Book Group, which includes Orbit, even registered modest gains.
Of course, as the recession continues to deepen, there may be – and probably will be – lots of hard times left ahead.
Historically, books, magazines, and movies do well during recessions, as hard economic times make people search for cheap entertainment to distract themselves from their financial woes. The question for this particular recession is, Do books, magazines, and movies qualify as “cheap” entertainment anymore? These days, many hardcover books are in the $25 to $30 range, even a mass-market paperback can cost eight bucks, and in many places a single movie ticket can cost over $13 (for a family of five, once you throw in the eight-bucks-a-shot boxes of stale popcorn, you’re edging perilously close to having had to spend $100 to go to the movies). Even adjusting for inflation, it seems to me that this doesn’t really qualify as “cheap”. Ironically, the one form of entertainment in the genre that is still reasonably cheap, the digest-sized SF magazines, are being put out of business because they can no longer easily reach the customers; most people, even most regular SF readers, may go for years without ever laying eyes on an SF magazine, many don’t even know they exist, and even those who do may not be able to find one even if they go to a newsstand specifically searching for it. Perhaps the Kindle and the iPod and other similar text readers (and there are new and improved generations of them coming along all the time) will save the magazines by making them easily accessible to readers once again.