Robert A. Heinlein

July 3, 2014

THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, VOLUME TWO is like peering into a time capsule

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized anthology, brian aldiss, bruce sterling, Charles de Lint, damon knight, elizabeth hand, fantasy, Gene Wolfe, Gordon Van Gelder, Harlan Ellison, Jack Finney, Jack Vance, Jane Yolen, Ken Liu, Marty Halpern, Maureen McHugh, paolol bacigalupi, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, science fiction, stephen king, the very best of fantasy & science fiction volume 2, Thomas Canty, Zenna Henderson

Editor Marty Halpern on the excellent More Red Ink discusses The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2.

The second project I worked on this year was The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume Two, edited by Gordon Van Gelder – and the first project for this year for Tachyon Publications.

Reading this volume of The Very Best of F&SF is like peering into a time capsule of the history (well, at least as far back as the ‘50s) of fantasy and science fiction short stories, from “The Third Level” by Jack Finney, published in 1952, to the most recent story, “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu, published in 2011.

For the rest of Halpern’s words, visit More Red Ink.

For more info on The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty.

June 27, 2014

THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, VOLUME TWO is a 4 out of 5

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized anthology, brian aldiss, bruce sterling, Charles de Lint, damon knight, elizabeth hand, fantasy, Gene Wolfe, Gordon Van Gelder, Harlan Ellison, horror, Jack Finney, Jack Vance, Jane Yolen, Ken Liu, Maureen McHugh, paolol bacigalupi, reading 1000 lives, review, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, science fiction, stephen king, the very best of fantasy & science fiction volume 2, Thomas Canty, Zenna Henderson

Reading 1000 Lives reviewed The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2.

Because all of the stories here are most certainly notable, even if not ‘the best’. They show to all readers, both new initiates or seasoned veterans who are re-experiencing, what a well-crafted story can look like in its myriad forms. With the chronological presentation through the decades of F&SF publication, the collection also gives glimpses into the changing styles or motifs of eras, and demonstrates just how greatly the earliest stories in the genre continue to inspire and shape current writing.

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The other stories here that were new to me I responded to much as what I would expect from a typical stellar issue of F&SF: many excellent, a few enjoyable but throwaway, and a couple that just weren’t my thing. You may react differently to individual stories here than I, but I suspect that if you are a fan of the genre, then you’ll also enjoy a similar high percentage of these.

If you happen to be rather new to the genres, have never read the magazine, or are just a casual reader who only recognizes Stephen King in the table of contents, give this collection a try and discover what literary universe is out there for you to enjoy and explore further.

FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE

Read the rest of the review at Reading 1000 Lives.

For more info on The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty.

June 26, 2014

Read THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, VOLUME TWO and enjoy geeking out to your hearts content

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized anthology, brian aldiss, bruce sterling, Charles de Lint, damon knight, elizabeth hand, elizabeth story, Gene Wolfe, Gordon Van Gelder, Harlan Ellison, Jack Finney, Jack Vance, Jane Yolen, jessie nash, Ken Liu, Maureen McHugh, paolol bacigalupi, review, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, short stories, starburst, stephen king, the very best of fantasy & science fiction volume 2, Thomas Canty, Zenna Henderson

For Starburst, Jessie Nash lavishes praise upon The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2.

With more than six decades worth of amazing stories, it’s no wonder there needed to be a ‘Volume Two’ ofFantasy & Science Fiction magazine’s The Very Best of. Bringing together stories dating from the 1950s up to 2011, this collection encompasses everything from the golden age of sci-fi to modern urban fantasies, with everyone from Heinlein to Elizabeth Hand making an appearance. But this isn’t just a roll call of famous names – this really is a collection of some of the best sci-fi and fantasy short stories out there.

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Pretty much every subgenre is in here: cyberpunk, time travel, space opera, urban fantasy, horror, humour, just bloody weird, and more. Creative writers looking for a crash course in what makes a good story would find a lot to work with here, and newcomers to sci-fi will have a feast.

Basically, it’s great and it’s fun; so buy it, read it, and enjoying geeking out to your hearts content.

Read the rest of Nash’s review at Starburst.

For more info on The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty.

June 25, 2014

THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, VOLUME TWO delights Black Gate

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized black gate, brian aldiss, bruce sterling, Charles de Lint, damon knight, elizabeth hand, Gene Wolfe, Gordon Van Gelder, Harlan Ellison, Jack Finney, Jack Vance, Jane Yolen, john o'neill, Ken Liu, Maureen McHugh, paolol bacigalupi, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, stephen king, the very best of fantasy & science fiction volume 2, Thomas Canty, Zenna Henderson

Over at Black Gate, John O’Neill is thrilled about the forthcoming anthology The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2.

One of my favorite anthologies of the last half decade (and considering how many I’ve purchased, that’s saying a lot) was The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume One edited by Gordon Van Gelder. Considering it was an absolutely gorgeous 470-page package sampling five decades of the finest fantasy magazine in the genre, how could it not be?

So I was delighted to hear that Gordon and his publisher, Tachyon Publications, are hard at work on a second volume. It will be released next month, and is nearly as large as the first.

For more info on The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty.

For more info on The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, visit theTachyon page.

June 17, 2014

THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, VOLUME TWO scores a pair of fantastic reviews

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized amazing, anthology, brian aldiss, Charles de Lint, damon knight, elizabeth hand, F&SF, fantasy, Gene Wolfe, Gordon Van Gelder, Harlan Ellison, Jack Finney, Jack Vance, Jane Yolen, Maureen McHugh, mike reeves-mcmillan, paolo bacigalupi, review, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, science fiction, short stories, stephen king, steve fahnestalk, the review curmudgeon, the very best fantasy & science fiction, the very best of fantasy & science fiction volume 2, Thomas Canty, ventureadlaxre, Zenna Henderson

Recently, a pair of reviews for the forthcoming anthology The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2 hit the interwebs.

Steve Fahnestalk at Amazing delivers a lengthy review, which features some background to the magazine, an argument about what is sf, and an overview of every story.

All in all—and I’ve read this anthology more than once—I can’t say that there are any bad stories in it; Gordon Van Gelder has proved himself, in a time when there must be many more submissions than in any other editor’s tenure, to be not only a competent editor, but a talented one as well. I can’t wait to see what diamonds he mines from the 66 years (plus!) of F&SF’s history for the next “Very Best Of” anthology!

Ventueadlaxre awards the anthology 4 out 5 stars and also reviews each story.

Overall this is a strong anthology, proving that it lives up to the title of the Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction – some anthologies are named as such, but this delivers on that promise. It’s also interesting to see what ideas were in play 60 years ago, and both how we have come from that time as technology develops, as well as how things are still eerily stagnant.

I highly recommend this anthology, and thank Tachyon for offering me a copy to review.

Bonus coverage:

I preparation for Volume 2, The Review Curmudgeon Mike Reeves-McMillan reviewed the first volume of The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

Some true classics here, along with stories I don’t remember hearing of or reading before. As with any anthology, it’s Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, and only the editor will love every one of the stories, but by and large these stories demonstrate why F&SF has been so successful for so long. They aren’t, for the most part, trotting out the tropes, even to play with them or subvert them; they’re taking SFF to strange and wonderful new places.

For more info on The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty.

For more info on The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, visit the Tachyon page.

May 16, 2014

We’re giving away THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, VOLUME 2

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized Alfred Bester, anthology, bruce sterling, C. M. Kornbluth, Charles de Lint, F&SF, fantasy, Gene Wolfe, George Alec Effinger, Gordon Van Gelder, Harlan Ellison, horror, J. P. Kelly, Jack Finney, Jack Vance, Jane Yolen, Kit Reed, Lucius Shepard, magazine of fantasy & science fiction, Maureen McHugh, R. A. Lafferty, Robert A. Heinlein, robert reed, Robert Sheckley, Robert Silverberg, Roger Zelazny, science ficiton, short stories, the very best of fantasy & science fiction volume 2, Zenna Henderson

With the help of the fine people at Goodreads, we’re giving away an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2, featuring even more quality, award-winning stories from the legendary magazine.

The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2 continues to showcase some of the most famous authors writing in any genre. F&SF jumpstarted the careers of bestselling authors such as Bruce Sterling, and Jane Yolen and continues to champion bold new crossover talents including Paolo Bacigalupi and Ken Liu.

Now drawing upon F&SF‘s impressive history of classic and contemporary tales, this extraordinary companion anthology revisits and expands upon sixty-five years’ worth of top-notch fiction. These broad-ranging, award-winning tales appeal to readers of genre fiction and beyond, exploring alternate history, time travel, urban fantasy, virtual reality, modern myth, horror, interstellar travel, epic fantasy, mystery, and space opera.

Contents:

“The Third Level” by Jack Finney
“Fondly Fahrenheit” by Alfred Bester
“The Cosmic Charge Account” by C. M. Kornbluth
“The Anything Box” by Zenna Henderson
“The Prize of Peril” by Robert Sheckley
“—-All You Zombies—-” by Robert A. Heinlein
“Green Magic” by Jack Vance
“The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth” by Roger Zelazny
“Narrow Valley” by R. A. Lafferty
“Sundance” by Robert Silverberg
“Attack of the Giant Baby” by Kit Reed
“The Hundredth Dove” by Jane Yolen
“Jeffty Is Five” by Harlan Ellison
“Salvador” by Lucius Shepard
“The Aliens Who Knew, I mean, Everything” by George Alec Effinger
“Rat” by J. P. Kelly
“The Friendship Light” by Gene Wolfe
“The Bone Woman” by Charles de Lint
“The Lincoln Train” by Maureen McHugh
“Maneki Neko” by Bruce Sterling
“Winemaster” by Robert Reed
“Suicide Coast” by M. John Harrison
“Have Not Have” by Geoff Ryman
“The People of Sand & Slag” by Paolo Bacigalupi
“Echo” by Liz Hand
“The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates” by Stephen King
“The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu

For more info about The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty

Design by Elizabeth Story

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