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Summary: Why was this called science fiction?
Review: I'm sorry, but most of the stories in here had little or any connection to science fiction. Some were good, but should have been included in anthologies of other areas of fiction. Most were just long stories.
Rating:
Summary: Why was this called science fiction?
Review: I'm sorry, but most of the stories in here had little or any connection to science fiction. Some were good, but should have been included in anthologies of other areas of fiction. Most were just long stories.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best volumes ever
Review: I've been reading Dozois's annual collection of science fiction since the 3rd volume, and every year I am amazed at the consistent quality of the stories he selects. Every story is always enjoyable, and every volume always has a few gems that usually turn to be the best science fiction I read in a given year, regardless of length. This year is no exception.I think my favorite thing about this series is the shear size, which allows Dozois to include several novella-length stories, while still having room for a good mix of shorter length fiction as well. This year's volume includes several novellas that are not to be missed. My favorite story is the lead-off novella, "The Wedding Album" by David Marusek. It is set in the same future as his incredible "We Were Out of Our Minds With Joy" and I would be hard-pressed to say which story I prefer. "The Wedding Album" is the story of a young couple's marriage and future life, as explored through the viewpoint of virtual simulations of themselves taken on the day of their marriage. The story is both entertaining and poignant, and Marusek's vision of the future is dazzling. Also not to be missed is the final novella in this volume, Kage Baker's "Son Observe the Time." Set in the same timeline as her novels In the Garden of Iden and Sky Coyote, this story stands on its own, and I think is the best writing Baker has produced to date. In it, representatives of a future company are in San Francisco just before the 1906 earthquake. They cannot change the past, but they are attempting to salvage as much art and knowledge as they can before the quake. Unfortunately, some of the company's own distant past emerges to cause problems even as the earthquake approaches... A fantastic story. This rest of the stories in this volume are just as worth reading. I especially enjoyed the stories by Geoff Ryman, Eleanor Arnason, Robert Reed, Greg Egan, and James Patrick Kelly.
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Summary: Bought it in the airport last week.
Review: I've only read the first six stories, but it's excellent so far. A very wide variety of styles and themes thus far.
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Summary: WATCH FOR DEFECTIVE PRINTING!
Review: PAGES MISSING -- AROUND PAGE 510 TO 560
Wonderful boook, as usual -- I like this anthology series. But my first copy has a binding error! I can't read two stories.
Also, Dozois tends to include items that I personally would consider as fantasy rather than sci-fi. But there's plenty of "hard science" to go around. The final story "Son Observe the Time" was particularly riveting to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Some good, some bad, overall okay
Review: The basic problem with any anthology is that it's fairly doubtful that every story selected will be a good read. That said, Gardner Dozois does a reasonably good job of sorting out the wheat from the chaff and including mostly good stories. However, after reading this year's collection, I'd have to say that either last year was a bad year for short fiction or Dozois is losing his touch. This is still an "okay" collection of short SF, but it's not as good as collections from previous years. In fact, rather than being really sci fi, some (particularily the first few) of the stories seemed more like horror. "The Wedding Story" which was the lead off story set the tone for the entire volume -- depressing and creepy. While depressing and creepy stories definitely have their place in this collection, there were too many of them. I like sci fi that makes me think, not sci fi that creeps me out. That said, if you're thinking about buying this book, it is still reasonably good sci fi. However, rather than relying on a year end compendium to get your short fiction, how about supporting the magazines that give you the short fiction? Instead of spending your money on this book, think about getting a subscription to Asimov's or Analog or one of the other sci fi magazines? Those are the source of most of the stories in this book and hey, if you're going to get mixed good and bad stories anyway, why not go directly to the source. It would be money better spent.
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Summary: Great collection!!!!!!!
Review: The Kansas guy pretty much said what I think, except Poul Anderson wrote some good stuff. Also the hard sf by Egan was pretty good. "Recording Angel" was pretty good. I get the feeling this new series of McAuley's is in the Universe of this story. The summation was a little gloomy, but I'm hopeful the science fiction magazines won't die.
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Summary: New Writers to Watch
Review: The only trouble with a year's best anthology is that it invariably includes some stories you don't like-and leaves out some you thought were great. Such are the vagaries of taste. That said, Gardner Dozois's seventeenth annual collection of the Years Best Science Fiction offers plenty of worthy things to read. Many of the stories feature highly imaginative settings-Robert Reed's "Winemaster" comes to mind at once, as does Kage Baker's "Son Observe the Time." And there are compelling stories from well-known writers: James Patrick Kelly uses childhood and cold war fears while Michael Swanwick integrates dinosaur fantasies with human frailty. But perhaps one of the most important thing this anthology does is introduce readers to newer and less well-known writers. Chris Lawson's "Written in Blood" impressed me when I first read it in Asimov's-such a quirky turn on what we know of DNA. "The Dragon of Pripyat" by Karl Schroeder gives us hint of a future just around the corner. And Richard Wadholm's "Green Tea" shows what a sure hand can do when combining a vivid imagination with very old concepts of love and revenge. His world includes wondrous elements chemistry hasn't yet found; his people cut commodities deals in the Bright Matter Exchange and live in worlds along the French Violet. But the part of the story that breaks my heart every time is when the narrator wonders what his friend Frances saw in him: "A man of honesty beneath the lies, compassion beneath the avarice? You will find this most amusing-because I could not bear to let her down, I would have been that man." Read this collection. Be overwhelmed by the great stories in it, and argue with your friends about the ones you think don't qualify. And mark the new writers: you're going to want to read more from them.
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Summary: A Spectacular book of science fiction stories
Review: The Year's Best Science Fiction 17th Annual Collection is a masterpiece. Edited by the famous gardner Dozois, he is a longtime editor of Asimov's Science Fiction, and the editor of many science fiction anthologies. Each story is wonderfully written and is great science fiction, ranging from the not so distant future...To thousands of years into the future.
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Summary: A great colection!!!
Review: They've said what I wanted to about the stories themselves. I'm odd for younger readers in that I was reading Cordwainer Smith before I'd heard of Card or Bujold. This was therefore a great way to introduce me to great "new" authors like McHugh, Kress, MacLeod, etc. The summations are a great way to see what's going on in the science fiction, & sadly I think magazines may be in worse shape than Dozois indicates. I think he doesn't want to say how bad things are because he doesn't want pity subscriptions. I hope Amazon allows me to mention that some of the Kansas guy's favorite stories are by Poul Anderson & that he meant to say "most loved & most hated" not "most & most hated". If they refuse to print this because I mentioned that then this will be the last time I visit this site! I hate to be melodramatic like that, but I think this Customer Comment thing is a great way to talk about books & I'd hate for a flub to ruin someone's point. Sadly that small digression's probably killed the chance this will appear so to continue I'd like to say Hartwell's is a great complement to this & you should try it too. It's not quite as good, but it has a lot of short humorous work that Dozois tends to lack. I understand Dozois preference for novellas, but it's nice to have a collection of shorter work when you're too busy for novellas. The summary that Dozois has is one of his (Dozois') main advantages since it points you to good books & anthologies you may have missed & tells you about older generation authors that even I'm not familiar with. I said the others said everything about the stories, but I realize that's not quite true. Dozois chooses much more hard sf then people give him credit for. Granted "Elvis Bearpaw's Luck" is basically a darkly humorous Cherokeeized sendup of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" & like Swanwick's "Radio Waves" it's fantasy with sf elements, but so are some of Hartwell's choices. "Wang's Carpet" was hard sf, but felt incomplete & is now part of Diaspora where it probably makes more sense. His other story "Luminous" stands on its own. I liked "Starship Day" by MacLeod, but if I say much about it I'll ruin it. Well I hope amazon will forgive my minor digression & I hope you science fiction fans will keep sf magazines alive so anthologies like this will have a variety of stories to choose, but I won't hold my breath.
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