This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: The Best Science Fiction of the Year (2015)
Series: The Best SF of the Year #1
Editor: Neil Clarke
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF Short Story Collection
Pages: DNF@5%
Words: DNF@5%
| Synopsis: |
Table of Contents
“Introduction: A State of the Short SF Field in 2015” by Neil Clarke
“Today I Am Paul” by Martin Shoemaker
“Calved” by Sam J. Miller
“Three Bodies at Mitanni” by Seth Dickinson
“The Smog Society” by Chen Quifan
“In Blue Lily’s Wake” by Aliette de Bodard
“Hello, Hello” by Seanan McGuire
“Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfiang
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century” by Geoff Ryman
“Hold-Time Violations” by John Chu
“Wild Honey” by Paul McAuley
“So Much Cooking” by Naomi Kritzer
“Bannerless” by Carrie Vaughn
“Another Word for World” by Ann Leckie
“The Cold Inequalities” by Yoon Ha Lee
“Iron Pegasus” by Brenda Cooper
“The Audience” by Sean McMullen
“Empty” by Robert Reed
“Gypsy” by Carter Scholz
“Violation of the TrueNet Security Act” by Taiyo Fujii
“Damage” by David D. Levine
“The Tumbledowns of Cleopatra Abyss” by David Brin
“No Placeholder for You, My Love” by Nick Wolven
“Outsider” by An Owomeyla
“The Gods Have Not Died in Vain” by Ken Liu
“Cocoons” by Nancy Kress
“Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World” by Caroline M. Yoachim
“Two-Year Man” by Kelly Robson
“Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan” by Ian McDonald
“Meshed” by Rich Larson
“A Murmuration” by Alastair Reynolds
2015 Recommended Reading List
| My Thoughts: |
I made it to the 3rd story before giving up. Horribly depressing. Perverse. Self-righteous. Smug.
While Clarke didn’t write these stories, he did choose them as the Best of 2015. That is just horrible. I think I’m going to be avoiding anything else with his name on it from now on.
If Woke Cli-Fi is your thing, then have at it. As for me, I’m going to go read something that is actually good.
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
Didn’t you skim around a bit for one you might like more? Most of these annual anthologies vary quite a bit in their quality, but they usually try to get something in there for everyone.
Was it already woke in 2015? That would have been early.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d heard some recommendations for this particular editor and so I was hoping it was going to be different from the ones edited by Gardner Dozois. Obviously it wasn’t any better.
Wokeness started, imo, with the election of Prz Obama. A year either side anyway. So, proto-wokeness perhaps? 😀
LikeLike
I liked Dozois! Thought he was a great editor. Don’t think I caught this book though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I believe there are 5 books in this collection? Don’t know if there will be one for ’20 or not.
I’m honestly not even sure where I got the recommendation from.
That’s usually how it goes though….
LikeLike
As opposed to late woke…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, if you woke late, you might get fired for not showing up on time!
LikeLike
Is Cli-fi a thing?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep. In the last 5 years, climate fiction has really taken off as a niche sub-genre. I don’t like it, for a variety of reasons, so stories about it will drive me away from an antholog.
LikeLike
Mostly it’s over-didactic (and therefore smug) there is probably a thesis in there about the author as servant…
LikeLike
I don’t like anthologies at all, prefer getting into a long haul.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When it comes to Science Fiction, I haven’t had a lot of good luck. At least not ones that are stories put together by an editor. Now, if a single author releases a bunch of their stuff (like Arthur Clarke did in More Than One Universe) that has turned out pretty good.
I think I’m done with anthologies and editors I don’t know. Even though I dnf’d this so early, I still had to write up the review and sometimes writing up something like this is just discouraging. And energy sapping.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I´ve read Gypsy by Carter Scholz, thought it was brilliant. Scholz is left for sure, but as I recall it the story was apolitical. I´d be very interested in your thoughts about it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, maybe if that Twilight Zone episode happens where the guy is left with all the books.
But even then, I might choose to read the ingredients lists on food 😉
This was more an indictment of Clarke as an editor. However, looking at the rest of the authors, if I had paid more attention, I definitely would not have picked this up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m pretty much done with Sci Fi that wasn’t written before the 70s. Even Philip K. Dick can get a little raw in his language.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll read current SF if it’s more military oriented. The Literati haven’t infiltrated and destroyed that bit of SF yet. Of course, it has its own perils to deal with….
LikeLike
I remember reading McGuire’s “Hello, hello” on an online SF magazine some time ago, and it was a good story – not climate-related at all. I should be the last person to recommend more patience 😀 but maybe 3 stories out of 32 are not an accurate sample… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your inducement isn’t much of one after my experience with McGuire.
And looking at the rest of the authors (which I should have done, but I made the mistake of trusting the editor), I would have dnf’d this at some point anyway.
But if you read and review this and tell me that every story is great, after the first 3, I’ll seriously consider giving it another chance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, there are some interesting names there, like McAuley, Kritzer, Vaughn, Brin and one Alastair Reynolds which makes me quite curious… 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
My offer stands 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What is Cli-Fi? Cliche fiction? … Oh wait, just read someone here saying Climate. Ah, quite unfortunate for you. Honestly, I’d want to see you try and read a similar “Best of sci-fi of 2020” just to get your priceless reaction. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Climate Fiction.
It’s the equivalent of 1950’s science fiction where every family had a nuclear powered car, the father went to the moon for work on his nuclear rocket, the Missus did all the ironing with a nuclear iron and little Johnny tinkered with his nuclear skateboard
In other words, they extrapolate forwards, very badly.
There is a series of SF that is an annual thing. I’d have to go see who’s editing it now. But much like this collection, the people involved in the writing are people I’d rather choke to death than read 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooof that’s a bummer. I guess there are some good stories in there, maybe you were just unlucky 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looking at the author list, I’m glad I quit when I did. If I’d looked at the list sooner I never even would have started.
Lesson (semi-)learned….
LikeLiked by 1 person