Science Fiction: The Best of 2003

Book Overview

A collection of the best science fiction prose written in 2003, by some of the genre's greatest writers, and selected by one of SF's most respected editors. Continuing ibooks' series of affordably... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074347919X
• ISBN13: 9780743479196
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: UNKNO
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.0" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

Not Free SF Reader

This almost gets there. An average of 3.86 is not quite enough, with not much else here to get a score of 5, pretty close a 4.75 you could call this one though. Only one story here I thought was average, and actually something different here, the best stories are the meat in the middle, not the first couple of the last couple, if you are looking for somewhere to start. Still, a fine year's best anthology, and well worth getting. SF Best of 2003 : A Study in Emerald - Neil Gaiman SF Best of 2003 : The Fluted Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi SF Best of 2003 : Flowers from Alice - Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross SF Best of 2003 : The Tale of the Golden Eagle - David D Levine SF Best of 2003 : Bernardos House - James Patrick Kelly SF Best of 2003 : Confusions of Uni - Ursula K. Le Guin SF Best of 2003 : Jon - George Saunders SF Best of 2003 : The Cookie Monster - Vernor Vinge SF Best of 2003 : Legions in Time - Michael Swanwick SF Best of 2003 : The Chop Line - Stephen Baxter SF Best of 2003 : Calling Your Name - Howard Waldrop SF Best of 2003 : The Empire of Ice Cream - Jeffrey Ford SF Best of 2003 : Bumpship - Susan Mosser SF Best of 2003 : Only Partly Here - Lucius Shepard Old One vaudeville and some monstrous advertising. 4 out of 5 Pufnstuf probably wouldn't stand for this. 3.5 out of 5 Post-human furniture with passions. 4 out of 5 Human-bird shipbrain swap. 4 out of 5 Architecture s3xware's new girl. 4 out of 5 Interplanary virtual reality craft. 4 out of 5 Segregated Privacy Tarp trademark. 3 out of 5 Upload iteration revenge. 4 out of 5 Slave escape chronowar torpedo overrun takedown homage revolution. 4.5 out of 5 Future war info can hurt your brain : "Me? Sir--" I took a breath. "You want me to prosecute myself. For a crime, an alleged crime anyhow, I won't commit for twenty-four years? Is there any part of that I misunderstood?" 4.5 out of 5 Wrong president. 4 out of 5 Synesthesia vision desserted. 3.5 out of 5 Corporate volunteer bad atmosphere economics. 3.5 out of 5 Annoyingly vague vaguely ghostly woman. 3.5 out of 5 4.5 out of 5

excellent anthology

Science Fiction: The Best of 2003 is an excellent anthology with most of the stories of above average quality. The best include "A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman, a clever pastiche of both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.P. Lovecraft, "The Empire of Ice Cream" by Jeffrey Ford about a man suffering from the strange disease synesthesia and "The Cookie Monster" by Vernor Vinge about new hires at a large technology firm who realize there's more to their jobs than meets the eye. The collection also features good stories by David D. Levine, James Patrick Kelly and Michael Swanwick. The stories are written in a wide variety of styles with diverse themes. Science fiction fans should find several stories that they will enjoy.

Stories that stick in your mind

I usually find that I have one or two favourites out of an anthology but this was different - I liked most of the stories in this book. The subjects range from time travel to space opera to cyberpunk, sort of, but they are all the kind that you will remember for a long while. Be prepared for bittersweet endings.