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The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One

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The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One

By: Neil Clarke - editor
Narrated by: Amy Tallmadge, Jeremy Arthur
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About this listen

To keep up to date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more - a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious fans. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the inaugural volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, a new yearly anthology compiled by Hugo and World Fantasy award-winning editor Neil Clarke, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.

The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Clarke, publisher and editor in chief of the acclaimed and award-winning magazine Clarkesworld, has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.

Neil Clarke is the award-winning publisher and editor in chief of Clarkesworld magazine, winner of three Hugo Awards for Best Semiprozine, and the editor of the 2014 cyborg-themed original anthology Upgraded. Clarke lives in Stirling, New Jersey.

©2016 Neil Clarke (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Science Fiction Robotics Funny Short Story

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Critic reviews

"This inclusive collection starts with Neil Clarke's introduction about the state of short science fiction in 2015. Each story begins with a brief author biography, with additional titles. Narrating duties are skillfully shared by Amy Tallmadge and Jeremy Arthur. 'The Murmuration' by Alastair Reynolds is movingly told by Arthur, who inhabits the story's scientist and his mixed emotions as he observes how starlings react to a sparrow hawk drone that they think is real. Yoon Ha Lee's 'The Cold Inequalities,' narrated by Tallmadge, is a passionate defense of books in the midst of a battle between librarians on an archive ship. The standout is 'Today I Am Paul,' by Martin L. Shoemaker. Arthur expertly portrays the android that cares for Paul's mother, Mildred, in her final days. Arthur's android touchingly 'pretends' to be Paul and significant others in Mildred's life to comfort her in this bittersweet story. Everyone should find something to enjoy in this varied collection." ( AudioFile magazine)
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each book is like a full series with good length and this book is the start of many good books in the series

Good collection

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Some really good Sci-fi stories in this collection. Great narration by both the male and female narrators.

Some great Sci-fi

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Would it be possible for Audible to encourage readers to seek help when they don't know how to pronounce a word? It would seem from these stories that when they don't know, they take a guess and press on unchecked.

Good stories marred by repeated mispronunciation

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This is a real treat. Most stories are great. Some are a little too long and some more interesting than others but that's what you get in an anthology like this. Overall - loved it !!

excellent performance, good stories

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As with most collections, this was varied. There were some that I didn't care for, but there were also plenty that I liked and I'd say that there were more that I liked than not, and none I completely disliked.

I think 'The Audience' by Sean McMullen was probably my favourite, with a few others that I really liked being 'Another Word for World' by Ann Leckie, 'Damage' by David L. Devine and 'A Murmuration' by Alastair Reynolds.

The narration was generally good, although there were a few mispronunciations. Another reviewer says these were continuous, although I didn't notice that many and they weren't enough to cause confusion.

In addition to having a bunch of good stories, this collection also introduced me to lots of writers I was previously unfamiliar with, plenty of whom I shall now seek to read more of.

It is also nice that this collection has all of the storied in separate chapters and named, which makes navigation easy.

Good Collection

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Brilliant intro to new authors and those I already new. mind stretching concepts and wonderful weirdness

Great Collection

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A good selection of some quality stories.
It was included in my subscription so I hope the authors are getting paid properly 😐

Quality stories

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Enjoyable anthology with some well though out sci-fi, some of which are real gems.

Great variety of intresting sci-fi stories

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Some good,some very good and some i did not care for,if you read science

Fiction there should be enough variety here to interest you,good short story collection.

Good collection

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I was hoping that this would be an accumulation of sifi with a bit of fantasy thrown in. Instead, the stories were a bit ordinary. Now this could just be my interpretation. but was my take. I'll try and do more research before I commit to a book, that would be more fair on the the author(s).

This Sifi but not as I know it...Jim!

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