Best SF reviews index

The Year's Best Science Fiction, First Annual Collection. Gardner Dozois. 1984. next volume in series

some story notes follow - scroll down or else click on the yellow arrow next to a specific story to jump

clickme Bruce Sterling Cicada Queen
click to jump to this story James Tiptree Jr Beyond the Dead Reef
click to jump to this story Ian Watson Slow Birds
click to jump to this story Poul Anderson Vulcan's Forge
click to jump to this story Howard Waldrop Man-Mountain Gentian
click to jump to this story Greg Bear Hardfought
click to jump to this story Joe Haldeman Manifest Destiny
click to jump to this story Avram Davidson Full Chicken Richness
click to jump to this story Robert Silverberg Multiples
click to jump to this story Jack McDevitt Cryptic
click to jump to this story Connie Willis The Sidon in the Mirror
click to jump to this story R A Lafferty Golden Gate
click to jump to this story Jack Dann Blind Shemmy
click to jump to this story Pat Murphy In the Islands
click to jump to this story Tanith Lee Nunc Dimittis
click to jump to this story Greg Bear Blood Music
click to jump to this story Leigh Kennedy Her Furry Face
click to jump to this story Rand B Lee Knight of Shallows
click to jump to this story Gene Wolfe The Cat
click to jump to this story George R R Martin The Monkey Treatment
click to jump to this story Pat Cadigan Nearly Departed
click to jump to this story John Kessel Hearts Do Not In Eyes Shine
click to jump to this story Dan Simmons Carrion Comfort
click to jump to this story Vernor Vinge Gemstone
click to jump to this story Kim Stanley Robinson Black Air

I am holding off on reading this volume, which I managed to get a copy of in 2002 on eBay. For the moment, here are the contents, and some story summaries for those stories read in other volumes.

Bruce Sterling. Cicada Queen.
Originally in Universe 13

James Tiptree Jr. Beyond the Dead Reef.
Originally in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1983

Ian Watson. Slow Birds.
Originally in FThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, June 1983

When I read this in Terry Carr's #13, I summarized: "Alien artefacts appear on Earth at random, either disappearing after a period of time or occasionally exploding, leaving a seared circle of devastated land. One young person is tied to one of these 'slow birds' and disappears. He returns many years later, still young. He finds his now aged brother, a religious leader, and tells of his experiences and the war that Earth is in danger of losing."

Poul Anderson. Vulcan's Forge.
Originally in Amazing Science Fiction Stories, Jan 1983

Howard Waldrop. Man-Mountain Gentian.
Originally in Omni, September 1983

Greg Bear. Hardfought.
Originally in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, February 1983

Joe Haldeman. Manifest Destiny.
Originally in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1983

Avram Davidson. Full Chicken Richness.
Originally in The Last Wave Magazine, vol 1

Robert Silverberg. Multiples.
Originally in Omni, October 1983

Jack McDevitt. Cryptic.
Originally in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction, April 1983

Connie Willis. The Sidon in the Mirror.
Originally in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, April 1983

When I read this in Carr's #13, I summarized : "A dying star is being mined, with a weird mining community eking out an existence on the hot crust. A genmod pianoplayer, a Mirror who mimics those he meets, is caught up with the blind Pearl, and the evil miner responsible for her disfigurement."

R A Lafferty. Golden Gate.
Originally in Golden Gate and Other Stories

Jack Dann. Blind Shemmy.
Originally in Omni, April 1983

When I read this in Carr's #13, I summarized : "The stakes are high in a gambling den which is licensed for more than monetary transactions."

Pat Murphy. In the Islands.
Originally in Amazing Science Fiction Stories, March 1983

Tanith Lee. Nunc Dimittis.
Originally in The Dodd, Mead Gallery of Horror

When I read this in Wollheim's 1984 collection I summarized : "An alternate reality/history murder thriller, with the protagonist chasing an alter ego through murderous timelines."

Greg Bear. Blood Music.
Originally in Analog, June 1983

When I read this in New Hugo Winners I summarized: "Vergil Ulam has been experimenting with nano-technology - injecting medically applicable biochips into his bloodstream. The initial results are beneficial to him: his eyesight becomes 20-20, he is fitter and leaner.
But the consequences are far beyond his wildest dreams. The collective power of the microscopic beings in his veins is increasingly beyond his control, and when they being to start exploring further afield, his friend has to make a difficult choice. But by then the genie is very much out of the bottle, and Fermi's theorem is shown to be true: there is no need to look outward for new universes to explore

Leigh Kennedy. Her Furry Face.
Originally in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, mid-December 1983

Rand B Lee. Knight of Shallows.
Originally in Amazing Science Fiction Stories, July 1983

Gene Wolfe. The Cat.
Originally in 1983 World Fantasy Convention Program Book

George R R Martin. The Monkey Treatment.
Originally in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July 1983

Pat Cadigan. Nearly Departed.
Originally in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, June 1983

John Kessel. Hearts Do Not In Eyes Shine.
Originally in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, October 1983

Dan Simmons. Carrion Comfort.
Originally in Omni, Sept-Oct 1983

Vernor Vinge. Gemstone.
Originally in Analog, October 1983

Kim Stanley Robinson. Black Air.
Originally in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 1983

book purchased October 2002