There are a few anthologies released every year giving their own version of the best short stories (including novellettes and novellas) of that year. Here’s a summary of the tables of contents for the 3 major anthologies…


[From Asimov's Forum] The contents of The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Twenty-Second Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois looks like this:

  1. “Inappropriate Behavior” by Pat Murphy
  2. “Start the Clock” by Benjamin Rosenbaum
  3. “The Third Party” by David Moles
  4. “The Voluntary State” by Christopher Rowe
  5. “Shiva in Shadow” by Nancy Kress
  6. “The People of Sand and Slag” by Paolo Bacigalupi
  7. “The Clapping Hands of God” by Michael F. Flynn
  8. “Tourism” by M. John Harrison
  9. “Scout’s Honor” by Terry Bisson
  10. “Men Are Trouble” by James Patrick Kelly
  11. “Mother Aegypt” by Kage Baker
  12. “Synthetic Serendipity” by Vernor Vinge
  13. “Skin Deep” by Mary Rosenblum
  14. “Delhi” by Vandana Singh
  15. “The Tribes of Bela” by Albert E. Cowdrey
  16. “Sitka” by William Sanders
  17. “Leviathan Wept” by Daniel Abraham
  18. “The Defenders” by Colin P. Davies
  19. “Mayflower II” by Stephen Baxter
  20. “Riding the White Bull” by Caitlin R. Kiernan
  21. “Falling Star” by Brendan Dubois
  22. “The Dragons of Summer Gulch” by Robert Reed
  23. “The Oceans of The Blind” by James L. Cambias
  24. “The Garden: A Hwarhath Science Fictional Romance” by Eleanor Arnason
  25. “Footvote” by Peter F. Hamilton
  26. “Sisyphus and the stranger” by Paul Di Fillipo
  27. “Ten Sigmas” by Paul Melko
  28. “Investments” by Walter Jon Williams

[From Kathryn Cramer] The contents of the Year’s Best SF 10 edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer looks like this:

  1. Bradley Denton “Sergeant Chip” (F&SF September)
  2. Gregory Benford “The First Commandment” (SciFiction)
  3. Glenn Grant “Burning Day” (Island Dreams: Montreal Writers of the Fantastic)
  4. Terry Bisson “Scout’s Honor” (SciFiction)
  5. Pamela Sargent “Venus Flowers at Night” (Microcosms)
  6. Gene Wolfe “Pulp Cover” (Asimov’s March)
  7. Ken Liu “The Algorithms for Love” (Strange Horizons)
  8. Ray Vukcevich “Glinky” (F&SF June)
  9. Janeen Webb “Red City” (Synergy SF: New Science Fiction)
  10. Jack McDevitt “Act of God” (Microcosms)
  11. Robert Reed “Wealth” (Asimov’s April/May)
  12. Matthew Hughes “Mastermindless” (F&SF March)
  13. Jean-Claude Dunyach “Time, As It Evaporates” (The Night Orchid)
  14. James Stoddard “The Battle of York” (F&SF July)
  15. Liz Williams “Loosestrife” (Interzone #193 Spring)
  16. James Patrick Kelly “The Dark Side of Town” (Asimov’s April/May)
  17. Steven Utley “Invisible Kingdoms” (F&SF February)
  18. Sean McMullen “The Cascade” (Agog! Terrific Tales)
  19. Charles Coleman Finlay “Pervert” (F&SF March)
  20. Steve Tomasula “The Risk-Taking Gene as Expressed by Some Asian Subjects” (Denver Quarterly Fall 2004)
  21. Neal Asher “Strood” (Asimov’s December)
  22. James Cambias “The Eckener Alternative” (All-Star Zeppelin Adventure Stories)
  23. Brenda Cooper “Savant Songs” (Analog December)

[From Asimov's Forum] The contents of Science Fiction: The Best of 2004 edited by Karen Haber and Jonathan Strahan looks like this:

  1. “The Best Christmas Ever”, James Patrick Kelly
  2. “The Voluntary State”, Christopher Rowe
  3. “The Lost Pilgrim”, Gene Wolfe
  4. “Memento Mori”, Joe Haldeman
  5. “PeriAndry’s Quest”, Stephen Baxter
  6. “Three Days in a Border Town”, Jeff VanderMeer
  7. “Elector”, Charles Stross
  8. “Opal Ball”, Robert Reed
  9. “My Mother, Dancing”, Nancy Kress
  10. “The People of Sand and Slag”, Paolo Bacigalupi
  11. “Tourists”, M. John Harrison
  12. “All of Us Can Almost…”, Carol Emshwiller
  13. “The Tang Dynasty Underwater Pyramid”, Walter John Williams

Related posts:

  1. 2004 Sturgeon Award Finalists
  2. Locus Reviews Best SF of the Year Anthologies
  3. SfSignal Makes Top 40 List
  4. 2004: A YEAR IN REVIEW
  5. FTL on the Web

Filed under: Books

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