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The Best American Science Fiction And Fantasy 2016 (The Best American Series) Kindle Edition

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 90 ratings

From quiet, elegiac, contemporary tales to far-future, deep-space sagas, the stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Karen Joy Fowler for TheBest American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 demonstrate the vast spectrum of what science fiction and fantasy aims to illuminate, displaying the full gamut of the human experience, interrogating our hopes and our fears—of not just what we can accomplish or destroy as a person, but what we can accomplish or destroy as a people—and throwing us into strange new worlds that can only be explored when we shed the shackles of reality.

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 includes Rachel Swirsky, Sofia Samatar, Charlie Jane Anders, Ted Chiang, Kelly Link, Maria Dahvana Headley, Kij Johnson, Catherynne M. Valente, Dexter Palmer and others
 
KAREN JOY FOWLER, guest editor, is the author of six novels and four short story collections, including
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. She is the winner of the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award, a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, and has won numerous Nebula and World Fantasy awards.
 
JOHN JOSEPH ADAMS, series editor, is the best-selling editor of more than two dozen anthologies, including
Brave New Worlds and Wastelands. He is the editor and publisher of the digital magazines Lightspeed and Nightmare and is the editor of John Joseph Adams Books, a new science fiction/fantasy novel imprint from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thoughtful array from a star-studded assemblage of writers. . . . [whose] subject matter travels far and wide in time, space, and human memory." —Publishers Weekly "Intellectually demanding. . . . A very elite, highly curated set of stories; an obvious taste is at work." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "A standout. The initial entry was a huge success, and 2016 editor Karen Joy Fowler brings a unique, refreshing perspective to this curated collection of the year’s best sci-fi and fantasy short stories. Salman Rushdie, Charlie Jane Anders, Kelly Link, and Dexter Palmer lead a strong field of contributors who offer up some of modern genre’s best writing and most intriguing ideas."—B&N SciFI & Fantasy Blog “All in all, this second edition provides a comprehensive overview of the themes and troupes of science fiction and fantasy that continue to fascinate readers. . . the impact of the stories more than makes up for its comparatively smaller package. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in the finest short stories the two genres produced over the past year, but missed reading them when originally published.” —Bookgasm "The second edition to the Best American Science Fiction and Fantsy, edited by Karen Joy Fowler (Mariner), is just as strong as the first, if not stronger. . . . With heavy-hitting authors such as Salman Rushdie, Anders and Sofia Samatar, this volume showcases the nuanced, playful, ever-expanding definitions of the genre and celebrates its current renaissance." —The Washington Post "There has never been a better time in science fiction and fantasy short fiction, and you need look no further than this collection to see that truth. Within, you will find magic, aliens, dystopia, fairy tales, terrifying technology, far-flung futures, uncanny planets, and more. But you’ll also find heartbreak, laughter, compassion, complex morality, acceptance, strength in numbers, love, justice, the absurd, and the bittersweet. Let this collection take you to lands uncharted, and lands unknown, and lands unseen—you will be glad you went, and in these countries, there is something for everyone." —Tor.com

From the Back Cover

[banner] THE BEST AMERICAN SERIES

From quiet, elegiac, contemporary tales to far-future, deep-space sagas, the stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Karen Joy Fowler for
TheBest American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 demonstrate the vast spectrum of what science fiction and fantasy aims to illuminate, displaying the full gamut of the human experience, interrogating our hopes and our fears of not just what we can accomplish or destroy as a person, but what we can accomplish or destroy as a people and throwing us into strange new worlds that can only be explored when we shed the shackles of reality.
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 includes
Salman Rushdie Sofia Samatar Charlie Jane Anders
Ted Chiang Kelly Link Maria Dahvana Headley Adam Johnson
Kij Johnson Catherynne M. Valente Dexter Palmer
and others
KAREN JOY FOWLER, guest editor, is the author of six novels and four short story collections, including
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. She is the winner of the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award, a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, and has won numerous Nebula and World Fantasy awards.

JOHN JOSEPH ADAMS, series editor, is the best-selling editor of more than two dozen anthologies, including
Brave New Worlds and Wastelands. He is the editor and publisher of the digital magazines Lightspeed and Nightmare and is the editor of John Joseph Adams Books, a new science fiction/fantasy novel imprint from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
"

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01912OTUE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books (October 4, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 4, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3249 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 90 ratings

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
90 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2016
This is an excellent collection of SFF stories that leans towards the literary end of the genre. Some stories still accomplish the more traditional SFF genre project of conducting a thought experiment or examining elements of current-day society by projecting them out into a fantastical world, and it's great to see those traditions of the genre alive and well here. However the voices and the topics they tackle are more diverse, and the writing and characterization are much stronger than in traditional genre work.

If you're a literary reader who's curious about science fiction and fantasy, this is a great entry-point because the quality of the stories will make you feel right at home as you explore the genre elements. And, hey, it's got Salman Rushdie in it, and it's part of the venerable Best American publishing line, so there's more than enough lit cred to stave off the shame of buying a genre anthology.

SFF readers will find plenty to love, and for them the quality of writing should just be a great bonus.

This book ain't just Raymond Carver with literal aliens, or Isaac Asimov with better similes, it's at the cutting edge of the convergence between literature and genre writing.
26 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2016
Some of the stories in this book are REALLY good and others - ugh, nearly awful. But I would say for the most part most of the stories are very creative, inventive, new, interesting and well written. There is quite a bit of variety in the plots - everything from the bizarre (a woman whose child is a cube) to vampires living in Hawaii. Overall, I would recommend but there are a couple of crap stories that I read but wished I had just skipped.
13 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2017
I'm not often into short stories, but since this was recommended by John Scalzi (and it was on sale!), I gave it a shot. I'll admit, there were several stories that I barely started before giving up on them and flipping past to the next. Some were too hard to follow or too boring. Some were anywhere from okay to pretty darn good. The list below is the set that I feel were standouts, reasons to read this book: stories that drew me in, that dealt gut punches, and that were haunting in their own ways.

- Interesting Facts
- The Mushroom Queen
- Things You Can Buy For A Penny
- Rat Catcher's Yellows

If you're a fan of short stories, you'll probably love this collection. (I prefer long form for its opportunities to dive deeper into stories and characters.) For those who are on the fence about a short story anthology, pick this up when it's on a sale and pay attention to the four stories above. They'll stay with you--as any good story should.
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018
A fine collection of SF&F short stories with a literary bent. For me, the stories range from above average to excellent, with only one I didn't think was up to par from an author whose work I usually enjoy. They're well written and present highly original and sometimes uncomfortable ideas, in some cases requiring two readings before things begin to make sense. Authors include one pretty much everyone has heard of (though not usually associated with this genre), Salman Rushdie, to others I've read before and many new to me. Those who like challenging, cutting-edge speculative fiction should like this book. If you're looking for fast-paced space operas, romantic medieval fantasies, or other classic SF&F forms, look elsewhere.
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024
Very disturbing and depressing to read. Seemed more like a collection of horror stories to me. Not what I was expecting.
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2017
Loved two of the stories and hated all the others. This collection appears to be aimed at a narrow specialty audience, not a general SciFi audience.
7 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2017
One of the best sci-fi anthologies I've had occasion to read - many new (to me) authors who I hope will grace us with more short work (and maybe a novel or two). And don't skip the two forewards - they're lovely essays on why we read and love science fiction and worth the price of the book on their own.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2017
it is a group of short stories. some good, some not so good
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