Covering Covers (and Contents) - The Apex Book of World SF 2

I love surprises.

When I woke up this morning, I had no idea that Lavie Tidhar was planning a follow up to his 2009 anthology The Apex Book of World SF.

Then I saw this.

An expedition to an alien planet; Lenin rising from the dead; a superhero so secret he does not exist; in The Apex Book of World SF 2, World Fantasy Award nominated editor Lavie Tidhar brings together a unique collection of stories from around the world. Quiet horror from Cuba and Australia; surrealist fantasy from Russia and epic fantasy from Poland; near-future tales from Mexico and Finland, or cyberpunk from South Africa: in this anthology one gets a glimpse of the complex and fascinating world of genre fiction – from all over our world.

Also included was the full Table of Contents:

• “Alternate Girl’s Expatriate Life” - Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
• “Mr. Goop” - Ivor W. Hartmann
• “Trees of Bone” - Daliso Chaponda
• “The First Peruvian in Space” - Daniel Salvo (translated by Jose B. Adolph)
• “Eyes in the Vastness of Forever” - Gustavo Bondoni
• “The Tomb” - Chen Qiufan (translated by the author)
• “The Sound of Breaking Glass” - Joyce Chng
• “A Single Year” - Csilla Kleinheincz (translated by the author)
• “The Secret Origin of Spin-Man” - Andrew Drilon
• “Borrowed Time” - Anabel Enríquez Piñeiro (translated by Daniel W. Koon)
• “Branded” - Lauren Beukes
• “December 8th” - Raúl Flores (translated by Daniel W. Koon)
• “Hungry Man” - Will Elliott
• “Nira and I” - Shweta Narayan
• “Nothing Happened in 1999” - Fábio Fernandes
• “Shadow” - Tade Thompson
• “Shibuya no Love” - Hannu Rajaniemi
• “Maquech” - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• “The Glory of the World” - Sergey Gerasimov
• “The New Neighbours” - Tim Jones
• “From the Lost Diary of TreeFrog7” - Nnedi Okorafor
• “The Slows” - Gail Hareven (translated by Yaacov Jeffrey Green)
• “Zombie Lenin” - Ekaterina Sedia
• “Electric Sonalika” - Samit Basu
• “The Malady” - Andrzej Sapkowski (translated by Wiesiek Powaga)
• “A Life Made Possible Behind The Barricades” - Jacques Barcia

I've only read a few of these authors - Lauren Beukes, Hannu Rajaniemi, Ekaternia Sedia, Nnedi Okorafora - but if those names are indicative of the level of talent contained in this collection, it will be a great one indeed. So much (too much) of the science fiction and fantasy I read is written from a disturbingly small number of perspectives and it's often easy to forget there is a world of voices out there, each with their own story to tell. Books like this are a welcome wake-up call.

The Apex Book of World SF 2 is scheduled for publication in April of 2012 but if you preorder now, you can pick up the first volume for just $5 (also the current Kindle Price).

Has anyone read any of the other authors on this list? Any favorites?

Covering Covers & Contents: Lightspeed: Year One - John Joseph Adams (ed.)

Like good fiction but hate eReading? What the hell is wrong with you? You're in luck!

 

 

Prime Books is collecting the first twelve issues of Lightspeed in a handsomely covered and bug-splatteringly physical edition. Lightspeed, if you're not aware, is an online-only monthly magazine that publishes a mix of original and classic reprint science fiction shorts. In its first year of publication, Lightspeed produced 4 genre award nominees in 2010, all of which are included in the Year One collection.

 

Here's the full list of contents:

• Introduction – John Joseph Adams
• June 2010, Issue One
• I'm Alive, I Love You, I'll See You in Reno – Vylar Kaftan (Nebula Award Nominee)
• The Cassandra Project – Jack McDevitt
• Cats in Victory – David Barr Kirtley
• Amaryllis – Carrie Vaughn (Hugo Award Nominee)
• July 2010, Issue Two
• No Time Like the Present – Carol Emshwiller
• Manumission – Tobias S. Buckell
• The Zeppelin Conductors' Society Annual Gentlemen's Ball – Genevieve Valentine
• ...For a Single Yesterday – George R. R. Martin
• August 2010, Issue Three
• How to Become a Mars Overlord – Catherynne M. Valente
• Patient Zero – Tananarive Due
• Arvies – Adam-Troy Castro (Nebula Award Nominee)
• More Than the Sum of His Parts – Joe Haldeman
• September 2010, Issue Four
• Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain – Yoon Ha Lee (Sturgeon Award Nominee)
• The Long Chase – Geoffrey A. Landis
• Amid the Words of War – Cat Rambo
• Travelers – Robert Silverberg
• October 2010, Issue Five (SF-Horror Hybrids Issue)
• Hindsight – Sarah Langan
• Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back – Joe R. Lansdale
• The Taste of Starlight – John R. Fultz
• Beachworld – Stephen King
• November 2010, Issue Six
• Standard Loneliness Package – Charles Yu
• Faces in Revolving Souls – Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Hwang's Billion Brilliant Daughters – Alice Sola Kim
• Ej-Es – Nancy Kress
• December 2010, Issue Seven
• In-Fall – Ted Kosmatka
• The Observer – Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Jenny's Sick – David Tallerman
• The Silence of the Asonu – Ursula K. Le Guin
• January 2011, Issue Eight
• Postings from an Amorous Tomorrow – Corey Mariani
• Cucumber Gravy – Susan Palwick
• Black Fire – Tanith Lee
• The Elephants of Poznan – Orson Scott Card
• February 2011, Issue Nine
• Long Enough And Just So Long – Cat Rambo
• The Passenger – Julie E. Czerneda
• Simulacrum – Ken Liu
• Breakaway, Backdown – James Patrick Kelly
• March 2011, Issue Ten
• Saying the Names – Maggie Clark
• Gossamer – Stephen Baxter
• Spider the Artist – Nnedi Okorafor
• Woman Leaves Room – Robert Reed
• April 2011, Issue Eleven
• All That Touches the Air – An Owomoyela
• Maneki Neko – Bruce Sterling
• Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son – Tom Crosshill
• Velvet Fields – Anne McCaffrey
• May 2011, Issue Twelve
• The Harrowers – Eric Gregory
• Bibi From Jupiter – Tessa Mellas
• Eliot Wrote – Nancy Kress
• Scales – Alastair Reynolds

That's 48 stories for less than 15 bucks. A quarter per short works for me. While there's no denying the quality of the reprinted material from King, Le Guin, Card, and GRRM, I'm equally excited by the newer authors. John Joseph Adams is one of the premiere genre anthology editors working today, and he does a great job recognizing upcoming and underread talent of the likes of Ted Kosmatka, Nnedi Okorafor, Charles Yu, Alice Sola Kim, and Genevieve Valentine.

 

I'm not sure when this one is out, but I'll be sure to pick it up when it arrives. In the mean time, consider buying an issue or two of Lightspeed to keep the good stuff coming.

Covering Contents: Eclipse Four - edited by Jonathan Strahan

Pretty in Pink?

Last year, Eclipse 4, (quite obviously the fourth entry in Strahan's excellently eclectic "Eclipse" series of anthologies) was pushed back from October to May of this year. I don't know if cause of the delay was ever fully explained but whatever the reason, I'm glad to know one of the few original anthology series will continue (at least through Eclipse 5).

As strange as it is to say, one of the strengths of the series is Strahan's refusal to pick a theme or at least his unwillingness to stick to one. Each book seems to be an almost random assortment of original work from strong genre writers, most of whom tend toward the literary end of the spectrum. My personal stance is that the Eclipse books are discovery anthologies. You won't love every story, not by a long shot - you might even hate a few. But there will also be a few that will surprise you, from writers you might never have heard of and which open your eyes to an new (or at least new to you) talent who will become one of your favorite authors.

As true as it may be, the seeming random end result doesn't keep Strahan from claiming to have had a strategy when he originally set out to build each anthology:

"What of Eclipse Four? In some ways it is the strangest and most eldritch volume yet. When I started work on it I intended it to be very much a sister volume to Eclipse Three, but like the wilful, living thing it is it insisted on being the book it would be, not an echo of its predecessor. During the nearly sixteen months I've been working on Eclipse Four writers have joined and left the book, have delievered and redelivered stories, and in some cases have moved from delivering one type of story to delivering another. In the end the fourteen stories [in Eclipse Four] range from tall tales to coming-of-age stories, move form the deep South to the outer reache sof our solar system, and approach everything from how we find love and happiness to how we cope with death and grief"

Here's the full list of those 14 stories:

• Introduction - Jonathan Strahan
• "Slow as a Bullet" - Andy Duncan
• "Tidal Forces" - Caitlin R. Kiernan
• "The Beancounter's Cat" - Damien Broderick
• "Story Kit" - Kij Johnson
• "The Man in Grey" - Michael Swanwick
• "Old Habits" - Nalo Hopkinson
• "The Vicar of Mars" - Gwyneth Jones
• "Fields of Gold" - Rachel Swirsky
• "Thought Experiment" - Eileen Gunn
• "The Double of My Double Is Not My Double" - Jeffrey Ford
• "Nine Oracles" - Emma Bull
• "Dying Young" - Peter M. Ball
• "The Panda Coin" - Jo Walton
• "Tourists" - James Patrick Kelly

I can't say I'm especially excited for any particular story, except possibly  Swirsky's "Fields of Gold" or Ford's "The Double of My Double Is Not My Double". Not because I doubt the others are good stories, more so that I am largely unfamiliar with the work of the remainder of that list. Many I know by reputation (Swanwick / Bull), others are entirely new to me (Ball / Broderick). All I can say for sure is that Strahan is an editor I trust and Eclipse 4 looks to be another melting pot of imagination, adventure, and discovery.

Eclipse 4 will black out the sun on May 17th from Night Shade Books.

Table of Contents: The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 5

Over on his blog, Jonathan Strahan has the scoop on Night Shade Books' fifth volume of "The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year" including the cover (above) and the full table of contents (below). As the anthology editor, he's probably a reliable source. Without sugarcoating it:

• Introduction, Jonathan Strahan
• “Elegy for a Young Elk" -  Hannu Rajaniemi
• “The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains” -  Neil Gaiman
• “Seven Sexy Cowboy Robots” -  Sandra McDonald
• “The Spy Who Never Grew Up” -  Sarah Rees Brennan
• “The Aarne-Thompson Classification Revue” -  Holly Black
• “Under the Moons of Venus” -  Damien Broderick
• “The Fool Jobs” -  Joe Abercrombie
• “Alone” -  Robert Reed
• “Names for Water” -  Kij Johnson
• “Fair Ladies” -  Theodora Goss
• “Plus or Minus” -  James P. Kelly
• “The Man With the Knives” -  Ellen Kushner
• “The Jammie Dodgers and the Adventure of the Leicester Square Screening” -  Cory Doctorow
• “The Maiden Flight of McAuley’s Bellerophon” -  Elizabeth Hand
• “The Miracle Aquilina” -  Margo Lanagan
• “The Taste of Night” -  Pat Cadigan
• “The Exterminator’s Want-Ad” -  Bruce Sterling
• “Map of Seventeen” -  Christopher Barzak
• “The Naturalist” -  Maureen McHugh
• “Sins of the Father” -  Sara Genge
• “The Sultan of the Clouds” -  Geoffrey A. Landis
• “Iteration” -  John Kessel
• “The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn” -  Diana Peterfreund
• “The Night Train” -  Lavie Tidhar
• “Still Life (A Sexagesimal Fairy Tale)” -  Ian Tregillis
• “Amor Vincit Omnia” -  K.J. Parker
• “The Things” -  Peter Watts
• “The Zeppelin Conductors’ Society Annual Gentlemen’s Ball” -  Genevieve Valentine
• “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen’s Window” -  Rachel Swirsky

Checking in at 29 stories, the anthology boasts a stellar (and diverse...don't ask) assortment of authors, most of whom I've sampled. I think I've read something by everyone but seven or so. I also see that several of the writers are ones I identified as Authors Worth Watching [Rachel Swirsky, Ian Tregillis, Lavie Tidhar, Christopher Barzak, Theodora Goss, Hannu Rajaniemi]. My congratulations to them and all the others in the collection.

I would argue that Strahan's "Best of the Year" anthology series is quickly establishing itself as the premiere SFF collection. I'm sure a lot of people feel that Dozois's anthology is still king because of the seniority factor (26 volumes and counting) but Strahan selects fewer stories from a larger pool (including both SF and Fantasy). I'd rather read 25 great stories than 20 great stories, 20 good stories, and 10 okay ones. I've got plenty to read, keep it to the must-reads as much as possible.

Not to mention I love the Strahan anthology covers. What can I say? I'm a sucker for generic spacescapes.

The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year Volume 5 will hit bookshelves March 15th, 2011.

And as a parting topic for discussion, what's your favorite title? I'm leaning toward Peterfreund's “The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn” although Doctorow's“The Jammie Dodgers and the Adventure of the Leicester Square Screening” has a certain charm. Unfortunately, sexagesimal isn't as dirty as it sounds.

How did I miss this? (Stories: All New Tales Table of Contents)

There is a somewhat genre anthology sneaking up in June entitled  Stories: All New Tales edited by genre great and all around literary hero Neil Gaiman and "master anthologist" Al Sarrantonio. I just realized it was coming out last week and only today when I was assembling my Books of June post did I find the full table of contents.

You are going to want to read this.

Blood - Roddy Doyle

Fossil-Figures - Joyce Carol Oates
Wildfire in Manhattan - Joanne Harris
The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains - Neil Gaiman
Unbelief - Michael Marshall Smith
The Stars are Falling - Joe R. Lansdale
Juvenal Nyx - Walter Mosley
The Knife - Richard Adams
Weights and Measures - Jodi Picoult
Goblin Lake - Michael Swanwick
Mallon the Guru - Peter Straub
Catch and Release - Lawrence Block
Polka Dots and Moonbeams - Jeffrey Ford
Loser - Chuck Palahniuk
Samantha's Diary - Diana Wynne Jones
Land of the Lost - Stewart O' Nan
Leif in the Wind - Gene Wolfe
Unwell - Carolyn Parkhurst
A Life in Fictions - Kat Howard
Let the Past Begin - Jonathan Carroll
The Therapist - Jeffery Deaver
Parallel Lines - Tim Powers
The Cult of the Nose - Al Sarrantonio
Human Intelligence - Kurt Andersen
Stories - Michael Moorcock
The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon - Elizabeth Hand
The Devil on the Staircase - Joe Hill

I don't think I even need to say anything. I mean, wow. How are more people not talking about this?

Gaiman, Palanhiuk, Hill, Powers, Wolfe, Ford, Straub, Moorcock, and so many more...

Move over Swords and Dark Fantasy, June has a new anthology to watch out for. Stories is out June 15th from HarperCollins

Table of Contents: Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 4

Over at Notes from Coode Street, Jonathan Strahan has announced the contents of Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 4 which hits shelves March 29th.

Introduction, Jonathan Strahan
1. It Takes Two, Nicola Griffith (Eclipse Three)
2. Three Twilight Tales, Jo Walton (Tor.com)
3. Secret Story [To Be Announced in March]
4. The Island, Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2)
5. Ferryman, Margo Lanagan (Firebirds Soaring)
6. A Wild and Wicked Youth, Ellen Kushner (F&SF)
7. The Pelican Bar, Karen Joy Fowler (Eclipse Three)
8. Spar, Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld)
9. Going Deep, James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s)
10. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (The Eternal Kiss)
11. Zeppelin City, Michael Swanwick & Eileen Gunn (Tor.com)
12. Dragon’s Teeth, Alex Irvine (F&SF)
13. This Wind Blowing, and This Tide, Damien Broderick (Asimov’s)
14. By Moonlight, Peter S. Beagle (We Never Talk About My Brother)
15. Black Swan, Bruce Sterling (F&SF)
16. As Women Fight, Sara Genge (Asimov’s)
17. The Cinderella Game, Kelly Link (Troll’s Eye View)
18. Formidable Caress, Stephen Baxter (Analog)
19. Blocked, Geoff Ryman (F&SF)
20. Truth and Bone, Pat Cadigan (Poe)
21. Eros, Philia, Agape, Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com)
22. The Motorman’s Coat, John Kessel (F&SF)
23. Mongoose, Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear (Lovecraft Unbound)
24. Echoes of Aurora, Ellen Klages (What Remains)
25. Before My Last Breath, Robert Reed (Asimov’s)
26. Jo Boy, Diana Wynne Jones (The Dragon Book)
27. Utriusque Cosmi, Robert Charles Wilson (The New Space Opera 2)
28. A Delicate Architecture, Catherynne Valente (Troll’s Eye View)
29. The Cat That Walked a Thousand Miles, Kij Johnson (Tor.com)

I find it very interesting that Tor.com has 4 stories making the anthology. If I'm correct, they've been around for less than a year. Quite a start. I didn't realize that the fiction over there was so strong. I don't typically read a lot of fiction online because I prefer the book form to get away from the screen when possible. Out of the big three F&SF has 5 stories, Asimov's has 4, and Analog 1. That would put Tor.com on pace with any of the big 3 short fiction magazines.

Also, congratulations to Alex Irvine and Elizabeth Bear (Keeping An Eye On Authors and friends of the site) on writing stories that made it into the book.

Also, all 29 authors happen to be all women, what's up with that?

Made you look. Just Kidding!