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austinbeeman's review
4.0
THE 1984 ANNUAL WORLD’S BEST SF
RATED 80% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE = 4.00 / 5
10 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 0 DNF
The most interesting thing about this anthology - going in - was that so many of the authors were new to me. Not “I’ve never read any of their stories” New, but “I’ve never heard this author’s name New. It was a bit disappointing when most of the Great work was by authors that were already known to me.
Despite a mediocre ‘percent positive,’ there is much to enjoy here with four 4 Great stores:
Homefaring • (1983) • novella by Robert Silverberg. Completely unexpected and quite wonderful. A scientist volunteers to have his consciousness transported into the future and ends up millions of years ahead within a the body of an intelligent lobster-being. This inspires a quest across a strange and wonderful undersea future world. This is a stunning “Sense of Wonder” story that I absolutely loved.
Blood Music • (1983) • novelette by Greg Bear. A brilliant, but unsophisticated scientist injects himself with his most recent experiment and goes to his friend for help. What starts as self-improvement eventually becomes horror.
The Leaves of October • (1983) • novelette by Don Sakers. A lyrical story told in the voice of an intelligent alien tree. Human are the only species that hasn’t been ‘raised’ by ancient tree-aliens and one brave tree is sent to live among humans and try to understand them. Another wistful and beautifully told story.
Spending a Day at the Lottery Fair • (1983) • short story by Frederik Pohl. A quiet and haunting story of a family that attends a Fair. The Fair is full of wonders, but each one collects a calculated price.
***
THE 1984 ANNUAL WORLD’S BEST SF IS RATED 80% POSITIVE
10 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 0 DNF
Blood Music • (1983) • novelette by Greg Bear
Great. A brilliant scientist goes to a friend for help after injecting himself with the intelligent results of illegal experiments.
Potential • [Multivac] • (1983) • short story by Isaac Asimov
Average. Scientist investigate a young man that the giant computer says has the DNA for telepathy.
Knight of Shallows • (1983) • novelette by Rand B. Lee
Good. Rollicking time-travel/multi-universe adventure as a man tracks a murderous version of himself.
Spending a Day at the Lottery Fair • (1983) • short story by Frederik Pohl
Great. A quiet and haunting story of a family that attends a fair. The fair is full of wonders, but each one collects a calculated price.
In the Face of My Enemy • [Kim Ryan] • (1983) • novella by Joseph H. Delaney
Good. An expedition to approve a planet for colonization is sabotaged. A woman and an Indian man must try to make it back to base. Thankfully the Indian had been altered millennia ago by aliens and has superhuman powers.
The Nanny • (1983) • novelette by Thomas Wylde
Average. The last hope for humanity falls to one man when he is awakened 18 years early and has to be responsible for hundreds of embryos in storage on the spaceship.
The Leaves of October • (1983) • novelette by Don Sakers
Great. A lyrical story told in the voice of an intelligent alien tree. Human are the only species that hasn’t been ‘raised’ by ancient tree-aliens and one brave tree is sent to live among humans and try to understand them.
As Time Goes By • (1983) • short story by Tanith Lee
Good. A space station on a time-neutral way point. A dashing space pirate at an elegant bar. A beautiful woman with a secret and a paradox. Plus a ghost ship.
The Harvest of Wolves • (1983) • short story by Mary Gentle [as by Mary R. Gentle]
Poor. In a trite fascist future America, an old woman talks about the old times to an angry young man who doesn’t care.
Homefaring • (1983) • novella by Robert Silverberg
Great. Masterful and poignant story of a scientist whose consciousness is sent into the distant future and into the body of an intelligent lobster.
RATED 80% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE = 4.00 / 5
10 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 0 DNF
The most interesting thing about this anthology - going in - was that so many of the authors were new to me. Not “I’ve never read any of their stories” New, but “I’ve never heard this author’s name New. It was a bit disappointing when most of the Great work was by authors that were already known to me.
Despite a mediocre ‘percent positive,’ there is much to enjoy here with four 4 Great stores:
Homefaring • (1983) • novella by Robert Silverberg. Completely unexpected and quite wonderful. A scientist volunteers to have his consciousness transported into the future and ends up millions of years ahead within a the body of an intelligent lobster-being. This inspires a quest across a strange and wonderful undersea future world. This is a stunning “Sense of Wonder” story that I absolutely loved.
Blood Music • (1983) • novelette by Greg Bear. A brilliant, but unsophisticated scientist injects himself with his most recent experiment and goes to his friend for help. What starts as self-improvement eventually becomes horror.
The Leaves of October • (1983) • novelette by Don Sakers. A lyrical story told in the voice of an intelligent alien tree. Human are the only species that hasn’t been ‘raised’ by ancient tree-aliens and one brave tree is sent to live among humans and try to understand them. Another wistful and beautifully told story.
Spending a Day at the Lottery Fair • (1983) • short story by Frederik Pohl. A quiet and haunting story of a family that attends a Fair. The Fair is full of wonders, but each one collects a calculated price.
***
THE 1984 ANNUAL WORLD’S BEST SF IS RATED 80% POSITIVE
10 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 3 GOOD / 2 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 0 DNF
Blood Music • (1983) • novelette by Greg Bear
Great. A brilliant scientist goes to a friend for help after injecting himself with the intelligent results of illegal experiments.
Potential • [Multivac] • (1983) • short story by Isaac Asimov
Average. Scientist investigate a young man that the giant computer says has the DNA for telepathy.
Knight of Shallows • (1983) • novelette by Rand B. Lee
Good. Rollicking time-travel/multi-universe adventure as a man tracks a murderous version of himself.
Spending a Day at the Lottery Fair • (1983) • short story by Frederik Pohl
Great. A quiet and haunting story of a family that attends a fair. The fair is full of wonders, but each one collects a calculated price.
In the Face of My Enemy • [Kim Ryan] • (1983) • novella by Joseph H. Delaney
Good. An expedition to approve a planet for colonization is sabotaged. A woman and an Indian man must try to make it back to base. Thankfully the Indian had been altered millennia ago by aliens and has superhuman powers.
The Nanny • (1983) • novelette by Thomas Wylde
Average. The last hope for humanity falls to one man when he is awakened 18 years early and has to be responsible for hundreds of embryos in storage on the spaceship.
The Leaves of October • (1983) • novelette by Don Sakers
Great. A lyrical story told in the voice of an intelligent alien tree. Human are the only species that hasn’t been ‘raised’ by ancient tree-aliens and one brave tree is sent to live among humans and try to understand them.
As Time Goes By • (1983) • short story by Tanith Lee
Good. A space station on a time-neutral way point. A dashing space pirate at an elegant bar. A beautiful woman with a secret and a paradox. Plus a ghost ship.
The Harvest of Wolves • (1983) • short story by Mary Gentle [as by Mary R. Gentle]
Poor. In a trite fascist future America, an old woman talks about the old times to an angry young man who doesn’t care.
Homefaring • (1983) • novella by Robert Silverberg
Great. Masterful and poignant story of a scientist whose consciousness is sent into the distant future and into the body of an intelligent lobster.
originaljbone's review
3.0
As with most collections each reader will find their favourites. What is crap to one might be a delight to another (though I think we can all agree that THE NANNY by Thomas Wylde is sexist bullshit).
My favourites by far are THE LEAVES OF OCTOBER by Don Sakers and HOMEFARING by Robert Silverberg. Both speculate a future where man isn’t the only, or dominant, intelligence on the planet.
The Hlut, in the Leaves of October, reminded me of the Ents from Tolkien’s world though lacking mouths they communicated through colour patterns on their trunks. A beautiful image to consider. I disagree with the final decision made by the Hlut collective - which you’ll have to read if you want to know what I think about humans as a destructive force.
The HOMEFARING unfolds in such a fascinating way that you really need to read it yourself. To have it described would ruin the experience.
My favourites by far are THE LEAVES OF OCTOBER by Don Sakers and HOMEFARING by Robert Silverberg. Both speculate a future where man isn’t the only, or dominant, intelligence on the planet.
The Hlut, in the Leaves of October, reminded me of the Ents from Tolkien’s world though lacking mouths they communicated through colour patterns on their trunks. A beautiful image to consider. I disagree with the final decision made by the Hlut collective - which you’ll have to read if you want to know what I think about humans as a destructive force.
The HOMEFARING unfolds in such a fascinating way that you really need to read it yourself. To have it described would ruin the experience.
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