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The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One cover art

The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One

By: Neil Clarke - editor
Narrated by: Amy Tallmadge,Jeremy Arthur
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Summary

To keep up to date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more - a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious fans. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the inaugural volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, a new yearly anthology compiled by Hugo and World Fantasy award-winning editor Neil Clarke, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.

The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Clarke, publisher and editor in chief of the acclaimed and award-winning magazine Clarkesworld, has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.

Neil Clarke is the award-winning publisher and editor in chief of Clarkesworld magazine, winner of three Hugo Awards for Best Semiprozine, and the editor of the 2014 cyborg-themed original anthology Upgraded. Clarke lives in Stirling, New Jersey.

©2016 Neil Clarke (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This inclusive collection starts with Neil Clarke's introduction about the state of short science fiction in 2015. Each story begins with a brief author biography, with additional titles. Narrating duties are skillfully shared by Amy Tallmadge and Jeremy Arthur. 'The Murmuration' by Alastair Reynolds is movingly told by Arthur, who inhabits the story's scientist and his mixed emotions as he observes how starlings react to a sparrow hawk drone that they think is real. Yoon Ha Lee's 'The Cold Inequalities,' narrated by Tallmadge, is a passionate defense of books in the midst of a battle between librarians on an archive ship. The standout is 'Today I Am Paul,' by Martin L. Shoemaker. Arthur expertly portrays the android that cares for Paul's mother, Mildred, in her final days. Arthur's android touchingly 'pretends' to be Paul and significant others in Mildred's life to comfort her in this bittersweet story. Everyone should find something to enjoy in this varied collection." ( AudioFile magazine)

What listeners say about The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One

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    3 out of 5 stars

easy listening SciFi

I drive a lot for my living and have a lot of time to listen to books,(I used to read a lot but my job doesn't afford me that time anymore so listening is the next best thing), this is a great introduction to the SciFi/Fantasy genre, capturing most forms, most of the storys are excellent, I especially like So much Cooking by Naomi kritzer, which given the current situation in the world 2020, is more so relevant than ever

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6 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Crushingly dull soft Sci Fi.

I'm struggling to go on after seven or eight of the stories, it starts very strong with two wonderfully crafted stories and it's all downhill from there.

From a story about people taking about a ship getting a virus (that's literally all they do) to people reminiscing over how sad their life has been this has been a torridly dull affair that had ended my recent lust for Sci Fi with a plop rather than a bang. I highly recommend you avoid this one...

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6 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Boring and uninspired

Boring and uninteresting like most fiction from the US these days, absolutely no originality here.

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3 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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boring 😴

such a yawn fest no action no nothing really just talk blah blah you couldn't even call it sci fi thank crom I didn't pay for this

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Selection!

Where does The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

1 of 1 haha!

What did you like best about this story?

Lots of variety and different genres of Sci-Fi. Great for those long walks.

Have you listened to any of Amy Tallmadge and Jeremy Arthur ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

No.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Just few actually good Sci-fi stories.........

so few actually good stories in this book.
the rest are boring and pretty pointless.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Good collection

Some good,some very good and some i did not care for,if you read science

Fiction there should be enough variety here to interest you,good short story collection.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Some great Sci-fi

Some really good Sci-fi stories in this collection. Great narration by both the male and female narrators.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Good Collection

As with most collections, this was varied. There were some that I didn't care for, but there were also plenty that I liked and I'd say that there were more that I liked than not, and none I completely disliked.

I think 'The Audience' by Sean McMullen was probably my favourite, with a few others that I really liked being 'Another Word for World' by Ann Leckie, 'Damage' by David L. Devine and 'A Murmuration' by Alastair Reynolds.

The narration was generally good, although there were a few mispronunciations. Another reviewer says these were continuous, although I didn't notice that many and they weren't enough to cause confusion.

In addition to having a bunch of good stories, this collection also introduced me to lots of writers I was previously unfamiliar with, plenty of whom I shall now seek to read more of.

It is also nice that this collection has all of the storied in separate chapters and named, which makes navigation easy.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent

great Introduction to new science fiction writers and their work in a very accesable format,

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