Best SF of the Year, One That is Okay, & Some Old Favorites

Like many fans, I am torn over which “best science fiction of the year” collection(s) to read.  I find myself enjoying short stories more than the door-stopper novels.  That doesn’t mean the long novels are not good it just means that I prefer reading many different stories in the short fiction (novellas, novelettes, short stories) to reading one long novel.  There are exceptions.  “Dune” is one of my favorites and I have read it many times.  But if you look at the novels I mainly read, they are the length I enjoyed reading in the 70s and 80s when I was getting into science fiction.  Look at the length of the typical works of Isaac Asimov, Roger Zelazny, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Michael Moorcock, Jack Vance, E. C. Tubb, and others of that generation.  Even many of Frank Herbert’s novels are not 600 to 1000 pages long.  Take a look at the majority of the novels I am reviewing.  Most are older ones.  Does this mean I don’t want to read newer authors?  No.  I plan on reading books by Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, Peter F. Hamilton, Robert Sawyer, Eric Brown and others this year.  In the words of Peter David, “But I Digress…”.

Cover by Jack Gaughan

Getting back to the subject of “best of the year” collections, my favorite in the early days were the ones edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr.  I plan on starting to re-read them with the first one this year.  Last year I took a good look at the current series.  I chose to buy two (the Gardner Dozois collection and the David Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer one).  From what I have read on other sites, the Dozois is generally considered the top series since it started.  Each year he includes a fascinating overview of the field.  So why did I pick up the Hartwell & Cramer book?  A friend of mine loved this series because it is more focused on traditional science fiction.  When I compared the two, there is very little overlap.  Part of my plan is to go back, read and review all of the Hartwell & Cramer collections.  It will take some time because last year’s edition is the seventeenth.  By reading these, it will give me a chance to read many of the newer authors I have not read or have read very little of.  Which leads me to the first story in last year’s collection…

"The Skull" by Philip K. Dick

Story:  The Skull
Author:  Philip K. Dick
First Publication:  Worlds of IF, Sept. 1952
Cover(not illustrating this story):  Ralph Joiner

Synopsis:

Conger agreed to kill a stranger he had never seen.  But he would make no mistakes because he had the stranger's skull under his arm.

Poul Anderson, Jim Baen, and Worlds of IF

My first subscription to a science fiction magazine began with the August 1974 issue of Galaxy.  Beginning in September of that year, my short lived (due to cancellation) subscription to its sister magazine Worlds of IF.  Both were edited by Jim Baen who quickly became my favorite editor at the time.  Through yard sales and flea markets I was able to collect other issues of both magazines.  I am still slowly filling in the gaps.

The Patterns of Chaos by Colin Kapp

In the uncertain shadows against a broken wall the figure of a young man lay in foetal position, only partially aware of the devastation which raged around him. Such consciousness as he bore was almost entirely consumed by a battle of equally desperate proportions deep within his skull. 
From Goodreads.


Patterns of Chaos was originally published in three parts in Worlds of IF in 1972.  It was serialized in three parts.  One of my favorite stories in the classic science fiction magazine was another Kapp story.  It was called "Mephisto and the Ion Explorer" from one of the last issues of that magazine.  I can't tell you what the story was about anymore but it remains in my memories as one of my favorite stories of that time.  I plan on reading it again.


How does "The Patterns of Chaos" hold up over time?  Click on "Read More" to find out.

Short Story Sunday - Jan. 16, 2011

1. "Dismal Light" by Roger Zelazny

First Printing:  Worlds of IF, May 1968

When I was researching bibliographies for my Roger Zelazny Reading Project, I somehow missed this one. A later search listed this story as the first episode in his “Francis Sandow” series. The series consists of four stories.

1.  Dismal Light (1968) – short fiction

2.  Isle of the Dead (1969) – novel

3.  To Die in Italbar (1973) – novel

4.  Sandow’s Shadow (2009) – outline

I wonder if anyone will take the outline and develop it into a story?

Francis Sandow is in the background for most of this story. As is typical in much of his fiction, Zelazny mixes science fiction and mythological/magical elements.  He takes to heart the Arthur C. Clarke statement that sufficiently advanced science will appear as magic. I like his work because of the way he manages to keep the mystery in his tales of the future. Instead of straight science fiction, I consider much of his work to fall into the science fantasy category. This one contains a person with the power to remold worlds. Is this hard science? No. But this is the background for the story. It is not the main plot. The story is focused on the people and the effects this world creation has on others. The author’s strengths have always been in creating mythological type situations, exploring fantastic worlds, and the characters he has created. The other author who explores lonely characters, similar to Zelazny, is George R. R. Martin.  Martin and Zelazny are very similar in their short fiction writing.

Sandow has created a new world that is being used as a prison. When something appears that is not supposed to be there, humanity has to evacuate the planet. Our protagonist is someone who served their sentence, decided to stay on the planet, and now refuses to leave when the rest of the personnel are taken. He is staying to the end to finish an experiment he is working on. Of course, it turns out that this is not the real reason.

Zelazny does an excellent job of exploring the relationships between the various characters. I do not want to give away any of the surprises so I will not go into a detailed discussion of what the relationships are. Trust me that the author does his usual great job with the story.

Condensing it down to a bullet point list would show the following items.

• A habitable planet created from an inhabitable world

• A person with god-like powers

• The end of a world

• An unexplainable mystery

• The psychology of prisoners

• The politics of blame when things go wrong.

• What a person is willing to risk to meet the person they most need to talk

to.

“Dismal Light” definitely has me interested in reading the rest of the “Francis

Sandow” series.

2.  "The Naked Matador" by Roger Zelazny

First Printing:  Amazing Stories, July 1981

The author explores his non-science fiction influence in this story. If you

changed the final revelation, this story would seem at home along side of the stories of Raymond Chandler. At first, I thought it was a mystery noir tale. The characters are straight from the standard pulp pages of stories like the Hard Case Crime books being published today. A woman helps out a down on his luck drifter who is being pursued by criminals. People die. The mystery is how they are dying. This would make a perfect Twilight Zone episode.

Highly recommended if you enjoy Zelazny’s use of mythology. If you want to read only Zelazny’s science fiction stories, skip this one. “The Naked Matador” is a nice blend of crime noir and mythology.

"No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith

Now this is an example of a great science fiction short story. Cordwainer (Paul Linebarger) Smith was one of the best writers the field had to offer. When you read his fiction, it becomes obvious that he influenced later writers such as Roger Zelazny. Some of the same themes and ideas that layed the groundwork for Smith also appear in Zelazny's fiction. This is most evident in the naming of characters, the classic fiction characters, and the blending of fantastic elements with the more mundane modern settings. Another author whose fiction shows ties to Smith's is George R. R. Martin. Especially in his early science fiction stories. The way the characters persevere in the face of their inevitable fates is a trademark of both writers. Take "No, No, Not Rogov" as an example.

The prologue describes events in the year A. D. 13,582. It shows us events that do not appear to connect with the rest of the story until the end. The majority of the story takes place in the 1940s and features a team of Soviet scientists. Rogov is the top scientist. His wife Anastasia is a brilliant scientist in her own right. They are working on at top secret project. The only other people with them are 2 security guards. The female guard is secretly in love with Rogov and resents his wife. This is the story of the project and what happens when they are successful. The life of Rogov and the characters who inhabit his world is an example of how dedication can inspire people to achieve great things.

Modern writers would learn a lot by going back and rereading Smith's short stories.

Highly recommended.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

This story is available on line by clicking here.

For more information on Cordwainer Smith go to cordwainer-smith.com.

"In the Arena" by Brian W. Aldiss

Recently, I found a copy of Frederick Pohl's The Second IF Reader of Science Fiction. I have read many good stories that Pohl published in Worlds of IF so I was looking forward to this collection.

Javlin is a fighter in the arena. The only ways out of the arena are to win 12 bouts or die. Javlin has won his last 11 bouts when he gets the bad news. He has to fight as part of a team. And his teammate is a woman. The story focuses on the pair getting to know each other. It ends with them charging into the arena.

Brian Aldiss has written many classic science fiction stories. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. I was surprised to see this in a collection of the best from Worlds of IF. The only reason it I believe it was selected was the author's reputation. Personally, I would rather read a good story by an unknown author than a weak story by a big name writer.