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The Year's Best Science Fiction #8
The 8th Annual Best SF: 74
After King Kong Fell by Philip Jose Farmer
When Petals Fall by Sydney J. Van Scyoc
Paleontology: An Experimental Science by Robert R. Olsen
The Women Men Don't See by James Tiptree Jr.
Listen With Big Brother by Brian W. Aldiss
The Rise of Airstrip One by Clive James
Owing To Circumstances Beyond Our Control 1984 Has Been Unavoidably Detained by Alan Coren
Lost and Found by Thomas Baum
The Four-Hour Fugue by Alfred Bester
The Scream by Kate Wilhelm
The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter by Angela Carter
After Weightlessness by Lawrence Sail
A Picture by Klee by Lawrence Sail
Backward, Into Beasts Evolving by Dick Allen
Science Fiction Story by Duane Ackerson
DNA by Duane Ackerson
Songs of War by Kit Reed
Time Deer by Craig Strete
A Typical Day by Doris Piserchia
Programmed Love Story by Ian Watson
When Petals Fall by Sydney J. Van Scyoc
Paleontology: An Experimental Science by Robert R. Olsen
The Women Men Don't See by James Tiptree Jr.
Listen With Big Brother by Brian W. Aldiss
The Rise of Airstrip One by Clive James
Owing To Circumstances Beyond Our Control 1984 Has Been Unavoidably Detained by Alan Coren
Lost and Found by Thomas Baum
The Four-Hour Fugue by Alfred Bester
The Scream by Kate Wilhelm
The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter by Angela Carter
After Weightlessness by Lawrence Sail
A Picture by Klee by Lawrence Sail
Backward, Into Beasts Evolving by Dick Allen
Science Fiction Story by Duane Ackerson
DNA by Duane Ackerson
Songs of War by Kit Reed
Time Deer by Craig Strete
A Typical Day by Doris Piserchia
Programmed Love Story by Ian Watson
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
34 people want to read
About the author
Brian W. Aldiss
794 books646 followersPseudonyms: Jael Cracken, Peter Pica, John Runciman, C.C. Shackleton, Arch Mendicant, & "Doc" Peristyle.
Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.
Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads
Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.
Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 17, 2019
My rating for the stories in this book averages to 3.625, thus rounding up to 4 stars.
My review of the stories can be read in this thread, messages 74 to 89:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
My review of the stories can be read in this thread, messages 74 to 89:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
February 23, 2009
Exceptionally good collection of science fiction stories and poetry collected by Aldiss and Harrison. The authors are established, women well-represented. The essays by the editors are interesting.
August 9, 2020
Here's an interesting time-capsule from 1974 (copyright date on each short story) or possibly 1976 (copyright date on the paperback). Either way, it occupies a thoughtful period in SF between science fact catching up with fiction to put men on the moon and the success of Star Wars reviving old space-opera tropes of swashbuckling heroes and space princesses.
The SF in this compilation is mostly 'soft' social fiction rather than 'hard' technological writing. It ranges in tone from humour to horror and addresses the issues of the moment.
The biggest issue of the times would seem to be feminism, or women's liberation. In his foreword editor Harry Harrison admits to having been described as a male chavanist swine - but goes on to praise the contribution of female writers to this compilation. Five out of eighteen contributors he counts as a good showing for the 'fillies' against the 'stallions'. It's an introduction that firmly establishes the social attitudes and language of 45 or so years ago.
Being displaced half a century from publication makes some of the subtleties hard to pick up on. I'm sure James Tiptree Jr. had a feminist point to make in her story of stranded air-crash survivors, 'The Women Men Don't See', but it seemed just a little out of my grasp.
More to my liking were two spoofs of Orwell's 1984. Clive James brings a tongue-in-cheek look at the future of the Concorde airliner and Alan Coren's pythonesque look at how Winston Smith would be treated under the ere that brought us the austerity of the three-day-week is truly hilarious.
My favourite story of the lot would be Angela Carter's 'The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter'. It's hard to see how this is classed as science-fiction at all. The story is a dark, dark piece of gothic fiction. It describes the dismal, disgusting lives of dismal, disgusting villagers who perform dismal, disgusting acts. The whole piece is described so brilliantly, like a nightmarish fairy-tale, in a few short pages I was totally drawn-in.
All in all, this was an engaging read from a diverse, but representative, set of UK and US writers of the era.
The SF in this compilation is mostly 'soft' social fiction rather than 'hard' technological writing. It ranges in tone from humour to horror and addresses the issues of the moment.
The biggest issue of the times would seem to be feminism, or women's liberation. In his foreword editor Harry Harrison admits to having been described as a male chavanist swine - but goes on to praise the contribution of female writers to this compilation. Five out of eighteen contributors he counts as a good showing for the 'fillies' against the 'stallions'. It's an introduction that firmly establishes the social attitudes and language of 45 or so years ago.
Being displaced half a century from publication makes some of the subtleties hard to pick up on. I'm sure James Tiptree Jr. had a feminist point to make in her story of stranded air-crash survivors, 'The Women Men Don't See', but it seemed just a little out of my grasp.
More to my liking were two spoofs of Orwell's 1984. Clive James brings a tongue-in-cheek look at the future of the Concorde airliner and Alan Coren's pythonesque look at how Winston Smith would be treated under the ere that brought us the austerity of the three-day-week is truly hilarious.
My favourite story of the lot would be Angela Carter's 'The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter'. It's hard to see how this is classed as science-fiction at all. The story is a dark, dark piece of gothic fiction. It describes the dismal, disgusting lives of dismal, disgusting villagers who perform dismal, disgusting acts. The whole piece is described so brilliantly, like a nightmarish fairy-tale, in a few short pages I was totally drawn-in.
All in all, this was an engaging read from a diverse, but representative, set of UK and US writers of the era.
September 30, 2014
Apologies for misunderstanding.
I actually read a completely different book: The Year's Best Science Fiction - eighth annual collection, 1991, edited by Gardner Dozois.
But I suspect it doesn't matter which collection you read; there will be wonderful stories in all of the anthologies. My favourite one (by a slight margin) in here was not the Moorcock or the LeGuin, as I would expect, but 'Inertia' by Nancy Kress, of whom I'd never heard before.
I actually read a completely different book: The Year's Best Science Fiction - eighth annual collection, 1991, edited by Gardner Dozois.
But I suspect it doesn't matter which collection you read; there will be wonderful stories in all of the anthologies. My favourite one (by a slight margin) in here was not the Moorcock or the LeGuin, as I would expect, but 'Inertia' by Nancy Kress, of whom I'd never heard before.
May 20, 2012
I read only the Alan Coren story - Owing to Circumstances Beyond Our Control 1984 Has Been Unavoidably Detained. As I expected, it was hilarious.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews