Nebula Awards Showcase 2015

October 26, 2015
The 12 stories, two novel excerpts, and three poems collected in this volume, all nominated by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) as the best short fiction of 2014, provide an attractive snapshot of the many forms of contemporary fantasy and SF. Best Novelette–winner “The Waiting Stars” by Aliette de Bodard is a hard SF tale about a race bred to serve as navigational minds for interstellar spacecraft. Both “The Sounds of Old Earth” by Matthew Kressel and “Alive, Alive Oh” by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley are elegiac meditations on the pain of exile from one’s home planet. A surprising number of stories have no overt fantastic content, among them Best Short Story–winner “If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love,” Rachel Swirsky’s heartbreakingly poignant lament for a lost lover, and Best Novella–winner “The Weight of Sunrise,” Vylar Kaftan’s alternate history about the fate of the Incan empire. Essay tributes to the late Frank M. Robinson (a longtime author honored at the 2014 Nebula ceremony) and newly awarded SFWA Grand Master Samuel R. Delany (whose groundbreaking novella “Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-precious Stones” is also reprinted here) make this anthology simultaneously forward-looking and respectful of the genre’s history.

September 15, 2015
The Nebula Awards 2014 showcase, for works published in 2013. In 2015. At last! Kicking things off, genial editor Bear reminisces about past Nebula gatherings. Rachel Swirsky's stunning Best Short Story manages, in little more than two pages, to delight your heart and then rip it still beating from your chest. The category nominees, however, yield more mundane fare. Matthew Kressel's sentimental tale depicts mankind forced to abandon a ruined Earth; Sophia Samatar writes about shape-shifters among us; Kenneth Schneyer analyzes artworks; and Sylvia Spruck Wrigley tells of exiles on a poisonous alien planet. The novelettes, mostly, have more substance. Winner Aliette de Bodard conveys a power struggle between two radically different human civilizations. Of the nominees, incomprehensible robot spider-like beings occupy Alaya Dawn Johnson's Earth, Henry Lien proposes kung fu on ice (sort of), and Ken Liu presents a typically wrenching tale of the Qing dynasty. Novella winner Vylar Kaftan writes tellingly of an alternate world where the Incan Empire survived and prospered. Ann Leckie captured the Best Novel award for her debut, Ancillary Justice-you can check out the excerpt. Robin Wayne Bailey celebrates the prolific Frank M. Robinson (sometimes known as "Frqnkie"), who died in 2014. Andre Norton Award winner Nalo Hopkinson's Sister Mine makes an abbreviated appearance. Hopkinson herself writes an appreciation of Grand Master honoree Samuel R. Delany, whose famous "Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones" (Best Novelette winner, 1969, and strong contender for Best Title Ever) takes a bow. Terry A. Garey won a Rhysling for short poetry, as did Andrew Robert Sutton for long, while Deborah P. Kododji claimed a Dwarf Star for tiny little poetry. Not a banner year, all in all, but good enough to delight and entertain.

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 15, 2015

Best-of-the-year anthologies are almost always solid additions to a library's sf/fantasy collection as the selections are stellar examples of short fiction. This particular volume is better than most, as it draws not only from the Nebula Award longlist but also includes multiple types of short fiction, ranging from poems to novellas and even excerpts from the winning novel for both the adult and YA categories. Vylar Kaftan's award-winning novella, "The Weight of the Sunrise," is an outstanding example of the format and an important contribution to sf literature. VERDICT Readers new to sf will enjoy browsing through this anthology, and fans will delight in discovering unfamiliar writers. With an introduction, text of several speeches, and a complete listing of the 2014 Nebula Awards, this is an excellent addition to popular culture collections.--JM

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.