The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017

Starred review from September 11, 2017
Guest editor Yu’s introduction to the superb third volume of this fine series imagines an interdimensional cop seeing these stories as evidence of a “scrap of hope” for human civilization in the face of “the collapsing of objective truth that’s going on.” This mostly dystopic, sometimes darkly humorous collection of 20 hard-hitting stories feels timely, confronting contemporary cultural crises such as racism, xenophobia, police brutality, barriers to health care access, and the social misuses of technology. New York becomes sentient, monstrous, and heroic in N.K. Jemisin’s “The City Born Great.” Debbie Urbanski’s deep dive into the mindset of creepy suburban conservatism in “When They Came to Us” evokes profound discomfort. In imagined futures, humankind loses control of its surroundings in low-tech ways, such as the Garbagetown of Catherynne M. Valente’s grossly evocative “The Future Is Blue,” and high-tech ways, such as the personally targeted mediaterrorism of Nick Wolven’s disturbingly plausible “Caspar D. Luckinbill, What Are You Going to Do?” Contributors’ endnotes solidify the reading of these stories as both entertainment and social narrative.

October 15, 2017

In the third edition of this annually published volume, series editor Adams and 2017 guest editor Yu have selected 20 diverse sf and fantasy stories published in 2016. The authors are both established names and promising newcomers. Dale Bailey's "Teenagers from Outer Space" takes on angst-filled humans and aliens in 1950s Ohio. "Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station ] Hours Since the Last Patient Death: 0" by Caroline M. Yoachim is a convoluted medical "Choose Your Own Adventure," in which the ending is the same for all participants. The collection ends with story notes from contributors and a list of notable short stories not included in the volume. VERDICT The fresh and original perspectives and clever storytelling will draw both sf/fantasy fans and new readers interested in learning more about speculative fiction.--KC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 24, 2018
An almost unheard-of diversity of tales absolutely sing in this superlative anthology of short speculative stories. Encompassing a wide range of styles and perspectives, the book swings gracefully from thoughtful superhero SF (“Destroy the City with Me Tonight” by Kate Alice Marshall) to nuanced horror based on Congolese mythology (“You will Always Have Family: A Triptych” by Kathleen Kayembe) to musings on the justice and the multiverse (“Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities” by Lettie Prell) without a single sour note. A. Merc Rustad contributes “Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn,” a heartfelt piece about sentient spacecraft and found family, and Caroline M. Yoachim delves further into ideas of family and obligation with the windup characters of “Carnival Nine.” From the Chinese afterlife (“The Last Cheng Beng Gift” by Jaymee Goh) to a future of cyborgs run amok (“The Greatest One-Star Restaurant” by Rachael K. Jones), this anthology delivers. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Company.