The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 13 Read online

  THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF

  BEST NEW

  SCIENCE FICTION

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  THE MAMMOTH BOOK

  OF BEST NEW

  SCIENCE FICTION

  13th Annual Collection

  Edited by

  GARDNER DOZOIS

  Robinson

  LONDON

  Constable & Robinson Ltd

  55–56 Russell Square

  London WC1B 4HP

  www.constablerobinson.com

  First published in the UK by Robinson,

  an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd 2000

  First published in the USA by St. Martin’s Press 2000

  Copyright © Gardner Dozois 2000

  All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in

  Publication Data is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 1–84119–168–X

  eISBN: 978–1–78033–719–7

  Printed and bound in the EC

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Acknowledgement is made for permission to print the following material:

  “The Wedding Album” by David Marusek, Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “1016 to 1” by James Patrick Kelly. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Winemaster” by Robert Reed. Copyright © 1999 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Galactic North” by Alastair Reynolds. Copyright © 1999 by Interzone. First published in Interzone, July 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Dapple: A Hwarhath Historical Romance” by Eleanor Arnason. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, September 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s literary agent, the Virginia Kidd Literary Agency.

  “People Came from Earth” by Stephen Baxter. Copyright © 1999 by Stephen Baxter. First published in Moon Shots, edited by Peter Crowther (DAW Books). Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agent, the Maggie Noach Agency.

  “Green Tea” by Richard Wadholm. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Dragon of Pripyat” by Karl Schroeder. Copyright © 1999 by Karl Schroeder. First published in Tesseracts8, edited by Candas Jane Dorsey and John Clute (Tesseract Books). Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Written in Blood” by Chris Lawson. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Hatching the Phoenix” by Frederik Pohl. Copyright © 1999 by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. First published in Amazing Stories, Fall 1999–Winter 2000. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Suicide Coast” by M. John Harrison. Copyright © 1999 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Hunting Mother” by Sage Walker. Copyright © 1999 by Sage Walker. First published in Not of Woman Born, edited by Constance Ash (Roc Books). Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Mount Olympus” by Ben Bova. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, February 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Border Guards” by Greg Egan. Copyright © 1999 by Interzone. First published in Interzone, October 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Scherzo with Tyrannosaur” by Michael Swanwick. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, July 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Hero of the Empire” by Robert Silverberg. Copyright © 1999 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “How We Lost the Moon, a True Story by Frank W. Allen” by Paul J. McAuley. Copyright © 1999 by Stephen Baxter. First published in Moon Shots, edited by Peter Crowther (DAW Books). Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Phallicide” by Charles Sheffield. Copyright © 1999 by Charles Sheffield. First published in Science Fiction Age, September 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Daddy’s World” by Walter Jon Williams. Copyright © 1999 by Walter Jon Williams. First published in Not of Woman Born, edited by Constance Ash (Roc Books). Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Martian Romance” by Kim Stanley Robinson. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Sky-Green Blues” by Tanith Lee. Copyright © 1999 by Interzone. First published in Interzone, April 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Exchange Rate” by Hal Clement. Copyright © 1999 by DNA Publications, Inc. First published in Absolute Magnitude, Winter 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Everywhere” by Geoff Ryman. Copyright © 1999 by Geoff Ryman. First published in Interzone, February 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agent, the Maggie Noach Agency.

  “Hothouse Flowers” by Mike Resnick. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asim
ov’s Science Fiction, October/November 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Evermore” by Sean Williams. Copyright © 1999 by Sean Williams. First published in Altair 4. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Of Scorned Women and Causal Loops” by Robert Grossbach. Copyright © 1999 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Son Observe the Time” by Kage Baker. Copyright © 1999 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, May 1999. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgements

  Summation: 1999

  THE WEDDING ALBUM David Marusek

  1016 TO 1 James Patrick Kelly

  WINEMASTER Robert Reed

  GALACTIC NORTH Alastair Reynolds

  DAPPLE: A HWARHATH HISTORICAL ROMANCE Eleanor Arnason

  PEOPLE CAME FROM EARTH Stephen Baxter

  GREEN TEA Richard Wadholm

  THE DRAGON OF PRIPYAT Karl Schroeder

  WRITTEN IN BLOOD Chris Lawson

  HATCHING THE PHOENIX Frederik Pohl

  SUICIDE COAST M. John Harrison

  HUNTING MOTHER Sage Walker

  MOUNT OLYMPUS Ben Bova

  BORDER GUARDS Greg Egan

  SCHERZO WITH TYRANNOSAUR Michael Swanwick

  A HERO OF THE EMPIRE Robert Silverberg

  HOW WE LOST THE MOON, A TRUE STORY BY FRANK W. ALLEN Paul J. McAuley

  PHALLICIDE Charles Sheffield

  DADDY’S WORLD Walter Jon Williams

  A MARTIAN ROMANCE Kim Stanley Robinson

  THE SKY-GREEN BLUES Tanith Lee

  EXCHANGE RATE Hal Clement

  EVERYWHERE Geoff Ryman

  HOTHOUSE FLOWERS Mike Resnick

  EVERMORE Sean Williams

  OF SCORNED WOMEN AND CAUSAL LOOPS Robert Grossbach

  SON OBSERVE THE TIME Kage Baker

  HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 1999

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  The editor would like to thank the following people for their help and support: first and foremost, Susan Casper, for doing much of the thankless scut work involved in producing this anthology; Michael Swanwick, Ellen Datlow, Virginia Kidd, Jim Allen, Vaughne Lee Hansen, Sheila Williams, David Pringle, Charles C. Ryan, David G. Hartwell, Jack Dann, Janeen Webb, Candas Jane Dorsey, John Clute, Warren Lapine, Dwight Brown, Darrell Schweitzer, Bryan Cholfin, and special thanks to my own editor, Gordon Van Gelder.

  Thanks are also due to Charles N. Brown, whose magazine Locus (Locus Publications, P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661, $43 for a one-year subscription twelve issues via second class; credit card orders 510 339-9198) was used as a reference source throughout the Summation, and to Andrew Porter, whose magazine Science Fiction Chronicle (Science Fiction Chronicle, P.O. Box 022730, Brooklyn, NY 11202-0056, $35 for a one-year subscription twelve issues; $42 first class) was also used as a reference source throughout.

  SUMMATION: 1999

  Well, the dreaded Y2K-crisis deadline is past, and so is the changing of the millennium (except for the calendar purists, who still shoulder the proud and lonely burden of insisting it’s not the twenty-first century yet, when everybody else on earth thinks that it is), and, so far, the world has not come to an end, the angel has not descended with the seventh seal, and civilization has not collapsed – more to the point for this particular book, the publishing industry has not collapsed either, and science fiction has stubbornly refused to die, although strangely hopeful notices of its imminent demise have been put forth every year for more than a decade now.

  (Of course, just because these Symbolically Significant Dates have passed doesn’t mean that the human race couldn’t still be destroyed by a dinosaur-killer asteroid tomorrow, or that civilization, the economy, and/or publishing couldn’t still collapse at any time – it wouldn’t do to become sanguine. Nevertheless, that’s probably not the way to bet it.)

  Even as you read these words, someone, somewhere, is telling his friends with gloomy relish that science fiction is dying, is on its deathbed, gurgling its last, is sure to blink out like a guttering candle any second now. So far, though, not only has this not happened, but, all things considered and the proper disclaimers being made, science fiction as a genre actually looks rather healthy, here on the brink of a new century and a new millennium.

  The next line of defence is to say, well, the science fiction genre may be making a lot of money, but all the quality has been leached out of it, and nothing gets published any more except for crap and media tie-in books, so that even though the genre may not be about to physically die, its soul and mind and heart are dead, or dying. Except that this isn’t true either. Even discounting all of the tie-ins and media and gaming-associated books, there are considerably more science fiction novels of quality being published now than were being published in 1975 (including a few that would not have been allowed to be published back then), possibly more than were being published even ten years ago, and quite probably more than any one reader is going to be able to read in the course of one year, unless he makes a full-time job of it. (And yes, the majority of the stuff on the shelves – although probably not as much as the famous 90 per cent – may be crap, but then, the majority of the stuff on the shelves has always been crap, no matter what decade you’re talking about. Not even getting into the issue that one person’s crap is another person’s valued entertainment – some people like media tie-in novels!) Although the widely held belief is that most SF writers can’t sell their books any more, the fact is that more writers, by a large margin, are making far more money from writing SF than was the case in 1975, and that science fiction books (not just media novels) are selling far better than anyone in 1975 ever dreamed that a science fiction book could sell. Although the widely held belief is that new writers can’t break into the genre anymore, the fact is that new writers are still coming into the field in large numbers, as many or more than in 1975, and although some of them eventually will find their careers stalled by poor sales, at least as many will go on to grow audiences and become rising new stars. Thanks to (close your eyes! I’m about to commit heresy!) the big bookstore chains, it’s considerably easier to find science fiction books (or books of any sort, for that matter) than it used to be, even in parts of the country where there once weren’t any bookstores at all, for all intents and purposes; back when I was a teenager, in the early ’60s, most bookstores didn’t even carry science fiction books, let alone have a science fiction section . . . and the closest bookstore to my small New England town was more than an hour away by train. In fact, in spite of related death-of-literacy/nobody-reads-anymore laments, more books were sold to more people in 1999 than at any time in history. And the Internet is making it easier to find books, both new and used, even in those places not reached by the chain stores (using an on-line used-book-finder service, I’ve recently tracked down several books that I’d been looking for unsuccessfully for years in more traditional used-book stores).

  The next lament is usually that the genre has no future because kids aren’t reading for pleasure any more, having been seduced away by computer games and other forms of media entertainment, or at least that they’re not interested in reading fiction with fantastic elements anymore – but the immense success of the Harry Potter books, staggering even by regular mainstream standards, should take care of that one (for those of you who didn’t already draw the same lesson from the Goosebumps phenomenon a couple of years back).

  Not that all things are perfect in the SF genre, or that there are no problems or drawbacks. Things are changing in the genre, and with every change, someone gets hurt. But every change is also an opportunity. The number of books being published in mass-market paperback has been shrinking – but, at the same time, the number of books published in trade paperback and as hardcovers has been on the rise. The dwindling of the midlist and the backlist has been a severe handicap to the genre in recent years, but ther
e are signs that this is beginning to turn around . . . and the coming of print-on-demand systems may be about to make the problem moot, anyway.

  As usual, there were plenty of omens to be found, both positive and negative, and what conclusions you reached about whether things were looking good or looking bad for science fiction depended on which evidence you selectively chose to examine, and what weight you arbitrarily decided to give to it. One of Norman Spinrad’s recent columns for Asimov’s, for instance, painted such a black picture of the current state of the field that we had dozens of readers writing in to the magazine in various stages of panic or despair, saying that they hadn’t realized until then that science fiction was about to go down the crapper. At roughly the same time, Publishers Weekly ran a state-of-the-genre article by Robert K.J. Killheffer that was considerably more optimistic than Spinrad’s, almost aggressively upbeat, in fact.

  I suspect that the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes, as is usually the case in life.

  One of the major negative omens that could be read this year was the acceleration of Merger Mania. In the last two years, Putnam Berkley and Viking Penguin merged to form Penguin Putnam, Inc., bringing together under the same publishing umbrella three formerly independent SF lines, Ace, Roc, and DAW; Bertelsmann bought Random House, including Bantam Doubleday Dell, bringing Del Rey, Bantam Spectra, Doubleday, and Dell under the same roof; and, in England, the Orion Publishing Group bought Cassell, which resulted in the merger of SF lines Gollancz and Millennium. In 1999, HarperCollins bought Avon Books and William Morrow, bringing two SF imprints, Avon Eos and HarperPrism, under the same management. (One much-feared merger, though, the announced purchase of Ingram, the largest book distributor, by Barnes & Noble, the largest of the bookstore chains, fell apart in 1999, much to the relief of independent bookstore owners, after reports that the Federal Trade Commission was going to block or delay the purchase.)