The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 18 Read online

  THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF

  BEST NEW

  SCIENCE FICTION

  Also available

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  THE MAMMOTH BOOK

  OF BEST NEW

  SCIENCE FICTION

  18th 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 USA by St. Martin’s Press 2005

  First published in the UK by Robinson,

  an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd 2005

  Copyright © Gardner Dozois 2005

  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 1–84529–116–6

  eISBN 978–1–78033–721–0

  Printed and bound in the EU

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Acknowledgment is made for permission to print the following material:

  “Inappropriate Behavior,” by Pat Murphy. Copyright © 2004 by SCIFI.COM. First published electronically on SCI FICTION, February 11, 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Start the Clock,” by Benjamin Rosenbaum. Copyright © 2004 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, August 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Third Party,” by David Moles. Copyright © 2004 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, September 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Voluntary State,” by Christopher Rowe. Copyright © 2004 by SCIFI.COM. First published electronically on SCI FICTION, May 5, 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Shiva in Shadow,” by Nancy Kress. Copyright © 2004 by Nancy Kress. First published in Between Worlds (Science Fiction Book Club), edited by Robert Silverberg. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The People of Sand and Slag,” by Paolo Bacigalupi. Copyright © 2004 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 2003. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Clapping Hands of God,” by Michael F. Flynn. Copyright © 2004 by Dell Magazines. First published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, July/August 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Tourism,” by M. John Harrison. Copyright © 2004 by M. John Harrison. First published electronically on Amazon.com, August 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Scout’s Honor,” by Terry Bisson. Copyright © 2004 by SCIFI.COM. First published electronically on SCI FICTION, January 28, 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Men Are Trouble,” by James Patrick Kelly. Copyright © 2004 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Mother Aegypt,” by Kage Baker. Copyright © 2004 by Kage Baker. First published in Mother Aegypt and Other Stories (Night Shade). Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Synthetic Serendipity,” by Vernor Vinge. Copyright © 2004 by Vernor Vinge. First published electronically on IEEESpectrumonline, July 31, 2004.

  “Skin Deep,” by Mary Rosenblum. Copyright © 2004 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Delhi,” by Vandana Singh. Copyright © 2004 by Vandana Singh. First published in So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy (Arsenal Pulp Press), edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Tribes of Bela,” by Albert E. Cowdrey. Copyright © 2004 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, August 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Sitka,” by William Sanders. Copyright © 2004 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, April/May 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Leviathan Wept,” by Daniel Abraham. Copyright © 2004 by SCIFI.COM. First published electronically on SCI FICTION, July 7, 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Defenders,” by Colin P. Davies. Copyright © 2004 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2004. Reprinted by permi
ssion of the author.

  “Mayflower II,” by Stephen Baxter. Copyright © 2004 by Stephen Baxter. First published as a chapbook, Mayflower II (PS Publishing). Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Riding the White Bull,” by Caitlin R. Kiernan. Copyright © 2004 by Caitlin R. Kiernan. First published in Argosy Magazine, January/February 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Falling Star,” by Brendan DuBois. Copyright © 2004 by Brendan DuBois. First published in Space Stations (DAW), edited by Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Dragons of Summer Gulch,” by Robert Reed. Copyright © 2004 by SCIFI.COM. First published electronically on SCI FICTION, December 1, 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Ocean of the Blind,” by James L. Cambias. Copyright © 2004 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, April 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Garden: A Hwarhath Science Fictional Romance,” by Eleanor Arnason. Copyright © 2004 by Eleanor Arnason. First published in Synergy SF (Five Star), edited by George Zebroswki.

  “Footvote,” by Peter F. Hamilton. Copyright © 2004 by Peter F. Hamilton. First published in Postscripts, Spring 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Sisyphus and the Stranger,” by Paul Di Filippo. Copyright © 2004 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Ten Sigmas,” by Paul Melko. Copyright © 2004 by Paul Melko. First published in Talebones, Summer 2004. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Investments,” by Walter Jon Williams. Copyright © 2004 by Walter Jon Williams. First published in Between Worlds (Science Fiction Book Club), edited by Robert Silverberg. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Summation: 2004

  INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR Pat Murphy

  START THE CLOCK Benjamin Rosenbaum

  THE THIRD PARTY David Moles

  THE VOLUNTARY STATE Christopher Rowe

  SHIVA IN SHADOW Nancy Kress

  THE PEOPLE OF SAND AND SLAG Paolo Bacigalupi

  THE CLAPPING HANDS OF GOD Michael F. Flynn

  TOURISM M. John Harrison

  SCOUT’S HONOR Terry Bisson

  MEN ARE TROUBLE James Patrick Kelly

  MOTHER AEGYPT Kage Baker

  SYNTHETIC SERENDIPITY Vernor Vinge

  SKIN DEEP Mary Rosenblum

  DELHI Vandana Singh

  THE TRIBES OF BELA Albert E. Cowdrey

  SITKA William Sanders

  LEVIATHAN WEPT Daniel Abraham

  THE DEFENDERS Colin P. Davies

  MAYFLOWER II Stephen Baxter

  RIDING THE WHITE BULL Caitlin R. Kiernan

  FALLING STAR Brendan DuBois

  THE DRAGONS OF SUMMER GULCH Robert Reed

  THE OCEAN OF THE BLIND James L. Cambias

  THE GARDEN: A HWARHATH SCIENCE FICTIONAL ROMANCE Eleanor Arnason

  FOOTVOTE Peter F. Hamilton

  SISYPHUS AND THE STRANGER Paul Di Filippo

  TEN SIGMAS Paul Melko

  INVESTMENTS Walter Jon Williams

  Honorable Mentions: 2004

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The editor would like to thank the following people for their help and support: Susan Casper, Ellen Datlow, Gordon Van Gelder, Peter Crowther, Nicolas Gevers, David Pringle, Andy Cox, Marty Halpern, Gary Turner, Lou Anders, Eileen Gunn, Nisi Shawl, Mike Resnick, Cory Doctorow, Vernor Vinge, M. John Harrison, Robert E. Howe, Darrell Schweitzer, Susan Marie Groppi, Karen Meisner, Jed Hartman, Richard Freeburn, Patrick Swenson, Bridget McKenna, Marti McKenna, Jay Lake, Deborah Layne, Edward J. McFadden, Sheila Williams, Brian Bieniowski, Trevor Quachri, Jayme Lynn Blascke, Lou Antonelli, Paul Melko, Mark Rudolph, Tehani Croft, Zara Baxter, Allan Price, Andrew Finch, Stuart Barrow, Robbie Matthews, David Hartwell, Warren Lapin, Roelf Goudriaan, Bob Neilson, David Murphy, John O’Neill, Kelly Link, Gavin Grant, Gordon Lilnzer, Gerard Houarner, Guy Hasson, David Lee Summers, Diane L. Walton, Linn Prentis, Vaughne Lee Hansen, Shawna McCarthy, Rich Horton, Mark R. Kelly, Jonathan Strahan, Mark Watson, Michael Swanwick, and special thanks to my own editor, Marc Resnick.

  Thanks are also due to Charles N. Brown, whose magazine Locus (Locus Publications, P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661. $52 for a one-year subscription [twelve issues] via second class; credit card orders call 510-339-9198) was used as an invaluable reference source throughout the Summation; Locus Online (www.locusmag.com), edited by Mark R. Kelly, has also become a key reference source. Thanks are also due to John Douglas and Warren Lapine of Science Fiction Chronicle (DNA Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 2988, Radford, VA 24143-2988, $45 for a one-year/twelve-issue subscription via second class), which was also used as a reference source throughout

  SUMMATION: 2004

  In spite of the fact that some people have been sitting by the graveside impatiently waiting for SF to “die” for the entire twenty-first century, to date the genre actually seems to be in pretty good shape, both commercially and artistically, with the total number of books published going up, not down. Many SF titles are selling well, new SF lines are coming into existence, and the old established ones are looking pretty solid (only the troubled magazine market seems to be really hurting).

  If anything, the market is expanding, not contracting, at least at the small-press level. Lou Anders, former editor of Argosy, is starting an ambitious new SF line for Prometheus Publishing, called Pyr Books. Mike Resnick has been named executive editor of BenBella Books and is starting new lines there of SF and SF–related nonfiction. Red Deer Press of Calgary launched a new SF imprint called Robert J. Sawyer Books, edited by Sawyer himself. Newly named editor in chief of Phobos Books, John J. Ordover, is expanding the SF line there as well. MonkeyBrain Press is also bringing out a new line of genre-related nonfiction titles.

  Young Adult fantasy and SF lines also keep proliferating. Wizards of the Coast is launching a new YA fantasy line called Mirrorstone; Penguin is launching Razorbill; Abram’s Books for Young Readers is bringing us Amulet; Bloomsbury USA is launching Bloomsbury Paperbacks; and Houghton Mifflin is starting Graphia.

  (In other editorial news, Jennifer Hershey has moved to Random House, where she’s become editorial director, and Sharyn November has been promoted to editorial director of Firebird Books, although she will still continue as senior editor of Viking Children’s/Puffin Books.)

  The year 2004 also saw the opening of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, Washington, the first major museum devoted to science fiction in the entire world.

  The major, wide-sweeping changes in the nature of publishing itself that have been hanging over the horizon for quite a while now seemed to inch a bit closer to reality this year as well. For a number of years, the more wide-eyed and enthusiastic cyberoptimists have been predicting industrywide changes driven by such technological innovations as “smart paper,” better and cheaper e-books, and instant “print on demand” printing of books in bookstores. In fact, these changes have been predicted for so long that they have become a joke to some Luddite critics. But that doesn’t mean they’re not still coming, although everything takes a lot longer to actually come into widespread social use than the visionaries initially predicted. Not too many years back, when Amazon.com had yet to run into the black, critics were laughing at it and other online booksellers, saying they were a fad that would never last, but today the online booksellers are an established and rapidly expanding part of the book industry. Penguin Group USA has even started selling all of its titles directly to customers via its own Web sites. The commercial potential of e-books was widely dismissed after the dot.com bubble burst, but there are signs that this industry may be reviving as well; certainly the e-book-selling site Fictionwise, which the more cynical industry insiders were predicting wouldn’t last a year, still seems to be going strong. Sales of elec
tronic subscriptions and downloads for PDA through sites like PeanutPress are increasing as well.

  The future may take longer to arrive than you think that it will, but sooner or later it gets here, notwithstanding.

  In 2004 circulation continued declining slowly for most in the ailing magazine market – throughout the entire magazine industry, in fact, way outside of genre boundaries – but at least, as of press time, we hadn’t lost any major markets, knock wood (although it looked for a minute, however, as if we were going to; see below). Some new magazines were even started, although many of them immediately ran into difficulties of their own. (See the summations for the Twenty-First, Twentieth, Nineteenth, and Eighteenth annual collections for more about the technical reasons behind the decline in circulation and how it has affected nearly every magazine in the country, not just genre titles; I get tired of rehashing the same material, especially as, judging by the questions I get asked at conventions and online forums, nobody is listening anyway.)

  Asimov’s Science Fiction registered an 8.9 percent loss in overall circulation in 2004, gaining 995 in new subscriptions, from 22,933 to 23,933 (miniscule, but a gain nevertheless), but losing 3,732 in newsstand sales, dropping from 7,668 to 3,936, and sell-through dropped from 60 percent to 34 percent. Analog Science Fiction & Fact registered an 18 percent loss in overall circulation in 2004, losing 3,899 in subscriptions, from 31,715 to 27,816, while newsstand sales declined by 3,427, falling from 8,883 to 5,456, and sell-through dropped from a record 61 percent to 50 percent. The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction registered a 11.8 percent loss in overall circulation, losing 1,529 in subscriptions, from 16,562 to 15,033, while newsstand sales declined by 995, from 4,881 to 3,886, and sell-through fell from 44 percent to 40 percent. No current circulation figures were available for Realms of Fantasy by press time, but their 2003 figures shows them dropping from 20,541 in 2002 to 18,337 in 2003 in subscriptions, but rising from 5,472 to 8,995 in newsstand sales for an overall gain of 5.1 percent.

  Nobody likes to see these kinds of figures, but they don’t necessarily, mean that the genre magazines are doomed; there’s a lot of built-in margin, including the fact that digest-sized magazines are so cheap to produce that you don’t have to sell many of them to break even. Nevertheless, these kinds of losses can’t go on indefinitely without leading sooner or later to disaster. The next couple of years will be critical for the genre magazines, which must somehow not only stop their slow decline but also turn it around and rebuild circulation if they are to survive. That’s why I’m urging all readers to take the time to subscribe to one of the genre magazines if they like having a lot of short SF and fantasy out there to read every year. It’s never been easier to subscribe to most of the genre magazines because you can now do it electronically online with the click of a few buttons, without even a trip to the mailbox. Don’t procrastinate – just put this book down right now and go to your computer and do it!