The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Fourth Annual Collection Read online

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  SUMMATION: 1986

  Lucius Shepard

  R & R

  Orson Scott Card

  HATRACK RIVER

  Damon Knight

  STRANGERS ON PARADISE

  Pat Cadigan

  PRETTY BOY CROSSOVER

  Robert Silverberg

  AGAINST BABYLON

  Somtow Sucharitkul

  FIDDLING FOR WATERBUFFALOES

  Tanith Lee

  INTO GOLD

  Scott Baker

  SEA CHANGE

  Michael Swanwick

  COVENANT OF SOULS

  John Kessel

  THE PURE PRODUCT

  Richard Kearns

  GRAVE ANGELS

  Greg Bear

  TANGENTS

  Bruce Sterling

  THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE SUBLIME

  Jack Dann

  TATTOOS

  Tim Powers

  NIGHT MOVES

  James Patrick Kelly

  THE PRISONER OF CHILLON

  Connie Willis

  CHANCE

  Harry Turtledove

  AND SO TO BED

  Howard Waldrop

  FAIR GAME

  Walter Jon Williams

  VIDEO STAR

  Neal Barrett, Jr.

  SALLIE C.

  Lewis Shiner

  JEFF BECK

  Judith Moffett

  SURVIVING

  Kim Stanley Robinson

  DOWN AND OUT IN THE YEAR 2000

  Tom Maddox

  SNAKE-EYES

  Karen Joy Fowler

  THE GATE OF GHOSTS

  William Gibson

  THE WINTER MARKET

  Honorable Mentions: 1986

  Books by Gardner Dozois

  Copyright Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  FOR

  Pat Cadigan and Arnie Fenner

  and

  Robert Michael Fenner,

  otherwise known as

  “Bobzilla, Scourge of the Midwest”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The editor would like to thank the following people for their help and support: Susan Casper, Virginia Kidd, Ellen Datlow, Sheila Williams, Emy Eterno, Tina Lee, Michael Swanwick, Pat Cadigan, Orson Scott Card, Janet and Ricky Kagan, Shawna McCarthy, Lou Aronica, Edward Ferman, Susan Allison, Ginjer Buchanan, Beth Meacham, Claire Eddy, Pat LoBrutto, Patrick Delahunt, Tim Powers, David Hartwell, Martha Millard, Lewis Shiner, Howard Waldrop, Neal Barrett, Jr., Bob Walters, Tess Kissinger, Jim Frenkel, and special thanks to my own editor, Stuart Moore.

  Thanks are also due to Charles N. Brown, whose magazine Locus (Locus Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661, $32.00 for a one-year first-class subscription, 12 issues) was used as a reference source throughout the Summation, and to Andrew Porter, whose magazine Science Fiction Chronicle (Algol Press, P.O. Box 4175, New York, NY 10163-4157, $23.40 for 1 year, 12 issues) was also used as a reference source throughout.

  INTRODUCTION

  Summation: 1986

  There were a few storm clouds on the horizon in 1986, and many industry insiders began to talk with gloomy certainty of the inevitability of a serious sales slump and another recession in the publishing industry somewhere down the road. On the other hand, more SF books were published in 1986 than ever before, and several new programs were announced.

  The biggest negative news of the year was probably the demise of Bluejay Books, the ambitious SF line started in 1981 by Jim Frenkel. Bluejay was forced under late in 1986 by major cash-flow problems, as primary sources of funding dried up. The death of Bluejay is a major blow to SF, but not quite the total disaster it might have been. So far, Bluejay has not declared bankruptcy, which could have been a catastrophe of major proportions—the bankruptcies of Pinnacle and Lancer, for instance, tied some literary properties up for years—and both Bluejay’s creditors and Jim Frenkel himself deserve credit for this, the creditors for their patience and forbearance, Frenkel for the integrity to resist the pressure to declare bankruptcy in the face of major debts, something which would certainly have been an easier way out for him. Instead, Frenkel has been working behind the scenes with various other editors in an attempt to place with other publishers those Bluejay books which were under contract, and to date has been successful in placing the majority of them (as testified to by the fact that you’re reading these words in the first place—since St. Martin’s Press has taken this anthology series over from Bluejay). Frenkel has also worked out a deal with his creditors to repay them on a schedule of monthly proportional payments, although it may take years to settle all the debts involved. Still, the demise of Bluejay has cost us an innovative and ambitious SF line, one that frequently produced books of high literary quality; Bluejay will be missed.

  In other news, St. Martin’s Press bought Tor books on the last day of 1986. Tor has been the fastest-growing company in SF for a couple of years now, experiencing a 35 percent growth rate in 1986, and apparently expanded too far too fast; the $1.5 million in uncollected accounts receivable from the Pinnacle bankruptcy, the sudden dramatic increase in inventory caused by the demise of Bluejay (Tor probably picked up the lion’s share of the titles that were forced to find new homes), the money tied up in inventory by the constant expansion, and the flight of major financial backers because of the new changes in tax laws on passive investments and capital gains (certainly not the last effect the new tax laws will have on the publishing industry), have all been talked about as contributing factors to the sale. Tom Doherty will continue to run Tor independently of St. Martin’s, except for the accounting and financial end, and Beth Meacham will remain as senior editor (no major changes in editorial personnel have as yet come about because of this sale).

  Elsewhere: Doubleday, NAL, Dell, and Dutton were all sold to other publishers during the year—what effect this will have on the SF lines at Doubleday and NAL is as yet unknown. Ace and Berkley will be merging their SF lines, with the Berkley line being phased out—this will result in fewer overall titles yearly. The giant bookstore chain B. Dalton was sold to Barnes and Noble, part of a long trend of increasing centralism; independent bookstores are on the verge of becoming an endangered species. Ace/Berkley, Daw, Bantam, and Arbor House all cut their lists in 1986 (the cuts at Arbor House were the most dramatic; several editors there have also been let go, although so far the SF editorial staff is untouched), and further cuts are likely in 1987.

  On the positive side, however, several new lines were announced, and the new titles created will probably at least balance the cutbacks in old titles. St. Martin’s Press has announced two new mass-market paperback lines, one for SF and one for horror; Stuart Moore will run the SF line, Lincoln Child the horror line. Walker & Co., in conjunction with Byron Preiss Visual Publications, will publish a new line of illustrated young adult hardcovers, Millennium Books, to be edited by David Harris. Franklin Watts is starting a new SF line, to be edited by Charles Platt. And Davis Publications, Inc., in conjunction with Contemporary Books, is starting up a new SF line, Isaac Asimov Presents, which will be published under Contemporary’s Congdon & Weed imp
rint, and which will concentrate primarily on novels by new young authors; the editor of the series is Gardner Dozois. (It’s interesting to note that between Terry Carr’s Ace Special line, Ben Bova’s Discovery Series for Tor, Charles Platt’s series for Franklin Watts, and the new Isaac Asimov Presents line from Congdon & Weed, all of which have announced their intention to emphasize the work of new writers, it may well be easier for a young author to sell a first novel these days than it will be for him to sell a second or third novel a bit further down the road. Interesting times indeed …) And SF and fantasy books continue to make their presence strongly felt on nationwide bestseller lists, with King, Asimov, Heinlein, Donaldson, Hubbard, and Anthony staying on those lists throughout much of the year.

  So, contradictory signals and ambiguous omens. Will the recession inevitably come, as the doomsayers predict? Only time will tell. It’s hardly a daring prediction, after all, to forecast a coming recession—SF publishing has followed a periodic boom-and-bust cycle ever since there was such a thing as SF as a distinct publishing category. The real question is, how severe will the recession be, and how many authors will it affect … and to what degree? During the last recession, a few years back, some authors were frozen out of print altogether, while a number of others were not only adversely affected by the recession, they actually prospered throughout it, their books going on top nationwide bestseller lists at a time when most other authors were selling very poorly indeed. I suspect that there will be authors who will be similarly immune to the coming recession, however severe it may be—the intriguing question is, will these lucky writers be the same ones as last time? I suspect that they will not be, at least in part.

  * * *

  It was another year of changes for the SF magazine market, some of them good, some bad, some of them very hard to call. Many of the biggest changes, however, were negative. The proposed L. Ron Hubbard’s to the Stars Science Fiction Magazine, which had been relentlessly hyped throughout 1985, died stillborn in 1986, being “indefinitely postponed” after the death of L. Ron Hubbard at the beginning of the year. Although those connected with the magazine still talk about the possibility of it being started up again at some point in the future, all manuscripts purchased for the abortive first three issues have been returned, and most industry insiders consider the magazine to be dead. Stardate also died, after two 1986 issues, leaving a number of angry creditors behind; it’s supposed to be resurrected in 1987, but this time purely as a gaming magazine. Two other new magazines were launched in 1986: the resurrected Worlds of If, edited by Clifford Hong, which produced one issue in 1986, and Aboriginal SF, edited by Charles Ryan, a tabloid-format “magazine” which produced two issues. Most industry observers seem to be doubtful about the chances of either of these two magazines surviving, perhaps a little more dubious about If’s chances; even those who thought Aboriginal SF did have a shot at making it seemed dubious about the tabloid format. Well, we’ll see. The fourth incarnation of Weird Tales died in 1986, but almost immediately a fifth incarnation was announced, with rights to the title being purchased by George Scithers, Darrell Schweitzer, and John Betancourt. Michael Blaine was abruptly fired as editor of The Twilight Zone Magazine, after only a few months on the job, and replaced by Tappan King—since King has as much energy, ability, and ambition as any editor in the business, this could bode interesting changes ahead for the magazine. Night Cry, TZ’s sister publication, and Interzone, the British SF magazine, both continue to develop promisingly throughout 1986. Night Cry, with its manic energy, cheerful bloodthirstiness, and love of the grotesque, is filling the hardcore horror fiction niche well enough that one wonders if TZ will not be forced to find a new editorial direction, away from horror fiction per se, in order not to be superfluous; King could probably find it for them—if they’ll let him. Interzone continues to attract some very good stuff, much of it from American authors, in spite of the fact that it is almost impossible to find in the United States, except in SF specialty bookstores. At year’s end, a big-budget Canadian SF magazine, SF: New Science Fiction Stories, edited by John R. Little, was announced for 1987.

  As most of you probably know, I, Gardner Dozois, am also editor of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. And that, as I mentioned last year, poses a problem for me in compiling this summation, particularly the magazine-by-magazine review that follows. As IAsfm editor, I could be said to have a vested interest in the magazine’s success, so that anything negative I said about another SF magazine (particularly another digest-sized magazine, my direct competition), could be perceived as an attempt to make my own magazine look good by tearing down the competition. Aware of this constraint, I’ve decided that nobody can complain if I only say positive things about the competition … and so, like last year, I’ve a listing of some of the worthwhile authors published by each.

  Omni published first-rate fiction this year by Michael Swanwick, Jack Dann, Greg Bear, Tom Maddox, Robert Silverberg, Howard Waldrop, Suzy McKee Charnas, Roger Zelazny, and others. Omni’s fiction editor is Ellen Datlow.

  The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction featured excellent fiction by Damon Knight, Scott Baker, James Patrick Kelly, Karen Joy Fowler, Judith Moffett, O. Neimand, Richard Kearns, David S. Garnett, Stephen Gallagher, Pamela Sargent, and others. F & SF’s longtime editor is Edward Ferman.

  Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine featured critically acclaimed work by Lucius Shepard, Pat Cadigan, Orson Scott Card, Isaac Asimov, John Kessel, Bruce Sterling, Connie Willis, Kim Stanley Robertson, Robert Silverberg, Nancy Kress, Neal Barrett, Jr., and others.

  Analog featured good work by Somtow Sucharitkul, Harry Turtledove, Charles L. Harness, Vernor Vinge, Charles Sheffield, Eric Vinicoff, and others. Analog’s longtime editor is Stanley Schmidt.

  Amazing featured good work by Avram Davidson, Lisa Goldstein, Alexander Jablokov, Keith Roberts, and others. Amazing’s new editor is Patrick L. Price, although I suspect that the majority of the stuff that saw print in 1986 was still former editor George Scither’s backlog.

  The Twilight Zone Magazine featured good work by Steven Popkes, Andrew Weiner, Robert Silverberg, Kim Antieau, Garry Kilworth, Robert R. McCammon, and others. TZ’s new editor is Tappan King.

  Night Cry featured good work by Robert Bloch, Steven Popkes, Avram Davidson, Augustine Funnell, A.R. Morlan, and others. Night Cry’s editor is Alan Rogers.

  Interzone featured good work by Gregory Benford, Rachel Pollack, Michael Blumlein, Simon Ounsley, Ian Watson, and others. Interzone’s editors are Simon Ounsley and David Pringle.

  Short SF continued to appear in many magazines outside genre boundaries, from Atlantic to Redbook. Since the departure of former fiction editor Kathy Green, Penthouse no longer seems to be running much, if any, short SF, but Alice K. Turner, fiction editor at Playboy, is fortunately running as much or more of it as ever—one of the year’s major stories, in fact, a Lucius Shepard novelette, appeared in Playboy.

  (Subscription addresses follow for those magazines hardest to find on the newsstands: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Mercury Press, Inc., Box 56, Cornwall, CT, 06753, annual subscription—12 issues—$19.50; Amazing, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 72069, Chicago, IL, 60690, annual subscription $9.00 for 6 issues; Interzone, 124 Osborne Road, Brighton BN1 6LU, England, $14.00 for an airmail one-year—4 issues—subscription.)

  There were a few sparks of interest in the semiprozine scene this year. There was no Whispers, and Shayol is still dead, alas, but there was a new and fairly slickly executed semiprozine called New Pathways, edited by Michael G. Adkisson, which seems quite promising, and Scott Edelman’s The Last Wave appeared again after an extended absence. Fantasy Book produced three issues this year, and the British Fantasy Tales one, but as usual, although they were competent and sincere, I was unable to muster up a great deal of enthusiasm for them. Locus and SF Chronicle remain your best bets among the semiprozines if you’re looking for an overview of the genre. Among the semiprozines that concentrate prim
arily on literary criticism, Fantasy Review, which recently gained a new publisher and a new lease on life, is worthwhile, as is Thrust. The most outspoken and audacious criticalzine of them all, Cheap Truth, died in 1986, but two new ones that look interesting are starting up, Orson Scott Card’s Short Form and Steve Brown’s Science Fiction Eye.

  (Fantasy Review, Dept. VV, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834, $27.95 for a one-year subscription; Locus, Locus Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661, $32.00 for a one-year first-class subscription, 12 issues; Science Fiction Chronicle, Algol Press, P.O. Box 4175, New York, NY 10163-4157, $23.40 for one year, 12 issues; Thrust, Thrust Publications, 8217 Langport Terrace, Galthersburg, MD 20877, $8.00 for 4 issues; The Last Wave, Box 3022, Saxonville St. N., Framingham, MA 01701, $10.00 for 4 issues; Science Fiction Eye, Box 3105, Washington, DC 20010-0105, $7.00 for one year; Short Form, P.O. Box 18184, Greensboro, NC 274198184; $10.00 for 4 issues; New Pathways, MGA Services, P.O. Box 863994, Plano, TX 75086-3994, $15.00 for a one-year—6 issues—subscription, $25.00 for a two-year subscription.)

  * * *

  Overall, 1986 was not a particularly good year for original anthologies. Terry Carr’s Universe series usually produces one of the best anthologies of the year, but this year’s Universe 16 (Doubleday) was rather weak—in fact, one of the weakest Universe volumes in some time, although it did feature a good story by Lucius Shepard. Most of the work in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Vol. II, edited by Algis Budrys, is also pretty bland. It seems unfair to criticize the stuff therein for being novice work, since that’s the point of the whole anthology … nevertheless, although some of the writers here may be Big Name Professionals someday, they’re not that good yet, and it shows; this is a problem common to all such collections of novice work. The best original anthology of the year was probably Afterlives (Vintage), edited by Pamela Sargent and Ian Watson—this is actually a mixed reprint-and-original anthology, but about half the contents are original, and include some good work by Howard Waldrop, Rudy Rucker, Gene Wolfe, Leigh Kennedy, and others (although the best story in the book is James Blish’s “A Work of Art,” which was published in 1956, and may still be the best science fiction treatment of its subject). Elizabeth Mitchell’s Under the Wheel (Baen) was also interesting. The new anthology series Far Frontiers published a couple of solid, if not highly innovative volumes this year—there were reports at year’s end that Jerry Pournelle is stepping down as series editor; James Baen will carry on alone, changing the series name to New Destinies.