The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 25 Read online

  Gardner Dozois edited Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine for twenty years. He has won the Hugo Award for Best Editor fifteen times and has also received numerous Nebula Awards. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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  THE MAMMOTH BOOK

  OF BEST NEW SF 25

  Edited by

  GARDNER DOZOIS

  Constable & Robinson Ltd

  55–56 Russell Square

  London WC1B 4HP

  www.constablerobinson.com

  First published in the US as

  The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-ninth Annual Edition

  by St Martin’s Griffin, a division of St Martin’s Press, 2012

  First published in the UK by Robinson,

  an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2012

  Copyright © Gardner Dozois, 2012

  (unless otherwise stated)

  The right of Gardner Dozois to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, 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.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in

  Publication Data is available from the British Library

  ISBN: 978-1-78033-882-8 (paperback)

  ISBN: 978-1-78033-883-5 (ebook)

  Printed and bound in the UK

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  CONTENTS

  Permissions

  Acknowledgments

  Summation: 2011

  THE CHOICE • Paul McAuley

  A SOLDIER OF THE CITY • David Moles

  THE BEANCOUNTER’S CAT • Damien Broderick

  DOLLY • Elizabeth Bear

  MARTIAN HEART • John Barnes

  EARTH HOUR • Ken MacLeod

  LAIKA’S GHOST • Karl Schroeder

  THE DALA HORSE • Michael Swanwick

  THE WAY IT WORKS OUT AND ALL • Peter S. Beagle

  THE ICE OWL • Carolyn Ives Gilman

  THE COPENHAGEN INTERPRETATION • Paul Cornell

  THE INVASION OF VENUS • Stephen Baxter

  DIGGING • Ian McDonald

  ASCENSION DAY • Alastair Reynolds

  AFTER THE APOCALYPSE • Maureen F. McHugh

  SILENTLY AND VERY FAST • Catherynne M. Valente

  A LONG WAY HOME • Jay Lake

  THE INCREDIBLE EXPLODING MAN • Dave Hutchinson

  WHAT WE FOUND • Geoff Ryman

  A RESPONSE FROM EST17 • Tom Purdom

  THE COLD STEP BEYOND • Ian R. MacLeod

  A MILITANT PEACE • David Klecha and Tobias S. Buckell

  THE ANTS OF FLANDERS • Robert Reed

  THE VICAR OF MARS • Gwyneth Jones

  THE SMELL OF ORANGE GROVES • Lavie Tidhar

  THE IRON SHIRTS • Michael F. Flynn

  CODY • Pat Cadigan

  FOR I HAVE LAIN ME DOWN ON THE STONE OF LONELINESS AND I’LL NOT BE BACK AGAIN • Michael Swanwick

  GHOSTWEIGHT • Yoon Ha Lee

  DIGITAL RITES • Jim Hawkins

  THE BONELESS ONE • Alec Nevala-Lee

  DYING YOUNG • Peter M. Ball

  CANTERBURY HOLLOW • Chris Lawson

  THE VORKUTA EVENT • Ken MacLeod

  THE MAN WHO BRIDGED THE MIST • Kij Johnson

  Honorable Mentions: 2011

  PERMISSIONS

  “The Choice” by Paul McAuley. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Soldier of the City” by David Moles. Copyright © 2011 by David Moles. First published in Engineering Infinity (Solaris), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Beancounter’s Cat” by Damien Broderick. Copyright © 2011 by Damien Broderick. First published in Eclipse Four (Night Shade Books), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Dolly” by Elizabeth Bear. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, January 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Martian Heart” by John Barnes. Copyright © 2011 by John Barnes. First published in Life on Mars: Tales from the New Frontier (Viking), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Earth Hour” by Ken MacLeod. Copyright © 2011 by Ken MacLeod. First published electronically at Tor.com, June 22. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Laika’s Ghost” by Karl Schroeder. Copyright © 2011 by Karl Schroeder. First published in Engineering Infinity (Solaris), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Dala Horse” by Michael Swanwick. Copyright © 2011 by Michael Swanwick. First published electronically at Tor.com, July 13. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Way It Works Out and All” by Peter S. Beagle. Copyright © 2011 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Ice Owl” by Carolyn Ives Gilman. Copyright © 2011 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November/December 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Copenhagen Interpretation” by Paul Cornell. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, July 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Invasion of Venus” by Stephen Baxter. Copyright © 2011 by Stephen Baxter. First published in Engineering Infinity (Solaris), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Digging” by Ian McDonald. Copyright © 2011 by Ian McDonald. First published in Life on Mars: Tales from the New Frontier (Viking),
edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Ascension Day” by Alastair Reynolds. Copyright © 2011 by Alastair Reynolds. First published in Voices from the Past (Kindle), edited by Lee Harris. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “After the Apocalypse” by Maureen F. McHugh. Copyright © 2011 by Maureen F. McHugh. First published in After the Apocalypse (Small Beer Press), Maureen McHugh. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Silently and Very Fast” by Catherynne M. Valente. Copyright © 2011 by Catherynne M. Valente. First published in Silently and Very Fast (WSFS Press), by Catherynne M. Valente. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Long Way Home” by Jay Lake. Copyright © 2011 by Jay Lake. First published electronically at Subterranean Magazine, Winter 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Incredible Exploding Man” by Dave Hutchinson. Copyright © 2011 by Dave Hutchinson. First published in Solaris Rising (Solaris), edited by Ian Whates. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “What We Found” by Geoff Ryman. Copyright © 2011 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September/October 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Response from EST17” by Tom Purdom. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, April/May 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Cold Step Beyond” by Ian R. MacLeod. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “A Militant Peace” by David Klecha and Tobias S. Buckell. Copyright © 2011 by David Klecha and Tobias S. Buckell. First published electronically at Clarkesworld, November 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Ants of Flanders” by Robert Reed. Copyright © 2011 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Vicar of Mars” by Gwyneth Jones. Copyright © 2011 by Gwyneth Jones. First published in Eclipse Four (Night Shade Books), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Smell of Orange Groves” by Lavie Tidhar. Copyright © 2011 by Lavie Tidhar. First published electronically at Clarkesworld, November 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Iron Shirts” by Michael F. Flynn. Copyright © 2011 by Michael F. Flynn. First published electronically at Tor.com, May 4. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Cody” by Pat Cadigan. Copyright © 2011 by Pat Cadigan. First published in TRSF, the special all-fiction edition of MIT’s Technology Review, edited by Stephen Cass. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “For I Have Lain Me Down on the Stone of Loneliness and I’ll Not Be Back Again” by Michael Swanwick. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, August 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Ghostweight” by Yoon Ha Lee. Copyright © 2011 by Yoon Ha Lee. First published electronically at Clarkesworld, January 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Digital Rites” by Jim Hawkins. Copyright © 2011 by Jim Hawkins. Copyright © 2011 by Interzone. First published in Interzone 237. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Boneless One” by Alec Nevala-Lee. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact, November 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Dying Young” by Peter M. Ball. Copyright © 2011 by Peter M. Ball. First published in Eclipse Four (Night Shade Books), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “Canterbury Hollow” by Chris Lawson. Copyright © 2011 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January/February 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Vorkuta Event” by Ken MacLeod. Copyright © 2011 by Ken MacLeod. First published in The New and Perfect Man: Postscripts 24/25 (PS Publishing), edited by Peter Crowther and Nick Gevers.

  “The Man Who Bridged the Mist” by Kij Johnson. Copyright © 2011 by Dell Magazines. First published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2011. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The editor would like to thank the following people for their help and support: Susan Casper, Jonathan Strahan, Gordon Van Gelder, Ellen Datlow, Sean Wallace, Sheila Williams, Trevor Quachri, Peter Crowther, Nicolas Gevers, William Shaffer, Ian Whates, Andy Cox, Paula Guran, Dario Ciriello, Carl Rafala, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Torie Atkinson, Eric T. Reynolds, George Mann, Jennifer Brehl, Stephen Cass, Mark Pontin, Lee Harris, Peter Tennant, Susan Marie Groppi, Karen Meisner, John Joseph Adams, Wendy S. Delmater, Jed Hartman, Rich Horton, Mark R. Kelly, John Jarrold, Otto Penzler, L. Timmel Duchamp, Andrew Wilson, Damien Broderick, Lou Anders, Patrick Swenson, Robert T. Wexler, Michael Swanwick, Jay Lake, Lavie Tidhar, Stephen Baxter, Ian R. MacLeod, Yoon Ha Lee, David Moles, Alec Nevala-Lee, Michael Flynn, Chris Lawson, Connor Cochran, Peter M. Ball, Paul Cornell, Tobias S. Buckell, David Klecha, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Tom Purdom, Dave Hutchinson, Pat Cadigan, Catherynne M. Valente, Karl Schroeder, Kij Johnson, Geoff Ryman, Paul McAuley, Jim Hawkins, Alastair Reynolds, Robert Reed, Maureen McHugh, Ken Liu, Eric Brown, Keith Brooke, Matt Hughes, Michael Smith, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Marty Halpern, Jo Walton, Hannu Rajaniemi, Daniel Marcus, Mary Robinette Kowal, Nancy Kress, Karl Bunker, Linn Prentis, Liz Gorinsky, Mike Resnick, Ian Tregillis, David Hartwell, Ginjer Buchanan, Susan Allison, Shawna McCarthy, Kelly Link, Gavin Grant, John Klima, John O’Neill, Charles Tan, Rodger Turner, Tyree Campbell, Stuart Mayne, John Kenny, Edmund Schubert, Tehani Wessely, Tehani Croft, Karl Johanson, Sally Beasley, Tony Lee, Joe Vas, John Pickrell, Ian Redman, Anne Zanoni, Kaolin Fire, Ralph Benko, Paul Graham Raven, Nick Wood, Mike Allen, Jason Sizemore, Sue Miller, David Lee Summers, Christopher M. Cevasco, Tyree Campbell, Andrew Hook, Vaughne Lee Hansen, Mark Watson, Sarah Lumnah, Sarah Johnson, and special thanks to my own editor, Marc Resnick.

  Thanks are also due to the late, lamented Charles N. Brown, and to all his staff, whose magazine Locus (Locus Publications, P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661. $60 in the U.S. for a one-year subscription [twelve issues] via second class; credit card orders 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.

  SUMMATION: 2011

  Like last year, the big story in 2011 continues to be the explosion in ebook sales, which have been dramatic enough, and accrued fast enough, to make some commentators speculate that ebooks will eventually drive physical print books out of existence altogether. I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon, if it ever does, but the ebook revolution has been impressive nevertheless, and shows no sign of losing momentum, especially with new devices like the Kindle Fire coming on sale, and no doubt other even more sophisticated devices waiting in the wings.

  According to BookStats, a joint-research venture between the Book Industry Study Group and the Association of American Publishers, ebook sales jumped to $863.7 million in 2010 from $61.8 million in 2008. No reliable overall figures for 2011 are yet available, but one publisher predicted that ebooks could account for as much as 40 percent of total revenue by the end of 2012. Considering that it’s been estimated that one in five U.S. adults are reading ebooks on a variety of devices, from dedicated ereaders to media tablets, and that there was a major surge in ebook sales after the 2011 holiday season (all those people looking for something to read on the devices they’d gotten for Christmas presents), that could well turn out to be true. The AAP report for September 2011 shows ebook sales up 100 percent to $80.3 million. Year-to-date figures show ebooks up 137.9 percent at $727.7 million. Barnes & Noble’s second-quarter sales report (for the period ending October 29, 2011) shows NOOK sales (for both the devices themselves and for ebooks) rising 85 percent to $220 million
, “four times what they were in the comparable period last year,” according to CEO William Lynch.

  None of this, impressive as it is, means that the print book industry has collapsed. There were still an enormous number of print books published in 2011, and many of them sold very well indeed. The U.S. Census Bureau’s preliminary figures for October 2011 show estimated bookstore sales of $886 million, down 43 percent from September 2011, but down only 7 percent from October 2010 figures. For the year-to-date, sales are up 2 percent at $12.91 billion. Overall retail sales were up 1 percent from September, and up 8 percent year-to-date.

  The effect of the ebook revolution can best be seen in the changes in the kinds of books that are selling best. Hardcovers and trade paperbacks both saw their numbers increase, with a noticeable boost in new titles, but the traditional mass-market paperback reprints dropped significantly, as did new mass-market titles. The fact that ebook sales are dramatically increasing at a time when mass-market paperback sales have dropped suggests that ebooks are to some degree filling the market niche once occupied by mass-market print books, particularly reprint titles.

  Unexpectedly, sales of print books also surged during the holiday season, with Barnes & Noble showing a 4 percent rise, the first increase in five years. This suggests that many people still find a print book to be a more satisfactory Christmas present than the gift of an ebook – something physical to wrap and put under the tree.