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The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2011

2011Neil Gaiman

4.4/5

A solid, interesting collection. While there were no stories here that totally blew me away, there were no complete duds, either. All of the stories were well-written and at least somewhat interesting, many were thoroughly enjoyable, and there were a few that weren't as enjoyable but were particularly memorable and thought-provoking. My favorites I've marked below with an asterisk.A few quick words about each story, keyed to the author's last name:Lee: inventive sci-fi story that felt more like fantasyParker: I liked the magic system and investigative approach, but gender dynamic was uncomfortableEl-Mohtar: rather unique dark fantasy about a rather unique green bookKim: strong "literary" fiction with a significant speculative elementLandis: loved the descriptions of the setting...good plot and characters, tooYant: interesting fairy-tale story with a metafictional elementTem: I was glad for an interstellar story, but ultimately not that memorableJohnson: that's different: a High Fantasy about regular people living regular livesYu: an excellent "what if" story, with interesting social commentarySwirsky: didn't care for the character, but what a sweeping, inventive story...Castro: I didn't like this one as a story, but it definitely got me thinkingKte'pi: a superhero tale with good characterization, but overall this wasn't very memorableHenderson: nice blend of fantasy and sci-fi tropes, well-done moral ambiguityPark: the most memorable and thought-provoking of the collection, although flawed as a storyWolfe: this one didn't really resonate*Emshwiller: great voice, interesting setup, thought-provoking*Cooney: creepy and engrossing!Gaiman: kept me guessing...enjoyable readFagan: certainly original and unique, but the plot I found a little lackingWatts: got a little monotonous/repetitive, but overall a strong sci-fi/horror taleBerger: strong characterization and setting, wished it had a better plotDuncan: enjoyable, bittersweet romantic fantasyReed: I liked the mystery and sci-fi elements, but too much running for my taste*Anders: intriguing, comical first contact storySurridge: amazingly creative, with a style reminiscent (or derivative) of Lord Dunsany**Broderick: well-executed unreliable narrator, great concept, not sure about some of the dialog*Omowoyela: probably my favorite of the bunch, loved the plot, compelling characters*Hand: another winner--vivid setting details, awesome flying machine, cool SF element**if you're a fantasy fan, and don't know who Lord Dunsany is, you owe it to yourself to find out!
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