“The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 7”, Neil Clarke editor, 2023 Night Shade Books

The Short: “The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 7“, Neil Clarke editor, 2023 Night Shade Books includes 31 stories, a generous and informative Introduction, story introductions, and a 2021 Recommended Reading List. My overall rating for the stories is 3.7/5, or “Very good”. Especially considering the large number of stories I had not read before and the ongoing drop in the number of “Year’s Best” anthologies featuring science fiction, I recommend it strongly.

The Long: As has been discussed by a number of people (John O’Neill at Black Gate, and others I’ve seen but did not bookmark), the state of “Year’s Best” anthologies that feature science fiction has been in flux recently.

Depending upon how you look at things, perspectives on this range from new and exciting to somewhat dire.

Any view of this sector of anthologies has always shown change, with editors leaving the field, some of them by dying, and new editors and series coming along.

Recently, we lost Jonathan Strahan’s “The Year’s Best Science Fiction” series, with the last (“Volume 2“) published in 2021 on Saga Press. Although not formally cancelled, Rich Horton’s “The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2021 Edition“, 2022 Prime Books was the last published with no clear schedule for further volumes known to me. See my review.

On the other hand, there are other publications that broaden the availability of short speculative fiction in different ways. One of my favorites is Lavie Tidhar’s “The Best of World SF” series on Ad Astra / Head of Zeus, which has been issued yearly since 2021. This is not strictly a “Year’s Best”, but I love it anyway.

Also broadening the field is “The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction” series, with the latest “The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 “, Eugen Bacon, Milton J. Davis, &Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald editors, 2023 CAEZIK SF & Fantasy. I have not yet read 2022, but I enjoyed 2021.

Donna Scott’s “Best of British Science Fiction” on NewCon Press has been a regular, yearly series since 2017. I have read and enjoyed several of these, see my review for 2021.

Also valued are Allan Kaster’s various ongoing anthology series. One of my favorites, and I think the longest running at a yearly schedule for him is “The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories“. Here is my review for “The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 7“, 2023 Infinivox.

I have liked the “The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy” series, with series editor John Joseph Adams and yearly editors. I need to catch up on these, as the last one I read was the “The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021“, with Veronica Roth as editor.

Neil Clarke’s “The Year’s Best Science Fiction” (Night Shade Books) continues strongly and continues to be one I read every year. I am pleased to be able to review “The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 7“, 2023 Night Shade Books, covering 2021 stories. I was also pleased to confirm with Neil Clarke (personal communication) that a) the Volume 7 ebook will be issued soon, and b) Volume 8 (2022) is planned to be out late winter or spring 2024. Amazon and Barnes & Noble both note availability on June 24, 2024, and we’ll see. Volume 9 will cover stories published in 2023.

“The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 7“, Neil Clarke editor, 2023 Night Shade Books includes 31 stories, an Introduction, story introductions, Permissions, Acknowledgments, and a 2021 Recommended Reading List. By my count, there was over 580 pages of fiction in the trade paperback. All of the stories were published for the first time in English in 2021, with a few published first in another language.

The book starts with “Introduction: A State of the Short SF Field in 2021”, a substantial and insightful essay, including “The Business Side of Things”, “Magazines”, “Magazines Departing or Going on Hiatus”, “New Magazines”, “Other Magazines”, “Podcasts”, “Anthologies and Collections”, “The 2021 Scorecard”, “Notable 2021 Awards”, “In Memoriam”, and “In Closing”.

Published September 5, 2023, it’s currently available in hard cover and trade paperback, with an e-book version to come soon. I was lucky enough to find it at my regional library consortium.

I had read only eight of the 31 stories before, with 23 stories new to me. Especially with fewer options for “Year’s Best” reading, this was not a surprise.

My favorites (all rated as “Great”) were these 18 stories:

1. “Philia, Eros, Storge, Agápe, Pragma“, a novella by R. S. A. Garcia, Clarkesworld January 2021, rated 4/5, or “Great”, previously read.
2. “Muallim“, a short story by Ray Nayler, Asimov’s November-December 2021, rated 3.9/5, or “Great”, previously read.
3. “Proof by Induction“, a short story by José Pablo Iriarte, Uncanny Magazine, May-June 2021, rated 3.9/5, previously read.
4. “A Rocket for Dimitrios”, a novella by Ray Nayler, Asimov’s Jan/Feb 2021, rated 3.9/5, previously read.
5. “The Price of Attention“, a short story by Karl Schroeder, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press, rated 3.9/5.
6. “Ice Fishing on Europa“, short fiction by Erin Barbeau, F&SF September-October 2021, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.
7. “Vaccine Season“, a short story by Hannu Rajaniemi, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press, rated 3.8/5.
8. “Dark Waters Still Flow“, short fiction by Alice Towey, Clarkesworld November 2021, rated 3.8/5, previously read.
9. “Hānai“, a novelette by Gregory Norman Bossert, Asimov’s November-December 2021, rated 3.8/5.
10. “The Equations of the Dead“, a novelette by An Owomoyela, Lightspeed April 2021, rated 3.8/5.
11. “A Necessary Being“, a short story by Indrapramit Das, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press, rated 3.8/5.
12. “Qiankun and Alex“, short fiction by Hao Jingfang, first published in English in “Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction“, Xueting Christine Ni editor, 2021 Solaris, translated by Xueting Christine Ni, “f 乾坤和亚力”, 2017, in original publication, rated 3.8/5. (My thanks to ISFDB for most of this information)
13. “The Trolley Solution“, a short story by Shiv Ramdas, Slate March 27, 2021, rated 3.8/5.
14. “Integral Nothings”, a short story by Robert Reed, F&SF January/February 2021, rated 3.8/5.
15. “Jaunt“, a short story by Ken Liu, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press, rated 3.8/5.
16. “The Streams Are Paved with Fish Traps“, a short story by Octavia Cade, from “Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures“, Rajat Chaudhuri, Deborah Cleland, Christoph Rupprecht, Norie Tamura, & Sarena Ulibarri editors, 2021 World Weaver Press, rated 3.8/5.
17. “Elegba’s Valley”, short fiction by Tade Thompson, from “Upshot: Stories of Financial Futures“, Lauren Beukes editor, 2021 Riscura, rated 3.8/5.
18. “Paley’s Watch“, short fiction by Anil Menon, from “The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, Volume 2“, Tarun K. Saint editor, 2021 Hachette India, rated 3.8/5.

I was quite pleased that 14 of my favorites were stories I had not read before, with three of them by authors I had not read before. I love being introduced to new authors. I appreciate the broad palette of sources Clarke used to assemble “Volume 7”, including works first published in English in 2021 but previously published in other languages.

There were a number of authors I had not read before, with Mary Anne Mohanraj, Erin Barbeau, Shauna O’Meara, Gregory Norman Bossert, An Owomoyela, Hao Jingfang, and Cooper Shrivastava. I love that there were seven authors new to me.

There were ten stories that fell into the “Very good” range for me, including “Bots of the Lost Ark” by Suzanne Palmer, which I read for the third time, just because I love Bot 9 and it’s very broad and subversive approach to “I serve”.

There were three stories that did not do much for me, including one that I did not finish. These were:

1. “Mulberry and Owl“, a Universe of Xuya novelette by Aliette de Bodard, Uncanny Magazine September-October, rated 3.5/5, or “Good”. I’ve liked other of these stories by Aliette de Bodard.
2. “Complete Exhaustion of the Organism“, a short story by Rich Larson, Lightspeed April 2021, rated 3.3/5, or “Good”.
3. “Where There Are Cities, These Dissolve Too“, short fiction by S. Qiouyi Lu, from “Speculative Los Angeles“, Denise Hamilton editor, 2021 Akashic Books, rated 2/5, or “Did not finish”.

I have loved stories by all three of these authors, but not these. Your experience might be different.

I did notice that four of my favorites were from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press. I think I need to track this down and read it.

My overall rating for the stories is 3.7/5, or “Very good”, with a lot of stories I loved. I was very impressed with the Introduction and other non-fiction content. Especially considering the large number of stories I had not read before, the authors that were new to me, and the ongoing drop in the number of “Year’s Best” anthologies featuring science fiction, I recommend it strongly.

Detailed Review/Comments – Lots of Spoilers!

“Introduction: A State of the Short SF Field in 2021 “, an essay by Neil Clarke. “This “A State of the Short SF Field in 2021” essay is extensive and insightful, including The Business Side of Things, Magazines, Magazines Departing or Going on Hiatus, New Magazines, Other Magazines, Podcasts, Anthologies and Collections, The 2021 Scorecard, Notable 2021 Awards, In Memoriam, and In Closing.

“Muallim“, a short story by Ray Nayler, Asimov’s November-December 2021. I love this story of a fairly remote village, a robot teacher/helper, and the woman working for an NGO, and the villagers. The woman is somewhat narrow minded and the villagers end up getting what they want. Winner of the 2022 Asimov’s Reader’s Poll for short stories, reprints include “The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories: Third Annual Collection“, Allan Kaster editor, 2022 Infinivox. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“Dark Waters Still Flow“, short fiction by Alice Towey, Clarkesworld November 2021. A great story about an AI that runs a water treatment plant and that loves poetry. The AI and a Junior Sage cooperate to save the plant from sabotage by a hateful, racist Senior Sage. This author is a civil engineer specializing in water resources, and I enjoy that coming through in the writing. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Proof by Induction“, a short story by José Pablo Iriarte, Uncanny Magazine, May-June 2021. A short story, perhaps the first story I read on my phone. A tenure track mathematician is the son of a fairly famous math professor. They are working on an area of math which, if proved, would make them both famous and probably get him tenure. His father dies, but the Coda technology takes a snapshot of the mind and personality at death, allowing some interaction with a simulation of his dead father, although the dead father cannot form new memories. We also find out that his dad had left the family when he was young, and their relationship could be better. Time goes on, he and his dad prove what they need to prove, and he comes to peace with some aspects of his life. I loved this story! Originally read due to presence on Locus Recommended Reading List and Rich Horton recommendation. A Hugo, Locus, Nebula and Sturgeon Award finalist. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“Integral Nothings”, a short story by Robert Reed, F&SF January/ February 2021. A great story, of changes to the Earth and Solar System and the end of Humans. At first it’s believed to be positive, with unknown forces or entities changing the world in what are called “Blessings”. Time goes on, and it’s clear Earth’s oxygen level is increasing and humans will die. Although this story focuses on eight people, with each such as “the most powerful person in the world” in a specific area, it’s really not about those people but the stupidity of the human race among other things. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Price of Attention“, a short story by Karl Schroeder, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press. Wow. Another great story from 2021 I had not read. A very interesting and different somewhat near future in Seattle or just the Pacific Northwest. A huge municipal election is coming up using the supposedly un-hackable “quadratic polling system”. The protagonist who may be on the autism spectrum works with the police. The software programmer who created the quadratic polling system is tortured, and his family kidnapped. I love the story and where it goes, and the characters. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“Paley’s Watch“, short fiction by Anil Menon, from “The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, Volume 2“, Tarun K. Saint editor, 2021 Hachette India. An artifact is found by a crewman in an Artic fishing vessel. A kid working on it tells him it might be valuable, and to keep it. The kid goes on to be a hotshot physics/math professor. He and his advisor/ mentor find that the artifact may be older than the Earth, with very interesting topological properties, and may be used to signal someone. The young hotshot dies when a disappointed PhD student runs him over. I love this story. Reprinted also in “The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 6″, Allan Kaster editor, 2022 Infinivox. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Among the Marithei“, a short story by Mary Anne Mohanraj, Asimov’s May-June 2021. A very good story of a man orphaned and used as a child soldier. He is rescued by aliens, and grows up. He marries a human woman but is still more comfortable with the aliens. At the end, he sacrifices himself and his daughter to save a temple full of aliens. I will be watching for this author new to me. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“A Different Sea“, short fiction by Vandana Singh, from “The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, Volume 2“, Tarun K. Saint editor, 2021 Hachette India. A very reflective story of a minor academic, missing her daughter who is sailing the world, and nursing an alien who crashed. After the alien dies, her life changes and she allows herself to connect with locals on her island, and life improves. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“The Pizza Boy“, a short story by Meg Elison, F&SF March-April 2021. A very good story of an interstellar pizza boy near a battle between the Queen’s Armada and the rebels. Everyone wants great pizza. Reprinted also in “The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022“, Rebecca Roanhorse editor & John Joseph Adams series editor, 2022 Mariner Books. This issue of F&SF also featured “Crazy Beautiful” by Cat Rambo, which I just loved. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Ice Fishing on Europa“, short fiction by Erin Barbeau, F&SF September-October 2021. A great story of otherness and friendship on Europa, and peanut butter cups. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Vaccine Season“, a short story by Hannu Rajaniemi, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press. A great story of periodic public virus dissemination to update people, and a grandfather who does not participate, and his grandson who does. Reprinted also in “The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 6“, Allan Kaster editor, 2022 Infinivox. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Where There Are Cities, These Dissolve Too“, short fiction by S. Qiouyi Lu, from “Speculative Los Angeles“, Denise Hamilton editor, 2021 Akashic Books. A nonbinary engineer who designs, builds and fights Transformer-like “chompers”, operated by a person inside them. They fall for and help Agnes, who survives a bout with their ex. The setting and plot were interesting, but I just did not care about the characters. Rated 2/5, or “Did not finish”.

“Without Lungs or Limbs to Stay“, a novelette by Shauna O’Meara, Interzone #290-291 March-June 2021. A very good story of a Watcher on a failing generation ship, recycling cryopod people for the nutrients. The Watcher wakes one to ask a question, the first one woken, before they die. Definitely very melancholy and hopeless. Another author I will watch. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“I’m Waiting for You“, short fiction by 김보영? as by Kim Bo-Young, first published in English in the Kim Bo-Young collection “I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories“, 2021 Harper Voyager. A very good epistolary tale of a man who attempts to match time dilation trips with his fiancée. Things go very wrong, and the Earth changes a lot, but he is still hopeful at the end. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Philia, Eros, Storge, Agápe, Pragma“, a novella by R. S. A. Garcia, Clarkesworld January 2021. A great return (prequel/sequel) to the “Sun from Both Sides” story by R. S. A. Garcia, with Eva as the protagonist, a story of war, forgiveness and growth. On reread, still an amazing story with great characters. Sturgeon and Ignyte Award finalist. Reprinted also in “The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories: Third Annual Collection“, Allan Kaster editor, 2022 Infinivox. Rated 4/5, or “Great”.

“Hānai“, a novelette by Gregory Norman Bossert, Asimov’s November-December 2021. A great story of a somewhat disgraced archeologist, the last member of an alien race known as Wandering Willie D, change in the Republic of Hawaii, and dance. I’d love to see more stories featuring this universe and lead character. This is the first story I have read by Bossert, I think, and I need to read more. Reprinted also in “Ike Pāpālua: Science Fiction & Fantasy Stories from the Hawaiian Islands“, Sam Fletcher editor, 2023 Mutual Publishing. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Equations of the Dead“, a novelette by An Owomoyela, Lightspeed April 2021. A low level stooge working for the Old Man (somewhere between a gangster and facilitator in a very slow moving, consensus based society) falls in love with a man who feeds interesting equations to the AIs in the cloud, perhaps on a moon far, far away. Life changes. I need to read more fiction by An Owomoyela. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“A Necessary Being“, a short story by Indrapramit Das, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press. Perhaps more of a science fantasy, I love this story of a future Kolkata and the mehka giant who saved a little girl among floods, plagues and other risks. Reprinted also in “The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories: Third Annual Collection“, Allan Kaster editor, 2022 Infinivox. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

Qiankun and Alex“, short fiction by Hao Jingfang, first published in English in “Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction“, Xueting Christine Ni editor, 2021 Solaris, translated by Xueting Christine Ni, “f 乾坤和亚力”, 2017, in original publication. A warm and engaging story of a child wanting a friend and an AI directed to learn from children. Another author new to me that I look forward to seeing more fiction from Hao Jingfang. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Trolley Solution“, a short story by Shiv Ramdas, Slate March 27, 2021. A fascinating and chilling look at AI and education at the university level, with a creative writing professor and the trolley problem. Although totally different, this writing example of the trolley problem reminds me of the famous (or infamous, depending upon your perspective) Tom Godwin story, “The Cold Equations“. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Aptitude“, short fiction by Cooper Shrivastava, 2021 tor.com. A woman In a failing universe of generation ships goes through the standardized tests for godhood and universe creation to be able to give them what for about why her universe was so poor. She finds she was a diversity candidate, but prevails in an unexpected way. Sharp and amusing. Another author new to me that I need to read more of. Reprints include “Some of the Best of Tor.com 2021“, 2022 Tor.com, and “The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 6“, Allan Kaster editor, 2022 Infinivox. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“The Tide of Moon City“, short fiction by Regina Kanyu Wang, first published in English in “Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction“, Xueting Christine Ni editor, 2021 Solaris, translated by Xueting Christine Ni. A very good and melancholy story of forbidden love between residents of two planets. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“A Rocket for Dimitrios”, a Disintegration Loops novella by Ray Nayler, Asimov’s Jan/Feb 2021. A great alternate history story of an alien saucer found in the US in 1938, and a very different WW2. Syvia is a veteran, and a psychology student (all but Phd). She is the only survivor of testing alien tech that can help you read the memories of recently dead people. She is an OSS contractor, and is brought in to read the memories of a man who may know the location of a second saucer. Eleanor Roosevelt and General Hedy Lamarr are both on the run from the OSS, and recruit her to ensure the US does not get the second saucer and tip into authoritarianism. Reprinted also in “The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time 2“, Allan Kaster editor, 2022 Infinivox (see my review). Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“Jaunt“, a short story by Ken Liu, from “Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future“, Gideon Lichfield editor, 2021 The MIT Press. A great epistolary story of how telepresence comes into it’s own after COVID, and becomes a leading way for people to travel and interact, despite the desire of authoritarian governments including the 203X US president to limit it. Reprinted also in “Isolation: The Horror Anthology“, Dan Coxon editor, 2022 Titan Books. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Streams Are Paved with Fish Traps“, a short story by Octavia Cade, from “Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures“, Rajat Chaudhuri, Deborah Cleland, Christoph Rupprecht, Norie Tamura, & Sarena Ulibarri editors, 2021 World Weaver Press. I love this story of urban fish and waterways below ground, and making them more real and relevant by repurposing them and enhancing habitat. Reprinted also in the Octavia Cade collection “You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories“, 2023 Stelliform Press. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Water Beneath Our Feet“, a short story by Alice Towey, Analog November-December 2021. A very good story of a cyborg on a farm, and a water issue, and people, and bees. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Elegba’s Valley”, short fiction by Tade Thompson, from “Upshot: Stories of Financial Futures“, Lauren Beukes editor, 2021 Riscura. A wonderful story of an attempt to test a better way of living in Nigeria through Universal Basic Income, and a very poor entrepreneur who lives through it, in Elegba’s Valley. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“He Leaps for the Stars, He Leaps for the Stars“, a short story by Grace Chan, Clarkesworld July 2021. This is interesting, and well done. A product of outer planet genetic production lines has been selected to be a media/entertainment star. At the same time, they are so programmed and constrained there is no freedom. Finally, they escape with the help of their therapist and a journalist, for a life. The simulation of them is good enough that the public may never know. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Complete Exhaustion of the Organism“, a short story by Rich Larson, Lightspeed April 2021. A few survivors of a post-human world, walking somewhere across what used to be the sea floor. Aliens leave them things, including a somewhat artificial baby that grows regardless. Horrific, but it does not go anywhere interesting for me. Rated 3.3/5, or “Good”.

“Mulberry and Owl“, a Universe of Xuya novelette by Aliette de Bodard, Uncanny Magazine September-October 2021. A tale of rebels against the Empress, and a desire to clear an oath-sister’s name, and a ship that loves to torture and kill. I read it, but it did not get even to “Very good” for me. I’m not willing to reread it to be able to explain why I felt that way. This was a Locus Award finalist, so others disagreed with me. Rated 3.5/5, or “Good”.

“Bots of the Lost Ark“, a Bot 9 novelette by Suzanne Palmer, Clarkesworld June 2021 D 2022. Bot 9 of Palmer’s “The Secret Life of Bots” returns. Still attempting to serve while retaining it’s ability to improvise, obsolete Bot 9 saves the day when bot agglomerations run wild, thinking they are human crew members. Bot 9 works with Ship (who reluctantly awakens Bot 9) and the human Chief Engineer Frank (thawed from deep sleep). Upon reread, still a deeply entertaining story, especially with Engineer Frank. This was a very popular story, with a Hugo Award win, a Sturgeon Award finalist finish, and #9 in the Locus Award novelette voting. I loved it, but it did not quite get to Hugo Award winner for me. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

The anthology ends with Permissions, Acknowledgements, 2021 Recommended Reading List, and About the Editor. These all met my expectations, and I was especially happy to see the Recommended Reading List.