The Year's Best SF 22 # 2004

by Gardner Dozois (ed)

  Tim Lees, “Relics,” The Third Alternative, Spring.

  Stephen Leigh, “Among the Pack Alone,” Sirius, the Dog Star.

  David D. Levine, “Charlie the Purple Giraffe Was Acting Strangely,” Realms of Fantasy , June.

  ——, “Love in the Balance,” Zeppelin Adventure Stories.

  ——, “Where Is the Line,” Talebones, Summer.

  Marissa K. Lingen, “Another Hollywood Miracle,” Fortean Bureau, November.

  Jane Lindskold, “Keep the Dog Hence,” Sirius, the Dog Star.

  Kelly Link, “The Faery Handbag,” The Faery Reel.

  Ken Liu, “The Algorithms for Love,” Strange Horizons,

  Karin Lowachee, “The Forgotten Ones,” So Long Been Dreaming.

  Elizabeth A. Lynn, “The Silver Dragon,” Flights.

  J. Annie MacLeod, “Gasoline,” F&SF, September.

  John G. McDaid, “The Ashbazu Effect,” ReVisions.

  Jack McDevitt, “Act of God,” Microcosms.

  ——, “The Mission,” Crossroads.

  ——, “Windows,” Cosmic Tales.

  Ian McDowell, “They Are Girls, Green Girls,” Realms of Fantasy, October.

  ——, “Under the Flag of Night,” Asimov’s, March.

  Maureen F. McHugh, “Oversite,” Asimov’s, September.

  Patricia A. McKillip, “Out of the Woods,” Flights.

  ——, “Undine,” The Faery Reel.

  Danith McPherson, “The Forever Cup of Coffee at Bitsy’s Café,” RevolutionSF, July 23.

  Gregory Maguire, “The Oakthing,” The Faery Reel.

  devorah major, “Trade Winds,” So Long Been Dreaming.

  Barry N. Malzberg & Bill Pronzini, “Intensifed Transmogrification,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  Louise Marley, “Night Shift,” Talebones, Winter.

  Paul Marlowe, “Krasnaya Luna,” Oceans of the Mind, XIV.

  Holly Wade Matter, “The Russian Winter,” Aeon One.

  John Meaney, “Blood and Verse,” Aeon One.

  Paul Melko, “Carousel Safari,” Fortean Bureau, October.

  ——, “Doctor Mighty and the Case of Ennui,” Strange Horizons, February 16.

  ——, “Fallow Earth,” Asimov’s, June.

  ——, “Strength Alone,” Asimov’s, December.

  China Miéville, “Reports of Certain Events in London,” McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories.

  Steven Millhauser, “Cat ‘n’ Mouse,” The New Yorker, April 19—26.

  David Moles, “The Ideas,” Flytrap, May.

  Devon Monk, “Fishing the Edge of the World,” Talebones, Summer.

  David Morrell, “Perchance to Dream,” Flights.

  John Morressy, “The Courtship of Kate O’Farrissey,” F&SF, October/November.

  ——, “The Long Run,” F&SF, May.

  James Morrow, “Martyrs of the Upshot Knothole,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  Richard Mueller, “I Am the City,” F&SF, September.

  ——, “Jew if by Sea,” F&SF, May.

  Derryl Murphy, “More Painful than the Dreams of Other Boys,” Open Space.

  Chris Nakashima-Brown, “Prisoners of Uqbaristan,” Strange Horizons, October 18.

  Ruth Nestvold, “King Orfeigh,” Realms of Fantasy, October.

  ——, “The Tirasias Project,” Futurismic.

  R. Neube, “Following Orders,” Asimov’s, August.

  Kim Newman, “Soho Golem,” SCI FICTION, October 13.

  Larry Niven, “Chicxulub,” Asimov’s, April/May.

  ——, “Storm Front,” Analog, March.

  Garth Nix, “Heart’s Desire,” F&SF, January.

  Jerry Oltion, “The Common Cold,” Analog, March.

  Susan Palwick, “Beautiful Stuff,” SCI FICTION, August 18.

  Paul Park, “No Traveller Returns,” PS Publishing.

  Richard Parks, “The Great Big Out,” Fantastic, Summer.

  ——, “A Hint of Jasmine,” Asimov’s, July.

  ——, “The Right God,” Realms of Fantasy, August.

  Severna Park, “The Three Unknowns,” SCI FICTION, March 3.

  Holly Phillips, “In the Palace of Repose,” H. P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror, Spring.

  Steven Popkes, “This Old Man,” Asimov’s, January.

  ——, “The Old Woman and the Moon,” Realms of Fantasy, October.

  Tim Powers, “Pat Moore,” Flights.

  Tim Pratt, “Hart and Boot,” Polyphony 4.

  ——, “In a Glass Casket,” Realms of Fantasy, October.

  ——, “Terrible Ones,” The Third Alternative, Spring.

  ——& Michael J. Jasper, “Helljack,” H. P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror, Spring.

  Tom Purdom, “Palace Resolution,” Microcosms.

  ——, “Romance for Augmented Trio,” Asimov’s, February.

  Jean Rabe, “Aurica’s Streetcar,” Space Stations.

  Irene Radford, “First Contact Café,” Space Stations.

  Kit Reed, “Yard Sale,” Asimov’s, July.

  Robert Reed, “A Change of Mind,” Asimov’s, October/November.

  ——, “A Plague of Life,” Asimov’s, March.

  ——, “The Condor’s Green-Eyed Child,” F&SF, August.

  ——, “Daily Reports,” Asimov’s, July.

  ——, “Designing with Souls,” F&SF, September.

  ——, “How It Feels,” F&SF, May.

  ——, “Mere,” Golden Gryphon Press.

  ——, “Opal Ball,” F&SF, October/November.

  ——, “River of the Queen,” F&SF, February.

  ——, “Wealth,” Asimov’s, April/May.

  Mike Resnick, “A Princess of Earth,” Asimov’s, December.

  ——, “El Presidente,” Argosy, May/June.

  ——, “Keepsakes,” Between Worlds.

  ——. “Travel with My Cats,” Asimov’s, February.

  ——& Susan R. Matthews, “Swimming Upstream in the Wells of the Desert,” ReVisions.

  ——& Dean Wesley Smith, “A Moment of Your Time,” Microcosms.

  Alastair Reynolds, “Everlasting,” Interzone, Spring.

  M. Rickert, “Cold Fires,” F&SF, October/November.

  ——, “Many Voices,” F&SF, March.

  Chris Roberson, “In the Frozen City,” Electric Velocipede, #7.

  ——, “Red Hands, Black Hands,” Asimov’s, December.

  Michaela Roessner, “Del Norte,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  ——, “Inside Ourside,” SCI FICTION, March 3.

  Deborah Roggie, “The Enchanted Trousseau,” Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, 14.

  Benjamin Rosenbaum, “Biographical Notes to ‘A Discourse on the Nature of Causality, with Air-Planes’ by Benjamin Rosenbaum,” Zeppelin Adventure Stories.

  ——, “Embracing-the-New,” Asimov’s, January.

  ——, “The Valley of Giants,” Argosy, January/February.

  Mary Rosenblum, “Jumpers,” SCI FICTION, July 21.

  ——, “Songs the Sirens Sing,” Asimov’s, January.

  ——, “Tracker,” Asimov’s, April/May.

  Christopher Rowe, “Whether to Go Through,” Electric Velocipede, #7.

  Kristine Kathryn Rusch, “After the Fall,” Sirius, the Dog Star.

  ——, “Collateral Damage,” Asimov’s, August.

  ——, “Forest for the Trees,” Asimov’s, July.

  ——, “Paparazzi of Dreams,” Analog, November.

  Don Sakers, “The Slow Train,” Analog, October.

  James Sallis, “Under Construction,” Crossroads.

  William Sanders, “At Ten Wolf Lake,” Asimov’s, February.

  Pamela Sargent, “Follow the Sky,” Space Stations.

  ——, “Spirit Brothers,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  ——, “Venus Flowers at Night,” Microcosms.

  Robert J. Sawyer, “Mikeys,” Space Stations.

  Robert Scherrer, “Extra Innings,” Analog, Nov
ember.

  Lawrence M. Schoen, “The Sky’s the Limit,” Zeppelin Adventure Stories.

  Aaron Schutz, “Being with Jimmy,” Asimov’s, December.

  Nisi Shawl, “Deep End,” So Long Been Dreaming.

  Michael Shea, “The Growlimb,” F&SF, January.

  Robert Sheckley, “The Forest on the Asteroid,” F&SF, April.

  Charles Sheffield, “McAndrew and the Law,” Cosmic Tales.

  Lucius Shepard, “The Blackpool Asensions,” Polyphony 4.

  ——, “Jailbait,” Two Trains Running.

  ——. “Viator,” Night Shade Books.

  Mark Shainblum, “Endogamy Blues,” Island Dreams.

  Gary W. Shockley, “Of Imaginary Airships and Miniscule Matter,” SCI FICTION, November 10.

  William Shunn, “Why I think I’ll Be Staying Home Tonight,” Electric Velocipede, #6.

  Robert Silverberg, “The Colonel Returns to the Stars,” Between Worlds.

  ——, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” Flights.

  Meredith Simmons, “The Guardian,” Asimov’s, August.

  ——, “Brethren,” Asimov’s, September.

  Vandana Singh, “Thirst,” The Third Alternative, Winter.

  ——, “Three Tales from Sky River: Myths for a Starfaring Age,” Strange Horizons, January 5.

  Jack Skillingstead, “Reunion,” On Spec, Spring.

  ——, “Rewind,” Asimov’s, February.

  ——, “Scatter,” Asimov’s, October/November.

  ——, “Transplant,” Asimov’s, August.

  Bud Sparhawk, “Clay’s Pride,” Analog, July/August.

  Hugh A. D. Spencer, “Problem Project,” Interzone, November/December.

  Wes Spencer, “Moon Monkeys,” Cosmic Tales.

  Brian Stableford, “A Chip off the Old Block,” Postscripts 2.

  ——, “Nectar,” Asimov’s, January.

  Michael A. Stackpole, “Serpent of the Station,” Space Stations.

  Daniel Starr, “Why I Am Not Gorilla Girl,” Strange Horizons, April 5.

  Allen M. Steele, “The Garcia Narrows Bridge,” Asimov’s, January.

  ——, “High Roller,” Cosmic Tales.

  ——, “Home of the Brave,” Asimov’s, December.

  ——, “Incident at Goat Kill Creek,” Asimov’s, April/May.

  ——, “Liberation Day,” Asimov’s, October/November.

  ——, “Moreau2,” Analog, July/August.

  ——, “Shady Grove,” Asimov’s, July.

  ——, “Thompson’s Ferry,” Asimov’s, March.

  Bruce Sterling, “The Spider’s Amazement,” Amazing Stories, #603.

  James Stevens-Arce, “Smart Bomb,” Fortean Bureau, January.

  James Stoddard, “The Battle of York,” F&SF, July.

  Peter Straub, “Mr. Aickman’s Air Rifle,” McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories.

  Charles Stross, “The Concrete Jungle,” The Atrocity Archieve.

  ——, “Elector,” Asimov’s, September.

  ——, “Survivor,” Asimov’s, October/November.

  ——& Cory Doctorow, “Appeals Court,” Argosy, May/June.

  Beverly Suarez-Beard, “Lady of the Birds,” Paradox, November.

  Michael Swanwick, “The Last Geek,” Crossroads.

  ——, “The Word That Sings the Scythe,” Asimov’s, October/November.

  Judith Tarr, “The God of Chariots,” The First Heroes.

  Mark W. Tiedemann, “If Anyone Should Ask,” Andromeda Spaceways, April/May.

  ——, “Rain from Another Country,” F&SF, September.

  ——, “The Wind at Carthage,” Oceans of the Mind, XIV.

  Lois Tilton, “The Gladiator’s War: A Dialog,” Asimov’s, June.

  ——, “The Matter of the Ahhiyans,” The First Heroes.

  Karen Traviss, “An Open Prison,” On Spec, Winter.

  ——, “Views of a Remote Country,” On Spec, Spring.

  Harry Turtledove, “Coming Across,” Flights.

  ——, “The Horse of Bronze,” The First Heroes.

  Steven Utley, “A Paleozoic Palimpset,” F&SF, October/November.

  ——, “Babel,” Analog, March.

  ——, “Invisible Kingdoms,” F&SF, February.

  ——, “Little Whalers,” RevolutionSF, December 17.

  Rajnar Vajra, “The Ghost Within,” Analog, November.

  ——, “Layna’s Mirror,” Analog, October.

  Jeff VanderMeer, “How Ben Jobi Song Came to Rule Phagenia,” Argosy, May/June.

  ——, “Three Days in a Border Town,” Polyphony 4.

  ——, “Shark God Versus Octopus God,” Postscripts 2.

  James Van Pelt, “A Wow Finish,” Amazing, November.

  ——, “Echoing,” Asimov’s, December.

  ——, “Where and When,” Zeppelin Adventure Stories.

  Katherine Vas, “Your Garnet Eyes,” The Faery Reel.

  Ray Vukcevich, “Human Subjects,” Amazing Stories, #603.

  Howard Waldrop, “The Wolf-man of Alcatraz,” SCI FICTION, September 22.

  Nicholas Waller, “Enta Geweorc,” Interzone, November/December.

  Ian Watson, “An Appeal to Adolf,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  ——, “Lambert, Lambert,” Weird Tales, March/April.

  Peter Watts, “A Word for Heathens,” ReVisions.

  Don Webb, “Ool Athag,” Crossroads.

  Janeen Webb, “The Lion Hunt,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  ——, “Red City,” Synergy SF.

  K. D. Wentworth, “Blessed Assurance,” RevolutionSF, May 21.

  ——, “Evangel,” Oceans of the Mind, XII.

  Michelle West, “Huntbrother,” Sirius, the Dog Star.

  ——, “To the Gods Their Due,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  Leslie What, “Love Me,” The Infinite Matrix, June 8.

  ——, “Magic Carpets,” Strange Horizons, July 26.

  ——, “The Mutable Borders of Love,” Amazing, November.

  ——, “Why a Duck,” Zeppelin Adventure Stories.

  Lori Ann White, “Silver Land,” Aeon One.

  Ysabeau S. Wilce, “The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror!,” Asimov’s, September.

  ——, “Metal More Attractive,” F&SF, February.

  Liz Williams, “Century to Starboard,” Strange Horizons, February 2.

  ——, “Loosestrife,” Interzone, Spring.

  ——, “The Marsella,” Electric Velocipede, #7.

  ——, “The Pale,” Strange Horizons, August 30.

  ——, “Skindancing,” The Banquet of the Lords of Night.

  ——, “The Water Cure,” Andromeda Spaceways, August/September.

  Walter Jon Williams, “Logs,” Aeon One.

  ——. “The Tang Dynasty Underwater Pyramid,” SCI FICTION, August 4.

  Jack Williamson, “Black Hole Station,” Space Stations.

  Eric M. Witchey, “The Mud Fork Cottonmouth Expedition,” Polyphony 4.

  ——, “The Tao of Flynn,” Realms of Fantasy, April.

  Paul Witcover, “Left of the Dial,” SCI FICTION, September 1.

  Gene Wolfe, “Calamity Warps,” Realms of Fantasy, April.

  ——, “Golden City Far,” Flights.

  ——, “The Last Pilgrim,” The First Heroes.

  ——, “The Little Stranger,” F&SF, October/November.

  ——, “Monster,” Amazing Stories, #603.

  ——, “Prize Crew,” Postscripts, Spring.

  ——, “Pulp Cover,” Asimov’s, March.

  Jim Young, “Ultraviolet Night,” F&SF, March.

  Melissa Yuan-Innes, “Growing Up Sam,” Open Space.

  Timothy Zahn, “The Battle of Space Fort Jefferson,” Space Stations.

  ——, “Proof,” Amazing Stories, #603.

  George Zebrowski, “Nappy,” Conqueror Fantastic.

  Notes

  1 Most likely the author is referring to regional
bias, since this is the kind of prejudice the hwarhath are most willing to discuss and condemn. Inhabitants of the home planet’s southern hemisphere regard northerners as overcivilized and likely to stray from traditional values. Inhabitants of the northern hemisphere regard southerners as rubes. In addition, neighboring families often snipe at one another; and most people, north and south, regard cities with suspicion. It’s one thing for men to live intermixed in space. They’re kept in line by military discipline. But most of the inhabitants of cities are women. Obviously, they aren’t in the army, which is entirely male. What’s going to keep them in line, now that they live among unkin?

  2 This passage may refer to human education, which strikes the hwarhath as strangely like a contest where some players must win and others lose. What kind of society wants to produce young men who have already failed at the age of twenty? What kind of society treats the training of the next generation as if it were a game?

  3 The human term would be a geosynchronous station.

  4 This interchange may be an example of the hwarhath sense of humor.

  5 Black dwarfs, EDSOs, and clothed singularities. There is no reason to believe the hwarhath have discovered such a stellar cluster.

  6 The hwarhath believe public health should not be boring. The best of their sex education programs are, according to scholars who have studied this subject, absolutely first-class erotica, to which humans can — and often will — respond.

  7 Premodern hwarhath math and physics recognized five aspects of objects in space. These were: location, extension, expansion-to-the-side, expansion-up-and-down, and relation. (The human equivalents to these are: point, line, plane, and volume. Relation has no exact equivalent.) Early modern theory required a sixth dimension: duration or time. This made people uneasy, since the hwarhath like to count everything in groups of five, and attempts were made to get back to five dimensions. Time could not be eliminated, but maybe something could be done with one of the original aspects of space. Were location and relation both necessary? Did the two kinds of expansion need to be counted separately? But all six aspects seemed to have a kind of reality. There were problems that couldn’t be solved without them, just as there were problems that couldn’t be solved, until they were simplified by the elimination of one or more aspects. In the end most hwarhath accepted the existence of all six, though they continue to speak of “five dimensions” in ordinary speech. More recent theories, such as those explaining FTL travel and why the universe exists, have required even more dimensions. How the hwarhath have dealt with this problem is not yet clear to humans.