Product Description
Twenty-eight doses of wonder. From the distant past to the present day, from Antarctica and Mars to worlds that never were, the tales in this book bring news from nowhere-and everywhere. Fantasy is a mode of storytelling, a method of entertainment, a mode of argument, and a way of seeing. Here, presented by two of the most distinguished anthologists of the day, are twenty-eight stories that see, tell, argue, and entertain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best Fantasy Anthology series
I have all of the books in this anthology series. I only wish they came out more predictably time wise. The editors do a very good job of selecting material and introducing you to new writers. ... Read more

Product Description

Magic lives in remarkable realms -- and in the short fiction of today's top fantasists. In this fifth breathtaking volume of the year's best flights of the fantastic, award-winning editors David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer present a dazzling new array of wonders -- stories that break through the time-honored conventions of the genre to carry the reader to astonishing places that only the most ingenious minds could conceive.

In the able hands of Neil Gaiman, Kage Baker, Tim Powers, and others, miracles become tangible and true, impossible creatures roam unfettered, and fairy tales are reshaped, sharpened, and freed from the restrictive bonds of childhood.

Lose yourself in these pages and in these worlds -- and discover the power, the beauty, the unparalleled enchantment of fantasy at its finest.

Customer Reviews (2)

Another year, another collection of great fantasy stories
For the past five years, editors David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer put together a new Year's Best Fantasy book, and every year it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.I may not agree with all of their choices, but I rarely find a story that I really didn't want to read.This year's 5th edition is no different.There aren't as many stories in it that make me stand up and pay attention, but all of them are quite good, even the ones that I have a bit of a problem with (stand up Joel Lane).Even better is the wide range of sources the editors draw from for their choices.A great number of them came from the book Flights, which I haven't read, so there weren't too many stories that I was already familiar with (though since I am now subscribing to three different short story magazines, some of them have been read before).

Thankfully, some of the regular contributors to these anthologies (Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee) don't annoy me like they have in the past.Lee's writing has never been my favourite (though I did like her "Moonblind" in last year's book), but "Elvenbrood is a very strong story about a shattered family who is attempting to move on, and the weird things in the woods outside that want the daughter as part of a pact that the father made.Gaiman finally moves on from the "weird character in the story tells a story" motif, though just barely, with "The Problem of Susan."Like "Beyond the River" (discussed below), this is a story of an interviewer visiting an author, though Gaiman's story goes in a different direction and takes a bit more of a horrific turn at the end.

The one story I had a problem with was "Beyond the River," by Joel Lane.A young journalist goes to visit an old children's book writer for an article on her life, as well as the breach of contract charges that have been brought up against her by the company that has bought her books.It seems they want to re-issue them with a lot of changes to make them more "accessible" to the modern reader, which she refuses to do.It's a pointed story about the publishing business, but it has a major misstep that threw me out of the story.It takes a weird turn when the interviewer, a woman, is asked to spend the night at Susanne's house because it's late, and the interviewer starts talking about whether or not the invitation was sexual or a seduction.While this may be a normal first question in a male-female meeting, it's not in a female-female meeting when there has been no hint of sexual tension before that, and there has been no hint that either of the characters are gay.It felt completely out of left field.Plus, the storyline is tremendously heavy-handed in its vilification of the mass-publishing market and how book lines can become mass-produced.The world that Susanne introduces the interviewer to is kind of interesting in a fairy-tale sort of way, but these two things made the story much less enjoyable to read than it should have been.

For me, one of the strongest stories in the book (I'll refrain from mentioning Kage Baker's story here, though it is well worth reading) was "Life in Stone," by Tim Pratt.It's the story of an immortal that wants to die, and the assassin he hires to do it.The immortal hid his soul away hundreds of years ago, and can't die until its container is destroyed.Unfortunately, he can't remember where he hid it.Mr. Zealand, the assassin, is trying to find it, based on obscure clues that Archibald Grace, the immortal, can remember.Usually, this sends Zealand on a dangerous wild goose chase, like at the beginning of the story where he has to fight something straight out of Lovecraft.When Grace's long-lost daughter, Hannah, gets involved, things get even trickier.I loved the tender relationship between Zealand and Grace, especially contrasted with the harsh way that Zealand treats Hannah.The ending is also quite good, with things not quite turning out the way you think they will.

Another real winner was "A Hint of Jasmine," by the ever-reliable Richard Parks.I'm really starting to like his stories, as his current ones in Realms of Fantasy have been quite inspired.This story is a ghost story about past regrets.Eli is a ghost hunter, and he's asked to an old southern mansion by an old classmate and her daughter.Around the end of the Civil War, there was a slave massacre, and the ghosts of the slaves continue to haunt the mansion.However, there is much more to the story, including the story of the two women, then meets the eye.Why was Eli called here, and what do the women really want?This is not a horror story at all, despite being about ghosts.Instead, it's about family and heritage, and the relationship between a woman and her daughter.All of the characters are done beautifully, and the mystery just continues to build until Eli figures out what is going on.The prose is good and Parks has created yet another interesting plot to put them through.Well-recommended.

Year's Best Fantasy 5 is another winning collection of fantasy short stories, with every story offering something to the reader.There are also a lot of famous names in the fantasy field included in this volume, so there should be something for everyone.Unless you have an aversion to short fiction, this is one you have to pick up.

David Roy

Worlds of Wonder
I am only through the first six stories and all I can say is WOW!Usually, I question the selections by some best of anthologies, but Mr. Hartwell and Ms. Cramer hit a home run with their selections.So, far, Robert Reed has taken me to an alternate world where dragons are its dinosaurs; John Kessel has taken me on a Wonka-like ride to the kindest bank in the universe; and, Dale Bailey has taken me to the end of the world with a mixture of sex and booze.Great! ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of holiday chillers follows the stories of a doctor who makes a house call to a ghost, a psychic detective who must exorcise a well-known holiday icon, and a boy who learns a faraway planet's history from his pet. Reprint. ... Read more

Product Description
Brave New Worlds To Explore and Conquer

The astonishingly possible is once again showcased in a breathtaking volume of the best short form SF the past year had to offer. Contributed by some of the most revered and exciting voices in the genre -- and compiled by acclaimed editor and anthologist David G. Hartwell -- these stories of wonder and terror, astounding technologies and miraculous discovery, stretch the imagination into realms and universes never dreamed of before. Each tale is a dazzling gem, rocketing readers across light years and into unknown dimensions -- exploring the intricate cultures of alien races and the strange, secret workings of the human mind. And together they form an unparalleled whole -- a collection of luminous visions that shines more brightly than a newborn sun.

Customer Reviews (3)

Number Eight in a Winning SF Series
Working my way further backward through the Year's Best SF series, I have encountered and assimilated number eight.It was, as usual, delicious.I keep worrying that I will pass the year in which David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer adopted their very effective editorial approach.No worries yet.I enjoyed all 23 stories, my appreciation sharpened by the brief, but informative introductions to each story.

Before I go off to download Year's Best SF 7 into my iPhone Kindle app, let me take a few minutes to praise my five favorites:

Geoffry Landis's "At Dorado" is a time-shuffled love story about a spaceman who braves wormhole travel between the starts and the girl who waits for him.They fight before he leaves on his last trip.There is one chance to change this sad ending to a better one.

Ken Wharton's "Flight Correction" introduce a couple and their child living on the future Galapagos Islands in the shadow of a working space elevator.She studies birds, he drinks to forget his research failures, and both watch their child's love not quite hold them together.Then their professional and personal interests come together.

Ursula Le Guin's "The Seasons of the Ansarac" describes the life patterns of an alien species that migrates between two different climates--and cultures.There is a lesson to be learned from another alien race's efforts to "cure" the Ansarac from their instincts.Le Guins story is ethnographic and excellent, if a bit moralistically heavy-handed.It is my favorite.

Terry Bisson's "I Saw the Light" takes us along with an astronaut who leaves her dog behind when she travels to the moon to help decipher a Sentinel-like artifact.We learn that powerful aliens knew humanity in the past.And are eager to see what we have become.

Paul Di Filippo's "Ailoura" retells the "Puss and Boots" fairy tale in a futuristic setting.Clever technology, alien human-animal hybrids and an intriguing planetary setting bring new life to a familiar story.

The collection is recommended for science fiction fans and would be critics.I learned some things about storytelling from a few of these stories.I enjoyed them all.

Not Free SF Reader
As per the last several, Hartwell and Cramer point out they could have done three volumes this size with all the good stories they found.

The editors mention a couple of anthologies as decent, but mostly not for SF, and single out Peter Crowther's Mars Probes as the best of the lot for the year, although not with huge enthusiasm - however they have selected some stories from this book.

Not as many standout stories here this year, and as such, only a 3.77 average.

Year's Best SF 08 : In Paradise - Bruce Sterling
Year's Best SF 08 : Slow Life - Michael Swanwick
Year's Best SF 08 : Knapsack Poems - Eleanor Arnason
Year's Best SF 08 : At Dorado - Geoffrey A. Landis
Year's Best SF 08 : Coelacanths - Robert Reed
Year's Best SF 08 : Flight Correction - Ken Wharton
Year's Best SF 08 : Shoes - Robert Sheckley
Year's Best SF 08 : The Diamond Drill - Charles Sheffield
Year's Best SF 08 : The Seasons of the Ansarac - Ursula K. Le Guin
Year's Best SF 08 : Halo - Charles Stross
Year's Best SF 08 : I Saw the Light - Terry Bisson
Year's Best SF 08 : A Slow Day at the Gallery - A. M. Dellamonica
Year's Best SF 08 : Ailoura - Paul Di Filippo
Year's Best SF 08 : The Names of All the Spirits - J. R. Dunn
Year's Best SF 08 : Grandma - Carol Emshwiller
Year's Best SF 08 : Snow in the Desert - Neal Asher
Year's Best SF 08 : Singleton - Greg Egan
Year's Best SF 08 : Geropods - Robert Onopa
Year's Best SF 08 : Afterlife - Jack Williamson
Year's Best SF 08 : Shields of Mars - Gene Wolfe
Year's Best SF 08 : Patent Infringement - Nancy Kress
Year's Best SF 08 : Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel - Michael Moorcock

Phone dead? Let's walk instead.

3 out of 5


Flying first contact breakdown breakthrough confession comeback.

4 out of 5


Single bodied monster.

3 out of 5


Port wife.

3.5 out of 5


Life history lesson appearance.

3 out of 5


Space elevator a bit of an albatross.

4 out of 5


Smart footwear very annoying.

3.5 out of 5


Alien artifacts are a boy's best friend.

3.5 out of 5


Migratory pattern.

4 out of 5


Life aboard the Field Circus for Amber, with some occasional advice from dad.

5 out of 5


Moonlight message SETI trip.

4 out of 5


Alien art, human art, crazy people.

4 out of 5


Rejuvenation prevention murder motives.

4 out of 5


AIs, ain't Jacks worth it?

4 out of 5


Superpowers not inherited it seems, as a young girl is taken in by her famous grandmother after the death of her parents.

4 out of 5


Immortality bounty is more than a load of old bollocks.

4 out of 5


A scientist couple decide to have an artificial child, some years after a natural pregnancy miscarries.

"Carlos said breezily, Why not? There are so many others now. Sophie. Linus. Theo. Probably a hundred we don't even know about. It's not as if Ben's child won't have playmates. AdaiAutonomously Developing Artificial Intelligenceshad been appearing in a blaze of controversy every few months for the last four years. A Swiss researcher, Isabelle Schib, had taken the old models of morphogenesis that had led to software like Zelda, refined the technique by several orders of magnitude, and applied it to human genetic data. Wedded to sophisticated prosthetic bodies, Isabelle's creations inhabited the physical world and learnt from their experience, just like any other child."

There is plenty of discrimination, but their daughter has plans for all the other quantum branches in the long run, given the technology she has already.

4 out of 5


Old fashioned posse.

3.5 out of 5


Death scam skip.

3.5 out of 5


Planetary romance end.

4 out of 5


Gene litigant genie.

4 out of 5


Are your MacShards, gunning?

3 out of 5




4.5 out of 5

Best SF collection of the year
I used to regularly have a problem with being so captured by a book that I'd neglect relatively unimportant things like eating and sleeping. I hadn't had that experience in quite a while, but this collection brought it back. Nearly every story is excellent. This book doesn't have the range of the massive _Year's Best Science Fiction: Twentieth Annual Collection_, but it benefits from its comparative selectivity. If you're only planning to get one of the two, I'd go for this one. ... Read more

Product Description

Who knows what awaits us tomorrow?

Customer Reviews (3)

Poltical agenda not "Best of SF"
I have read all of the David Hartwell/Kathryn Cramer Year's best SF. In each book there were always more good stories than bad. Don't know what happen but this book was disappointing. Several stories based on parallel universes and alternate realities that simply end up being political tripe. Even had a "George Bush bashing line" along with make you fill guilty about being human. Only one story stood out. "The Island". Out of the fifteen books in the series this was the worst. I hope they get back to the best SF concept and leave political agenda out...

A great read, as usual
Sometimes the things we look forward to in life are the small things that regularly delight and surprise us.Such is one of the events I look forward annually, the publication of The Year's Best SF, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. It is one of the earliest (and best) of the prior year anthologies published--early enough to accompany me on my late spring or early summer vacation.

I've been reading science fiction for over 50 years. If you know the field, you will know of these editors. Both have extensive experience, having edited many SF books and written significant essays contributing to the field. They can be counted on to select good stories for you.

The Year's Best SF typically opens with a short intro discussing the previous year in science fiction. Then the book introduces select representative shorter SF works by established regulars or important newly emergent authors with a short bio and comments placing the story in context for you, the reader. This year's (15) work follows that model. Of course, each person's taste will vary; in particular, I enjoyed the stories by Vandana Singh (mathematics, other dimensions), Ian Creasey (effect of physical modification for life on other planets), Alastair Reynolds (effect of changes in an alternate universe), Michael Casutt (what if an Apollo crew had discovered evidence of a prior visit), and Mary Robinette Kowal(clone story set in Korea).But know that you'll seldom find a bad story collected here.

If you want to read some of the best short work from the prior year while learning a bit more about science fiction in the process, this is one of the books you'll want to pick up every year.

Science Fiction in a Hard Place: 2009's Best
I enjoyed most of the 24 stories in David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer's collection of science fiction offerings from 2009.As usual, the introductions were a skillful blend of author bios, web sites, and references to relevant book-length fiction and story collections.My favorite six stories are described below.All six focus more on human beings in difficult circumstances than on traditional SF themes of technology and space exploration.

Robert Charles Wilson's "This Peaceable Land" accompanies a white man and his black employer on their journey through an American South where the Civil War never took place and slavery disappeared gradually as it became economically infeasible.They search for evidence of all those unwanted slaves who also disappeared.And nobody wants to talk about it.

Yoon Ha Lee's "The Unstrung Zither" is superficially about the interrogation of five captured terrorists.On a deeper level it is a different kind of story that progresses toward a harmonious conclusion rather than a logical one.

In Sarah Edwards' "Lady of the White-Spired City" we return with the emperor's emissary to the small village on a backward planet where she once lived with her husband and daughter.It is not possible for her to return home, but perhaps she can make a new one.

Charles Oberndorf's "Another Life" introduces a soldier who is awakened in a new body with memories backed up before he went into action.He can't bring himself to use his ticket home until he finds out how he died.And why he is alone.

Mary Robinette Kowal's "The Consciousness Problem" explores the relationship between a woman, her husband, and his clone.Why we love who we love seems less clear than ever.

Eric James Stone's "Attitude Adjustment" is appropriately described by the editors as "...good old-fashioned problem-solving space SF in the Astounding tradition, done well.It has a touch of the Heinleinesque in its characterization and resolution."

I recommend this collection to all appreciative readers of science fiction.It is a clear success for the contributing authors and for this experienced team of editors. ... Read more

Product Description
Featuring more than sixty groundbreaking short stories by modern science fiction's most important and influential writers, The Ascent of Wonder offers a definitive and incisive exploration of the SF genre's visionary core.

From Poe to Pohl, Wells to Wolfe, and Verne to Vinge, this hefty anthology fully charts the themes, trends, thoughts, and traditions that comprise the challenging yet rich literary form known as "hard SF."
... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Misleading Title
I found some great stories here that were new to me.It's a good collection of stories but there are a number of well-written stories here that are not Hard Science Fiction.The title is misleading.The editors seem to have no sympathy with the genre.In their introductions to the stories they seem to sneer at the whole genre from their elevated literary viewpoint.They are entitled to their opinions, but then, why did they do this collection?I suppose a collection entitled "A Gentle Introduction to the Better Sort of Science Fiction by Those Who Know Better Than You",or "Science Fiction that You Don't Need to be Embarrassed to Show your English-major Friends",wouldn't have much of a market.The snobbery and put-downs are really annoying.

So, as has been suggested, skip the editorial commentary, let the stories speak for themselves.

Not Free SF Reader
This is a monster collection. Also a very impressive anthology, as it weighs in at a 3.81 story average. This is after over SIXTY stories, that have been put together to illustrate different styles of hard SF story and story telling, put together in three sections.

There is commentary on each author and their manner of writing and career in general.

The editor also gives a different style grouping at the end, if you decide to look at it this way. A 1000 page tome basically that is a must have for those interested in the subject.

Ascent of Wonder : Nine Lives - Ursula K. Le Guin
Ascent of Wonder : Light of Other Days - Bob Shaw
Ascent of Wonder : Rappaccini's Daughter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ascent of Wonder : The Star - Arthur C. Clarke
Ascent of Wonder : Proof - Hal Clement
Ascent of Wonder : It's Great to Be Back - Robert A. Heinlein
Ascent of Wonder : Procreation - Gene Wolfe
Ascent of Wonder : Mimsy Were the Borogoves - Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
Ascent of Wonder : Davy Jones' Ambassador - Raymond Z. Gallun
Ascent of Wonder : The Life and Times of Multivac - Isaac Asimov
Ascent of Wonder : The Singing Diamond - Robert L. Forward
Ascent of Wonder : Down and Out on Ellfive Prime - Dean Ing
Ascent of Wonder : Send Me a Kiss By Wire - Hilbert Schenck
Ascent of Wonder : The Xi Effect - Philip Latham
Ascent of Wonder : A Descent into the Maelstrom - Edgar Allan Poe
Ascent of Wonder : Exposures - Gregory Benford
Ascent of Wonder : The Planners - Kate Wilhelm
Ascent of Wonder : Beep - James Blish
Ascent of Wonder : Drode's Equations - Richard Grant
Ascent of Wonder : The Weather Man - Theodore L. Thomas
Ascent of Wonder : Transit of Earth - Arthur C. Clarke
Ascent of Wonder : Prima Belladonna - J. G. Ballard
Ascent of Wonder : To Bring in the Steel - Donald M. Kingsbury
Ascent of Wonder : Gomez - C. M. Kornbluth
Ascent of Wonder : Waterclap - Isaac Asimov
Ascent of Wonder : Weyr Search - Anne McCaffrey
Ascent of Wonder : Message Found in a Copy of Flatland - Rudy Rucker
Ascent of Wonder : The Cold Equations - Tom Godwin
Ascent of Wonder : The Land Ironclads - H. G. Wells
Ascent of Wonder : The Hole Man - Larry Niven
Ascent of Wonder : Atomic Power - John W. Campbell
Ascent of Wonder : Stop Evolution in Its Tracks - John T. Sladek
Ascent of Wonder : The Hungry Guinea Pig - Miles J. Breuer
Ascent of Wonder : The Very Slow Time Machine - Ian Watson
Ascent of Wonder : The Beautiful and the Sublime - Bruce Sterling
Ascent of Wonder : The Author of the Acacia Seeds - Ursula K. Le Guin
Ascent of Wonder : Heat of Fusion - John M. Ford
Ascent of Wonder : Dolphin's Way - Gordon R. Dickson
Ascent of Wonder : All the Hues of Hell - Gene Wolfe
Ascent of Wonder : Occam's Scalpel - Theodore Sturgeon
Ascent of Wonder : giANTS - Edward Bryant
Ascent of Wonder : Time Fuze - Randall Garrett
Ascent of Wonder : Desertion - Clifford D. Simak
Ascent of Wonder : Kyrie - Poul Anderson
Ascent of Wonder : The Person from Porlock - Raymond F. Jones
Ascent of Wonder : Day Million - Frederik Pohl
Ascent of Wonder : The Cage of Sand - J. G. Ballard
Ascent of Wonder : The Psychologist Who Wouldn't Do Awful Things to Rats - James Tiptree Jr.
Ascent of Wonder : In the Year 2889 - Jules Verne
Ascent of Wonder : Surface Tension - James Blish
Ascent of Wonder : No No Not Rogov! - Cordwainer Smith
Ascent of Wonder : In a Petri Dish Upstairs - George Turner
Ascent of Wonder : With the Night Mail - Rudyard Kipling
Ascent of Wonder : The Longest Science-Fiction Story Ever Told - Arthur C. Clarke
Ascent of Wonder : The Pi Man - Alfred Bester
Ascent of Wonder : Relativistic Effects - Gregory Benford
Ascent of Wonder : Making Light - James P. Hogan
Ascent of Wonder : The Last Question - Isaac Asimov
Ascent of Wonder : The Indefatigable Frog - Philip K. Dick
Ascent of Wonder : Chromatic Aberration - John M. Ford
Ascent of Wonder : The Snowball Effect - Katherine MacLean
Ascent of Wonder : The Morphology of the Kirkham Wreck - Hilbert Schenck
Ascent of Wonder : Tangents - Greg Bear
Ascent of Wonder : Johnny Mnemonic - William Gibson
Ascent of Wonder : What Continues What Fails... - David Brin
Ascent of Wonder : Mammy Morgan Played the Organ; Her Daddy Beat the Drum - Michael F. Flynn
Ascent of Wonder : Bookworm Run! - Vernor Vinge


Clonepacks come in tens.

4 out of 5


A sad story of a use for 'slow glass' technology that traps light for an extended period of time.

3 out of 5


Chastity death touch defence.

3.5 out of 5


Jesuit crewing for amusement finds supernova technology treasure cache is Star of Bethlehem reference point.

3.5 out of 5


ET space chemistry tale.

4 out of 5


Groundhogs too dumb for lunar couple.

4 out of 5


Microverse maker.

4.5 out of 5


A technology discovery is beyond the adults, but definitely not the children, with unforeseen results.

4.5 out of 5


Busted bathysphere first contact prison escape passenger.

3.5 out of 5


Supercomputer overlord subservience breaking point.

4 out of 5


Asteroid music and metal from micros

4 out of 5


Drifters and grifters dragooned due to space station rain problem.

3.5 out of 5


Giant squid shagging.

4.5 out of 5


Spectrum shrinking supremely serious.

4 out of 5


Sea storm spinning around survival.

3.5 out of 5


Astronomical observations.

3 out of 5


Monkey brain business.

3 out of 5


Spook space tricks and tech of time communication.

4 out of 5


Mathematical understanding.

3.5 out of 5


Meterological political power struggles.

4 out of 5


Marsnaut's useful ending.

3.5 out of 5


Mutant girl, plant music, big spider.

3 out of 5


Whore governess troubleshooter happiness hire finds out space can be interesting.

4.5 out of 5


Unified field theory discovery lost in hormone wash, perhaps.

4 out of 5


Outer space undersea visit has terrorist plan. Extemporaneous Jupiter project plan convinces laser wielder to desist.

4 out of 5


Teleportin' time-shiftin' meteor shootin' dragon recruitin'.

4.5 out of 5


Lower down stranding.

3.5 out of 5


Kid is a waste of oxygen.

5 out of 5


Give tanks a try.

3.5 out of 5


Quantum black hole is ridiculous overkill.

3.5 out of 5


Gravity busted = very bad.

4 out of 5


Creationists are boring nerds.

3.5 out of 5


Pet. Very large.

3 out of 5


Step back before forward.

4 out of 5


Copying what a dragonfly does is rather complex.

3.5 out of 5


Lower order communication.

3.5 out of 5


Irradiated recollections.

4 out of 5


Interspecies communication has much wider importance.

5 out of 5


Physical ambiguity.

4 out of 5


People alteration protection.

3 out of 5


Bigger mutants the solution.

4 out of 5


Supralight supernova situation.

4.5 out of 5


Altered man mission adds a mutt.

4.5 out of 5


Supernova human alien telepathic communication ending prolonged.

4 out of 5


Alien scientific interference.

5 out of 5


Stored love.

3.5 out of 5


Cape Kennedy beached red.

4 out of 5


People experiments maybe more fun.

3.5 out of 5


Future seems like the same old, if you are there.

3 out of 5


Mini water men fancy space travel.

3.5 out of 5


Soviet science couple's brain needle journey.

4 out of 5


Orbital-Earthworm relationships and differences with brainwashing meltdown muscular mayhem.

4 out of 5


Postal progress still has the odd issue.

4 out of 5


Recursive rejection.

4 out of 5


Prose patterns.

3 out of 5


Jury rigged for continuing speed perhaps pointless.

4 out of 5


World project.

3.5 out of 5


Immortal humans breed too fast for the universe.

4 out of 5


Zeno even immune to amphibian Atom.

3.5 out of 5


Colors and war.

3 out of 5


Sociology maybe can do something.

3 out of 5


Chrononauts sea save.

3.5 out of 5


Tesseract visions.

3.5 out of 5


Memory boy, samurai girl, cyborg dolphin hook up.

4 out of 5


Black hole and baby making.

4 out of 5


Ghost physics.

4 out of 5


Chimp gets computer brain, leaves because he prefers sf and Tarzan to history.

4 out of 5

The Definitive Hard Science Fiction Collection
If you're a fan of hard science fiction, you need to own "The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF." Period. Even if you have, as I do, a large collection of hardcover and paperback science fiction books that collectively contain many of the stories reprinted in this volume, you still need it.

As you might expect, many of the stories are from the "Golden Age" of the 1940's and `50's: you'll find classics such as Hal Clement's "Proof" (1942), James Blish's "Surface Tension" (1952) and Tom Godwin's haunting "The Cold Equations" (1954). Representing later years are such riveting tales as Theodore L. Thomas' "The Weather Man" (1962), Bob Shaw's "Light of Other Days" (1966) and Donald Kingsbury's "To Bring In the Steel" (1978). The 67 stories in "The Ascent of Wonder" make up a fantastic smorgasbord of the best hard science fiction of all time. But wait, there's more...there are three essays, totaling about 30 pages, on hard science fiction, written by editors David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Kramer and noted author Gregory Benford. Each story also contains a relatively short (half a page or so) but exceptionally insightful introduction. These alone make "The Ascent of Wonder" worth having.

With 990 pages of small, dense type, this volume is big and heavy. But even if you have to put an extra brace on your bookshelf to hold the weight, you should buy it. Quite simply, there is no better compilation of the imaginative, speculative, science-based stories that form the genre's "visionary core."

Semi-Hard Sort-of New Wave Science Fiction
This is a massive and ambitious work.High quality and a lot for the money.I felt somewhat deceived by the title though.Many of the stories seem to define Hard Science Fiction by illustrating an exception to the rules.The editors seem to have gone out of their way to include nontypical examples and surprise us with authors that we didn't expect.H.G.Wells? OK.Rudyard Kipling?I don't think so.J.G.Ballard.Not really.At least, not MY definition.See my list: The Scientist/Engineer/Inventor Hero in Science Fiction

This book ROCKS.
Excellent!!!! WELL worth the money. I've been slowly chipping away at it for over a year now. You really get alot of book for the money here, and most of the stories are very interesting. The editor's notes/prefaces are also very good and informative, I've learned alot about the genre. Don't even try to get it from the library, you have to buy it to savor it in stages. Good luck, it's a mind-blower! ... Read more

Product Description
The Future Boldly Imagined From Breathtaking New Perspectives

The world as we will know it is far different from the future once predicted in simpler times. For this newest collection of the finest short form SF to appear in print over the preceding year, acclaimed editors and anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have gathered remarkable works that reflect a new sensibility. Courageous and diverse stories from some of the finest authors in the field grace this amazing volume -- adventures and discoveries, parables and warnings, carrying those eager to fly to far ends of a vast, ever-shifting universe of alien worlds, strange cultures, and mind-bending technologies. Tomorrow has never been as spellbinding, terrifying, or transforming as it is here, today, in these extraordinary pages. Hang on!

New tales from:
Kage Baker • Gregory Benford • Terry Bisson Rick Moody • Michael Swanwick • John Varley and many more ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Some Good and Some Very Good SF Stories
Working my way backward through the Year's Best SF series, I have arrived at number nine.I enjoyed most of these twenty stories.The story introductions were of the usual high quality--I fear that Hartwell and Cramer are spoiling me in this regard.I take for granted how well they prepare me to understand each author, each author's other works, and the story to come in such brief, readable introductions.I may wander around disoriented in lesser anthologies, unable to find my way without them.

My five favorite stories from the collection are:

Most of Octavia Butler's "Amnesty" takes place in a group job interview as a long-time employee of the very alien "Communities" explains to six new recruits what they can expect.The aliens are imaginatively alien, the humans are all too human, and the flashbacks are very instructive.I can't believe that my favorite story basically takes place in a corporate meeting.

John Varley's "In Fading Suns and Dying Moons" introduces aliens whose strangeness is based on their superficial similarity to humans.Suddenly the Earth is host to successive lines of identical, mannequin-like figures combing the environment for butterflies.They can't be destroyed, don't have much to say, and are relentlessly thorough.There is nothing to do but wait for the last one to finish.

Gregory Benford's "The Hydrogen Wall" lets us look over the shoulder of Ruth, a trainee librarian trying to communicate with the Sagittarius Architecture, an unfathomably complex artificial intelligence downloaded from a space transmission.We are reminded that communication is two-way, and that hidden agendas are often the important ones.

Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero collaborate to bring us "The Day We Went Through the Transition," a time travel story that combines the convolutions of Robert Heinlein's "All You Zombies--" with the emotional resonance of The Time Traveler's Wife.It is worth feeling your way through.

Nigel Brown's "Annuity Clinic" introduces us to a grim future where elderly pensioners sell off their prostheses to pay for a diminishing quality of continued existence.Eloise finds escape, first through the web, and then through a half-remembered doll from her childhood.

I recommend this collection and feel well-repaid for the time I spent reading it.Although all of the stories were at least good, there were fewer great stories than I have encountered in other Year's Best SF editions.Not a complaint; just an observation.

Not Free SF Reader
The editors state : "We have remarked in the past that the average paperback anthology of fantasy or SF does not contain as many good stories as the average issue of Asimovs or Fantasy & Science Fiction."

Can't disagree with that. In general, those magazines do rate more highly than your standard original anthology for fiction.

An interesting strategy they seem to be pursuing is publishing the odd non-English work, translated.This year it seems that was a bit easier with a specific volume already done, Cosmos Latinos, and a couple of stories here come from that.

Live Without a Net, Stars, and Space, Inc. are anthologies mentioned.Anders, Resnick and Czerneda.

This volume is easily the lowest rated of the Hartwell anthologies so far, and only a 3.55 average, with a lot of decent, and a few average or worse, and nothing standing out.

Stating in the past that they are only choosing obvious SF gets a bit wobbly with the Swanwick, etc., I think.

Year's Best SF 09 : Amnesty - Octavia E. Butler
Year's Best SF 09 : Birthdays - Geoff Ryman
Year's Best SF 09 : The Waters of Meribah - Tony Ballantyne
Year's Best SF 09 : EJ-ES - Nancy Kress
Year's Best SF 09 : Four Short Novels - Joe Haldeman
Year's Best SF 09 : Rogue Farm - Charles Stross
Year's Best SF 09 : The Violet's Embryos - Angélica Gorodischer
Year's Best SF 09 : Coyote at the End of History - Michael Swanwick
Year's Best SF 09 : In Fading Suns and Dying Moons - John Varley
Year's Best SF 09 : Castaway - Gene Wolfe
Year's Best SF 09 : The Hydrogen Wall - Gregory Benford
Year's Best SF 09 : The Day We Went Through the Transition - Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero
Year's Best SF 09 : Nimby and the Dimension Hoppers - Cory Doctorow
Year's Best SF 09 : Night of Time - Robert Reed
Year's Best SF 09 : A Night on the Barbary Coast - Kage Baker
Year's Best SF 09 : Annuity Clinic - Nigel Brown
Year's Best SF 09 : The Madwoman of Shuttlefield - Allen M. Steele
Year's Best SF 09 : Bread and Bombs - M. Rickert
Year's Best SF 09 : The Great Game - Stephen Baxter
Year's Best SF 09 : The Albertine Notes - Rick Moody

Stranger Community close job.

3.5 out of 5


Reproductive success strategies.

4 out of 5


Alien Suit Compliance life force.

4 out of 5


Medical remains.

4 out of 5


Immortality maintenance.

3.5 out of 5


Pastoral life breakdown.

3.5 out of 5


Purple power creation.

3.5 out of 5


Canine fable overload.

2.5 out of 5


Multidimensional collection switchoff.

4 out of 5


Mind blown.

3 out of 5


Alien library mind analysis Artificial assist.

4 out of 5


Power armour chase all over the place.

4 out of 5


Ancient inhabitant needed.

4 out of 5


Botany monopoly Frisco misery

3 out of 5


Artificial extensions, Clever Dolly.

3.5 out of 5


Not too chicken for music to return.

4 out of 5


Bad snow and strange candy.

3 out of 5


Muddy Star Wars.

3 out of 5


Blasted drug memories.

3.5 out of 5




4 out of 5

Best Year's Best SF in Years
I have been reading Year's Best book from Year's Best SF 3.I was somewhat disappointed with stories in SF 7 and 8, but SF 9 delivers extremely interesting and thoughtful stories.I really enjoyed stories by Gene Wolfe, George Benford, and my favorite "Four Short Stories" by Joe Haldeman.Buy and read this book, you will not be disappointed.

Butler, Swanwick, and others deliver some great tales
"Year's Best SF 9," edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, collects 20 stories into a 500 page anthology.The stories range in length from 6 to 71 pages.Some of the highlights are as follows.

"Amnesty," by Octavia E. Butler: looks at relations between humans and a radically different intelligent species of communal life forms that have invaded Earth.This story deals with issues of power, control, language, and communication; it is as penetrating and thought-provoking as Butler's other great works."Birth Days," by Geoff Ryman: explores human reproduction, homosexuality, and biological research and experimentation."Ej-Es," by Nancy Kress: a very moving story about a team investigating a seemingly failed human colony; the story addresses themes of disease, communication, cultural difference, and the human brain. "Rogue Farm," by Charles Stross: a funny tale about a farming couple defending their property against a mutant creature; this story is full of bizarre dialogue and images."In Fading Suns and Dying Moons," by John Varley: an entomologist is enlisted to discover the meaning behind an invasion of the Earth by weird, butterfly-collecting aliens.This story refers to and cleverly builds on the ideas in the science fiction classic "Flatland."

Also worthy of note--"The Day We Went Though the Transition," by Ricard de la Casa and Pedro Jorge Romero: a time travel story with a Spanish setting.This story also deals with terrorism."A Night on the Barbary Coast," by Kage Baker: a colorful, highly entertaining tale about a pair of time-traveling cyborgs--who also happen to be father and daughter--on an adventure in 19th century San Francisco."The Madwoman of Shuttlefield," by Allen M. Steele: a story of life in a human colony on a distant planet.This is a full-bodied, richly evocative tale that covers many aspects of life in the colony--food, architecture, government, etc.Steele creates memorable characters and powerfully drawn human relationships.

But my favorite piece in the anthology is the brilliant "Coyote at the End of History," by Michael Swanwick.This cluster of five short fable-like tales, reminiscent of Native American animal trickster tales, tells about Coyote and his relations with the "Star People."Sort of like folk tales from a distant future, these Coyote tales are ironic, deliciously funny, and surprisingly poignant.Overall, "Year's Best SF 9" is a wonderfully diverse and mind-expanding anthology.This is the kind of book that reminds me why I fell in love with the science fiction genre in the first place.This collection offers excellent examples of why the short story is such an ideal format for science fiction.

This book ain't the one
I've been working hard on a Ph.D. so it was with great relish that I turned to this book after getting some time for myself.However, I was sorely disappointed with what I read.Octavia Butler's story started off quite decently but the ending was not up to the rest of the story.And it was downhill from there.I've never read two science fiction stories in a row I haven't liked but this book represented a series of them.Some of the stories had good potential but the writers didn't develop them well and some were just not good. It is my opinion that many of the stories would have been much better if the writers had a publisher/mentor like the early sci fi authors who critiqued their stories and helped make them better.Perhaps critiquing or mentoring is what sci fi needs more of.I have started another sci fi anthology and already it is better than this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Undreamed-Of Wonders From
The Farthest Reaches Of ImaginationIn this second volume of the previous year's finest short fantastic fiction, acclaimed editor and anthologist David G. Hartwell showcases new works by stellar literary artists -- acknowledged masters of the genre and exceptionally talented newcomers alike. Astonishing worlds come alive in these pages -- realms of strange creatures and remarkable sorceries, as well as twisted shadow versions of our inhabited earthly plain. A bold and breathtaking compendium of tales -- including a new Earthsea story from the incomparable Ursula K. Le Guin -- Years's Best Fantasy 2 is the state-of-the-art of a unique and winning genre, offering unforgettable excursions into new realities wondrous, bizarre, enchanting...and terrifying.

Customer Reviews (1)

Short and sweet fantasy
I don't read too many short story collections.I'm usually too immersed in novels to take the time to read them.However, last year, I was browsing through the bookstore and saw an intriguing cover for Year's Best Fantasy, edited by David G. Hartwell.I picked it up on a whim, and loved it to pieces.I made a point to keep an eye out for this year's volume, and scooped it up as soon as I got a chance.This collection is just as good as last year's, and well worth a look-see from the choosy fantasy reader.

This book contains all sorts of fantasy types.There are urban fantasies that take place in the modern day with fantastical elements, fantasies that have traditional wizard type characters, religious fantasy, and many more.It's all here in this one volume. All of the stories (bar two) are at the very least interesting.The overall quality of this book is excellent, however, with most of the stories (with the exception of the Ursula Le Guin story at the beginning) being short enough for you to read right before bed.

The best story in this book is the first one, "The Finder" by Ursula Le Guin.It's reprinted from her Tales From Earthsea collection of stories.After reading it, I had the urge to go out and read the rest of the Earthsea books, as it was that good.It's the story of Otter, a young son of a shipbuilder.The story takes place in the distant past in relation to the other Earthsea books, in a time when magic was looked down upon and feared.Otter has some magic power, especially the ability to "find" things by thinking about them.He is captured by the "king" of the area and given to the king's wizard in order to be made useful.The story becomes one of Otter's attempts to escape, how Otter learns to use his powers, and how he becomes a part of Earthsea history as well.The story is at times poignant, and at other times just plain fascinating.Le Guin has such a wonderful sense of character and setting that she literally draws you a picture.Otter is well-portrayed, going from young innocent boy to a responsible young man and teacher in the space of the story.The other characters are also interesting, including a truly evil antagonist who is still well-rounded, even though the reader hates him.He's not a cartoon character, which is very nice.This is the longest story in the book, at 95 pages, and it's worth every one of them.

Then there is "Apologue," a 2-page story by James Morrow, where three former big-city nemeses (a giant ape, a giant lizard, and a giant rhedosaur) return to New York to help out in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.I couldn't believe that this much feeling could be contained in a 2-page story, but Morrow does it.It is a truly touching tale of formerly destructive beings doing what they can to help.It really is a moving experience to read this one.If you simply do not want to buy this book, then you should quickly read this story in the bookstore.It almost brought a tear to my eye.

Other particularly strong stories are "In the Shadow of Her Wings" by Ashok Banker (a story of political assassination and reincarnation in near-future India), "The Black Heart" by Patrick O'Leary (a story of good and evil at an airport, which takes a surprising turn at the end), and "To Others We Know Not Of," by Kate Riedel (a story of a married woman and a man from her past, returned to seek her help and explain why he left so long ago).These are the particularly noteworthy ones, though the rest of the stories are good as well (with the two exceptions below).

The two exceptions, for me anyway, were "Hell is the Absence of God," by Ted Chiang, and "Stitchery," by Devon Monk.Chiang's story takes place in a world where Heaven and Hell are real places, God is a real being with an intrusive agenda that has nothing to do with love, and angelic visitations are relatively common occurrences.These visitations don't always have good results, as sometimes they happen with so much force as to cause wholesale destruction, injuring and even killing people.Neil Fisk's wife is one of these casualties, and thus Neil completely loses his faith in God.This is the story of his attempt to be with her in the afterlife, because he knows that she's in heaven (when you die, your spirit visibly moves to one area or the other).He has to have true faith, or he won't be able to join her, but he can't get over his anger.The concept is intriguing, but the story never really holds together for me, and none of the characters are particularly likable or interesting."Stitchery" is just a rather dull story of a southern woman who can "stitch" people back together again once they have died, her two-headed lover, and a "granny" that she bought who knits wasted time together into a tapestry.Again, some of the concepts are intriguing but the story itself isn't very interesting.

Overall, though, I would certainly recommend getting this book.It has a great mix of stories, mostly well-told (and really, you should expect a clunker or two in any collection) with a nice mix of "name" authors and new people.If you like fantasy, you will find something to like in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Cramer reveals that midlife changes offer opportunity to call on strengths lacked in youth and to appreciate the wisdom experience brings. Calling on fascinating scientific and psychological research, Dr. Cramer outlines seven pathways to personal fulfillment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent book
This book changed my life. It helped me see the gifts of midlife, andprovided practical advice on entering midlife without any self-defeatingregrets about the aging process. I recommend this book to anyone goingthrough a "mid-life" crisis, regardless of their age. ... Read more

Product Description
Tales As Deep As Legend
And As New As DawnAcclaimed editor David G. Hartwell has gathered a harvest of shimmering beauty and powerful writing in this inaugural volume of the very best fantasy from the last year. Established masters rub elbows with rising stars in this outstanding collection of short stories rich with imagined lands and finely etched, unforgettable characters. Travel to distant realms -- and around the block -- with stories by: Terry Goodkin
Nicola Griffith
Nalo Hopkinson
George R.R. Martin
Robert Sheckley
Michael Swanwick
... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great Way to Introduce or Expand Your Fantasy Reading
It is comforting to find the amount and quality of fantasy writing that is not based on sword and sorcery.There are many years of 'Best Fantasy' to enjoy.For those that enjoy these collections we have years of reading already available.

Lots to Enjoy!
I'm not an anthology fan, generally speaking, unless done by specific editors with whom I'm familar. I tried this on a whim. I found the selection varied and often engrossing. I was able to sample many authors I've thought of trying but didn't want to waste money in case I didn't like their style. This book gave me a taste of some of those authors. LOL. My library is already extensive. If all their work is as good as the stories in this book, room is going to be a real problem! :-)

Cheating? Maybe. Still some good material? Definitely!
Response to review below...

I can see the point of the reviewer below in regards to George R.R. Martin and Terry Goodkind's work as excerpted or relating to their best-selling series.But I think this review is missing some details.

First the collection is titled "Year's Best Fantasy", not "Best fantasy this editor could find from your very favorite authors that you have never seen before `cuz I picked their brains for fresh stuff and then they promised never to use any of it again in a series".This kind of anthology is ALWAYS made up of the good, the bad and the excerpted.

Second collections are great for those already in love with the genera, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they are really about drawing in the readers who do not normally seek out Fantasy books.Although I like Sci/Fi and Fantasy work just fine I would NEVER have picked up George R.R. Martin's beefy series Song of Ice and Fire series without this intro to the series. The series is just too far off my usual list of interest.

I do sympathize with the other reviewer, if you have read it already then if feels like you're being cheated.But you can't really think that every anthology ever would have only fresh new stories. If having excerpts pulls even a few readers over, then so much the better.

One of the best fantasy collections ever!
This is my all time favorite fantasy short story collection.It includes fantasy of all shapes and colors and has a surprisingly high density of really good stories from both newbies and old hands.
I'd recommend this book to anyone.I buy copies for my friends.

Must Have Been a Bad Year
Most of the stories in this edition of "Year's Best Fantasy Stories" are not terrible.Unfortunately, none of them are destined to be classics, either.By and large, the stories are readable but not memorable.Perhaps the sole exception is "Wrong Dreaming" by Kain Massin, which is an Australian tale of aboriginal magic that is very evocative and moving.Sarah Singleton's "Ebb Tide" is also moving, although its story of mermaid love has been done many times before.The contributions of the heavyweights, George R.R. Martin and Terry Goodkind, are excerpted or related to their best-selling series, and so are almost cheating.Read this one if you've not much else to read, but do not expect to be impressed. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Unreadable, physically unreadable...
I really can't comment on the stories in this book, some of the authors are familiar and I know they're quite good. I could NOT read this book. Physically it was impossible for me to read this. The font chosen to save space and paper is SO small that just minutes of trying to read the anthology brought on horrible headaches, eye strain and very nearly nausea. This is printed in what appears to be 5 or 6 point type, it's horrible. Luckily I was able to get this from my local library and didn't have to purchase to find out I could not read it. Tachyon Publications, you should be ashamed of yourselves. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Xeni Jardin, Kathryn Cramer, Kevin Drum. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 23. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Teresa Nielsen Hayden (born March 21, 1956) is an American science fiction editor, fanzine writer, essayist, and teacher. She is a consulting editor for Tor Books. She has also worked for Federated Media Publishing where in 2007 she revived the comment section for the blog Boing Boing. Nielsen Hayden has been nominated for Hugo Awards five times. Born Teresa Nielsen, she grew up in a Mormon household in Mesa, Arizona, but was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1980. In her youth, she served as a page in the Arizona House of Representatives. She appended Hayden to her name upon marrying the former Patrick Hayden in 1979; he also took her name, becoming Patrick Nielsen Hayden. The two of them were active members of science fiction fandom and collaborated on various fanzines, including the Hugo-nominated Izzard. In 1985, she and her husband were TransAtlantic Fan Fund delegates to Europe for Eastercon. Over the next few years, the Nielsen Haydens published at least three TAFF trip reports. From 1985 to 1989, she served on the editorial board of The Little Magazine, a poetry magazine. She is a former managing editor and, now, consulting editor at Tor Books. In 1994, a collection of her essays, Making Book (ISBN 0-915368-55-2), was published by NESFA Press. It is now in its third printing. The second printing is the preferred edition. She is also one of the regular instructors for the writing workshop Viable Paradise. Outside the science-fiction community, Nielsen Hayden is probably best known for her weblog, Making Light, where she writes about a wide range of subjects such as animal hoarding, publishing sca...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1380197 ... Read more

Product Description
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, that perception is reality, and that a single strength can overcome a world of obstacles. These three powerful ideas converge in the breakthrough work, Change the Way You See Everything

This brilliantly simple book on the philosophy known as Asset-Based Thinking, instills success-oriented habits in even the most die-hard cynic. Its transformational lessons--conveyed through unique photographic metaphors and inspiring stories from real people--reveal how the slightest shift in perception can lead to monumental results in both business and in life. ABT is not just positive thinking, but rather a systematic observation of "what works." Kathryn Cramer, an acclaimed corporate consultant, and Hank Wasiak, a creative icon of the advertising industry, have produced a work that looks and works like no other business or self-help book-because it IS like no other book. Change the Way You See Everything is a revolutionary approach to every aspect of life that bears not just reading, but re-reading, and sharing with people in your circle. You'll never look at the world the same way again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

An excellent experience
Book arrived in mint condition (as far as I can tell--I haven't looked at every single page yet) and within a week of ordering. Vendor used high-quality packing materials--indicated to me that they really cared that I'd be satisfied with my order. Would definitely use again.

Change Your Perspective
I heard about this book from someone in a class I took and decided to check it out. Ever since I've read it I recommend it to everyone.It is not a fake or unrealistic way at looking at things, it is about looking at situations and issues differently. A way to change your perspective and evaluate.

pretty pictures, white space, and hot air
There is a massive industry of self-help books, cds, dvds, seminars, and training courses.The common thread through all this media is that the authors and promoters make a ton of cash "inspiring" and "instructing" others, using generic, vague, high-level truisms about goals, attitude, and life in general.

"Change the Way You See" is no different.It has slick packaging, pretty pictures, thick glossy papers but it substantively offers nothing more than broad, sweeping generalizations, rehashed ideas, needlessly technical terminology, and obfuscated common sense.Is it brilliant and profound to write in letters on one empty page something like, "focus + distance?"Or is it an easy way to fill space in a $25 book?

Much like "The Secret," Change the Way's brilliantly "different" attitude boils down to positive thinking.

THINK POSITIVE.There, I saved you $25 and 45 minutes.

Not to be missed
Simply put, this is a beautiful book. Full of inspiring information interspersed with beautiful photographs. It is at once a self-help manual and a coffee table delight. Makes a memorable gift.

I Love This Book
I loved this book so much that I bought copies for my three daughters.I don't know how to endorse it any better than that.I am ready to read it again myself to renew the faith. ... Read more

Product Description
Here are 44 compelling tales of the fantastic--many never before anthologized--by such classic writers as L. Frank Baum and Charles Dickens through today's finest writers, including Ursula K. Le Guin, Joanna Russ and Michael Moorcock. ... Read more