A survey like this is going to offer a variety a subgenres and styles, so you come in expecting to like some entries more than others. But it seems fair to come to a “year’s best” anthology expecting to like more stories than not, and I can’t say that was my experience with Dozois’ 2006 collection. In terms of individual story ratings, I found myself gaving a lot of ratings below 6 out of 10 (8 in all), so it’s perhaps not surprising that it took me over five weeks of on again, off again, reading to make it through this collection.

I felt like this book offered several stories which started with promising enough concepts, but then gave us unconvincing people who did unbelievable things. Some of the biggest disappointments for me were Alistair Reynolds “Signal to Noise,” in which a man has a chance to strive for closure with an alternate universe version of his recently deceased wife; David Levine’s “I Hold My Father’s Paws,” in which a man strives for closure with his long estranged, about-to-be-turned-into-a-dog (I kid you not), father; and even Ian McDonald’s Hugo Award winning “The Djinn’s Wife,” which left me utterly unconvinced, even if I didn’t really hate it.

Having said all that, one of the best things about these annual collections is always finding authors new to me, and that was the case again here. Three of my favorite stories in the book were from authors I had not previously read: Paolo Bacigalupi’s "Yellow Card Man," Benjamin Rosenbaum’s "The House Beyond Your Sky,” and Cory Doctorow’s very funny “I, Row-boat.” Other favorites were the always reliable Robert Reed’s “Good Mountain,” and Walter Jon Williams’ “Incarnation Day.” ( )

A better-than average edition of this series. Although there was not too much that really amazed me, almost everything in the book was a very good story with nothing I totally disliked.

My favorites:
"The Djinn's Wife" - Ian McDonald
"Incarnation Day" - Walter Jon Williams
"Riding the Crocodile" - Greg Egan

Least favorite:
"The Big Ice" - Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold
"Okanoggan Falls" - Carolyn Ives Gilman
"Every Hole Is Outlined" - John Barnes

"I Row-Boat" - Cory Doctorow 4/5
An intelligent rowboat has to deal with a belligerent intelligent coral reef. Humorous post-singularity story.
"Julian: A Christmas Story" - Robert Charles Wilson 3.5/5
Two teens start to learn about the past in a post-apocalyptic future that suppresses knowledge of science.
"Tin Marsh" - Michael Swanwick 4/5
Venus miners get cabin fever. Entertaining action.
"The Djinn's Wife" - Ian McDonald 5/5
An Indian dancer marries an AI. Very good story in an interesting setting.
"The House Beyond Your Sky" - Benjamin Rosenbaum 3/5
A denizen of a house at the end of the universe, interacts with some of the inhabitants. Interesting.
"Where the Golden Apples Grow" - Kage Baker 3.5/5
On Mars, a boy from a farm colony and one who grew up with truckers share an adventure. Fun story.
"Kin" - Bruce McAllister 3/5
A boy hires an alien hitman.
"Signal to Noise" - Alastair Reynolds 4/5
People are able to temporarily switch into the bodies of their doubles in very similar parallel timelines. A man uses this to visit his wife, who just died in his own timeline. Good ideas about identity.
"The Big Ice" - Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold 2/5
A near-immortal member of the galactic ruling class is transformed by alien biological traces in an ice sheet.
"Bow Shock" - Gregory Benford 4/5
Academic politics and personal life conflict with a scientist's study of fast-moving neutron stars.
"To the River" - Justin Stanchfield 3.5/5
A woman is surgically altered in order to communicate with aquatic aliens. Good, but a little melodramatic.
"Incarnation Day" - Walter Jon Williams 4.5/5
In the outer solar system, children are raised as computer simulations and then incarnated into physical bodies when they come of age. Nice concept with some thought about what it takes to be considered a person.
"Far As You Can Go" - Greg Van Eekhout 3/5
A teenager and his robot friend try to find the ocean in an environmentally degraded future.
"Good Mountain" - Robert Reed 4/5
Disaster strikes a world where the inhabitants live on a continent made of floating vegetation. Great, original setting.
"I Hold My Father's Paws" - David D. Levine 3/5
A man has himself transformed into a dog in order to avoid the stresses of life.
"Dead Men Walking" - Paul J. McAuley 3.5/5
A bioengineered soldier attempts to blend in on a Uranus colony after a war.
"Home Movies" - Mary Rosenblum 4/5
A woman who creates surrogate memories for rich clients faces a difficult assignment. Good concept.
"Damascus" - Daryl Gregory 4/5
A blood-borne brain disease creates feelings of religious ecstasy. A scary, realistic story.
"Life on the Preservation" - Jack Skillingstead 4/5
Modern Seattle is preserved in a repeating time bubble in a post-apocalyptic world. Interesting concept.
"Yellow Card Man" - Paolo Bacigalupi 3/5
A refugee struggles to survive in Bangkok in a post-oil world. Good story, but with a very limited sf element.
"Riding the Crocodile" - Greg Egan 4.5/5
A couple attempts to contact the enigmatic aliens at the center of the galaxy as the last achievement of their lives. Great portrayal of a far-future civilization.
"The Ile of Dogges" - Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette 3/5
Time travelers attempt to rescue a lost play by Ben Johnson.
"The Highway Men" - Ken MacLeod 3.5/5
Conscripted highway workers meet up with a community living outside the system in a decaying future Britan., Fun but fairly typical MacLeod.
"The Pacific Mystery" - Stephen Baxter 4/5
Alternate history is a world where the Pacific contains a fold in space-time. Good, original concept.
"Okanoggan Falls" - Carolyn Ives Gilman 3/5
The citizens of a small town try to save it from occupying aliens who wish to build a mine there. I didn't find the aliens convincing.
"Every Hole Is Outlined" - John Barnes 3/5
Starship crews see ghosts about between the stars. Has an interesting culture, but the story never really makes sense.
"The Town on Blighted Sea" - A. M. Dellamonica 3/5
The losers from an alien-backed war on Earth deal with being refugees on an alien world.
"Nightingale" - Alastair Reynolds 4/5
A mercenary group is hired to extract a war criminal from an abandoned hospital ship. Good suspense with a nasty ending. ( )

The 2007 edition of the classic anthology of SF stories.

You could call this an excellent example of this particular series perhaps, as the average for these stories is 3.86, and a couple I have read have gone over 4. Still, a rather good effort to put that together. You certainly won't be detecting much of a sense of humour in this one, though, in general.

As usual, the highly useful summation and introduction gives information, and tries to round up for the reader the magazine sources for those that are mostly interested in core science fiction, without generally having to put up with fantasy/horror/slipstream etc., when they don't want too. He also talks a bit about books and other media, and I agree with most of this except for V for Vendetta, a movie of which this household approved. It sounds like Dozois hadn't read this, from his comment.

By now you could fill one of these huge volumes with his intros, too, if he ever needs a project.

Overall, a top notch editorial job on display here.

Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : I ROW-BOAT - Cory Doctorow
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : JULIAN A CHRISTMAS STORY - Robert Charles Wilson
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : TIN MARSH - Michael Swanwick
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : THE DJINN'S WIFE - Ian McDonald
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : THE HOUSE BEYOND YOUR SKY - Benjamin Rosenbaum
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : WHERE THE GOLDEN APPLES GROW - Kage Baker
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : KIN - Bruce McAllister
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : SIGNAL TO NOISE - Alastair Reynolds
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : THE BIG ICE - Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : BOW SHOCK - Gregory Benford
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : IN THE RIVER - Justin Stanchfield
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : INCARNATION DAY - Walter Jon Williams
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : FAR AS YOU CAN GO - Greg Van Eekhout
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : GOOD MOUNTAIN - Robert Reed
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : I HOLD MY FATHER'S PAWS - David D. Levine
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : DEAD MEN WALKING - Paul J. McAuley
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : HOME MOVIES - Mary Rosenblum
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : DAMASCUS - Daryl Gregory
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : LIFE ON THE PRESERVATION - Jack Skillingstead
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : YELLOW CARD MAN - Paolo Bacigalupi
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : RIDING THE CROCODILE - Greg Egan
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : THE ILE OF DOGGES - Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : THE HIGHWAY MEN - Ken MacLeod
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : THE PACIFIC MYSTERY - Stephen Baxter
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : OKANOGGAN FALLS - Carolyn Ives Gilman
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : EVERY HOLE IS OUTLINED - John Barnes
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : THE TOWN ON BLIGHTED SEA - A. M. Dellamonica
Year's Best Science Fiction 24 : NIGHTINGALE - Alastair Reynolds

Asimovian reef revival survival.

4.5 out of 5

Conscripts in a fallen future like snakes more than Indy does.

3 out of 5

"Naughty girl. Papa spank!" I wish! Wahhh!

4 out of 5

Computer cops crimp AI's carnal cavorting with calisthenic chick.

4 out of 5

Making a universal mess of it.

2.5 out of 5

Road trip not good.

3.5 out of 5

A boy and a alien assassin come to an understanding.

5 out of 5

Quantum reality spousal coordination.

4.5 out of 5

Sororcidecicle's inhuman regeneration return.

4 out of 5

An astronomer researching an obscure phenomenon struggles with tenure, a woman, and trying to work out if what he is seeing is natural or not.

4 out of 5

Underwater translation leavetaking gift.

4 out of 5

Parental supervision control program subversion.

4.5 out of 5

Witch robot sea stop swap.

3.5 out of 5

Colony vermiform prolongation oxygen depletion destruction.

3 out of 5

A dog's life for me.

4 out of 5

Clone assassin uncovered confrontation.

4 out of 5

Memory recording transfer rejection.

4.5 out of 5

Jesus, that's a hell of an idea to spread around.

3.5 out of 5

Daily alien revisit.

3 out of 5

Fallen biotech magnate takes insults badly.

4 out of 5

A couple of then 10K year old posthumans decide to attempt to contact some aliens known as the Aloof for obvious reasons. This inspires others to some innovation.

4 out of 5

Playing with past censorship.

3.5 out of 5

Air rage war road rollers into bandit chopper brake break.

4 out of 5

Alternate nazi monster zeppelin expedition shows Pacific that time forgot lives up to hyperbole.

4 out of 5

Alien invasion imitation co-operation landscaping strategy.

4.5 out of 5

Long voyaging ship's sudden crew loss requires slave freedom and spectral viewing.

4 out of 5

Squid porn relatively Ruthless solution.

4 out of 5

Hospital ship joined.

4 out of 5

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/11... ( )

I've been reading this series for a while now, on and off since the tenth edition. As always happens with this kind of anthology, this book contains a number of gems and a number of duds.

My personal favourites, must-reads:

Incarnation Day by Walter Jon Williams
Damascus by Daryl Gregory

Also really worth a read:

Tin Marsh by Michael Swanwick
Where The Golden Apples Grow by Kage Baker
Signal To Noise by Alastair Reynolds
Bow Shock by Gregory Benford
In The River by Justin Stanchfield
Far As You Can Go by Greg Van Eekhout
Dead Man Walking by Paul J. McAuley
Home Movies by Mary Rosenblum
Life On The Preservation by Jack Skillingstead
Yellow Card Man by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Pacific Mystery by Stephen Baxter
Nightingale by Alastair Reynolds

Really awful, as far as I'm concerned:

The Big Ice by Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold
The Ile of Dogges by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette
Every Hole Is Outlined by John Barnes

The story Kin, by Bruce McAllister was a 2007 Hugo nominee for Best Short Story, but was definitely not amongst my favourites. The 2007 Hugo winner for Best Novelette was The Djinn's Wife, which, again, didn't make my list. The nominee Yellow Card Man might have made my shortlist. ( )