Jody Lynn Nye

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by publishers, Galaxy Press, via Library Thing.

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Fans of the science fiction / fantasy genre might as well go ahead and budget every year to purchase the current entry in this compendium, now on the cusp of its fourth decade of presenting the work of talented newcomers in the field. This review will not go into the selection process. Those who are interested will find ample information in the book itself, show more as its producers and presenters are definitely not shy when it comes to self-promotion. But why should they be? They consistently present outstanding work in these collections, and Volume 39 is no exception.

As usual, there are a dozen original works by new and emerging writers and illustrators of science fiction and fantasy, along with a few technical essays and an almost-obligatory reprint of one of Hubbard’s pulp-era tales. The raving completist will devour every word from cover to cover; the more casual reader will skim the garnish and dive right into the 12-course feast.

The winning stories run the gamut from hard-core science fiction to fantasy of all flavors, and include two time-travel tales, a bit of humor, a couple of dystopian stories, and some first-contact accounts.

The illustrators get a chance to shine here, too. The image for each story is presented in full color, and introductory material provides links to the artists’ other works. Science fiction and fantasy, probably more than any other genre, can really get a boost from skillfully-presented artwork. Readers can pretty easily conjure up mental images of a roadside diner or a kindergarten classroom or a Christmas tree, but they may need some help visualizing a shape-shifting carnivore, the living room of a sentient squid, or a ritual cloak from a vanished civilization on Alpha Centauri. The essay on art direction is one of the more interesting nonfiction entries in the volume.

The stories, however, continue to be the centerpiece for most readers, and there is plenty to think about here.

Arthur H. Manners’ “The Withering Sky” gets this reviewer’s vote for the most compelling and most original of the bunch. A truly weird and gripping tale of the exploration of an alien artifact, it grows more frightening and malevolent by the moment.

Samuel Parr gets bonus points for setting “The Last History”, his complex and thoughtful fantasy, in an almost-Imperial-China rather than in an almost-Medieval-Europe. His main character has embarked on a deadly competition for a coveted position in the Imperial government, but she is also playing a dangerous multi-level game in a competition of a very different kind. This is imbued with an other-ness that in no way keeps it from being a beautifully realized tale.

J.R. Johnson’s “Piracy for Beginners” gets Reviewer’s Choice. It’s straight-up space opera with a sense of humor and a kickass heroine. What’s not to like?

The least satisfying of the selections, at least for this reviewer, was Spencer Sekulin’s “The Children of Desperation”. There is a novel’s worth of ideas in this tale of a man compelled to take a morally reprehensible action in order to save someone he loves, but the restrictions inherent in the short story form mean many of them remain undeveloped, and some of the actions leave the reader wondering if a few pages of the manuscript have fallen by the wayside. The Big Reveal near the end has no emotional punch because the very thing it reveals has not been foreshadowed, referred to, or even acknowledged as existing until the moment it happens. It’s as if the writer, two pages before the climax, jumps in and says “Oh, wait! I forgot to tell you! The hero has an invisibility cloak, a twin brother, and a raging allergy to shellfish – all of which are going to be really important in the next page and a half, okay?” Sekulin is probably going to be around for a while, and one hopes he will get the opportunity to give full rein to his complex background next time.

Vampires, dragons, a soul-sucking tax collector, high-tech AIs, a spacefaring civilization looking for a new home, and assorted time-travelers round out the collection, which is well worth the investment of time it takes to absorb and think about the stories. show less

In McCaffrey's Brainships universe, children who are born with an immobilizing or other severe disability are raised and educated to be the 'brains' that steer Starships. They are also assigned a "Brawn" to be their companion and assist with activities that can only be done by a person with a functional body.
This is not my favorite edition in the series, but it was still pretty entertaining to read. Cari and Keff are our Brain/Brawn team for this one, encountering a planet that seems to be show more inhabited by some "primitive" natives who are oddly clueless and afraid, but treat Keff like a god when he first shows up. I hope it's not too spoiler-y to say that my first thought was that there must be some humans (or at least humanoids) on this planet who are acting as masters of these folks and keeping them dumb and docile somehow.
While this is a pretty familiar trope, the unfolding of the story was pretty original and quite entertaining. I also loved the chemistry between Cari and Keff and hope that we get another outing with them before this series is over. show less

I look forward to this collection each year as I am always looking out for my next favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy author or an illustrator that I want to keep an eye on and I have yet to be disappointed. Kill Switch was one of my favorites, for the story and the artwork. I actually enjoyed all of the stories, which was a first for me, but Karma Birds, Code L1, Slip Stone, and The Stench of Freedom were fabulous. My favorite illustrations in this volume were Creature of the Storm, The Stench of show more Freedom, and My Name was Tom. Always looking forward to next year's.

LibraryThing Early Reviewer show less

When you have that feeling of sadness and loss when you reach the end of a book you know it has been a good one, and so it was for me on finishing the end of volume 40. As with any anthology, I found there were some stories that just flew, and some that were more of an effort, and for me I was not so keen on those that were more hardcore complex SciFi, but it is good to push your own boundaries sometimes! There are 12 prize winning stories by new talent plus some bonus material from show more established authors.
The illustrations for each story are the result of a parallel competition for illustrators, and I felt they really served to bring each story to life.
The ones that particularly shone:
The worthy winner of the grand prize of the competition underpinning this book was ‘Son Spirit Snake’ by Jack Nash and is stunning, absorbing and deserves to become a set text for the mastery in the way the story weaves different world dimensions.

‘Squiddy’ by John Eric Schleicher, was just so original: a Punk image of a Mad Max world but with an unexpected delicate understory of hope. I found the edgy narrative style thoroughly engaging.

‘The Imagalisk’ by Galen Westlake had a heartbreaking insightful depiction of the transient bewilderment of dementia that elevated what was already a fun concept into something special.

What a blast I had reading Kal Ms ‘Butter side down’. Truly original, funny but oh so insightful about what makes us human, with a clever transcript format that was worth the little extra effort it took to read. The two main characters of the lovable Joe and awe inspiring AI aka toaster Breadna were genuinely engaging. Underneath the comedy here is a writer with a formidable intellect, and for me she is one of the key emerging talents to watch.

‘The wall isn’t a circle’ by Rosalyn Robilliard, intriguingly actually two sisters writing collaboratively, was a formidable piece of work: almost novella length with a fun and enjoyable blend of humour, near future insight, and a fast paced multi layered plot. It was very visual, thoroughly engaging and would make a brilliant miniseries. Another author/writing team to watch out for. The illustration by Guelly Rivera is also worth a mention: it stood out and was really evocative of the story.

‘5 days to sunset’ and ‘Ashes to ashes, blood to carbon fibre’ both had underlying ‘life on an alternative planet’ premise, not normally my cup of tea but thanks to the authors for challenging my preconceptions as these were excellent and creative stories that I couldn’t put down.

So in summary this is a superb anthology with exciting new creative talent, both in the world of writing and of illustration. Highly recommended. show less