Nebula Awards Showcase 2009

Table of Contents

 

 

“The pulse of modern science fiction.”

 

“Reading all of
Nebula Awards Showcase 2002
is a way of reading a bunch of good stories. It is also a very good way to explore the writing of tomorrow.”—John Clute,
scifi.com

 

“Conveys a sense of the vitality and excitement that have characterized the field’s internal dialogues and debate over the last few years. One of the most entertaining Nebula volumes in years.”
Locus

 

“The vast majority of the stories included are simply wonderful and absolutely deserve recognition. . . . Bottom line: This year’s Nebula Showcase actually succeeds in showcasing a great variety of truly good work. Read it now.”

—InterGalactic Medicine Show

 

“There are plenty of solid, entertaining pieces in this anthology.”

—
Subterranean

 

“As always, a fine anthology.”—Alternative Worlds

“Stellar. . . . This is not only a must-read for anyone with an interest in the field, but a pleasure to read. . . . That’s more reassuring than surprising, of course, given that this collection has little if any agenda besides quality writing, but it is reassuring to see that so many fresh voices are so much fun. . . . Worth picking up.”—SF Revu

 

“While the essays offer one answer to the question of where does SF go now, the stories show that science fiction writers continue to reexamine their vision of the future. It’s a continuing dialogue, and by including critical essays along with the stories, the
Nebula Awards Showcase 2002
does more to present the SF field as an on-going conversation and discussion of ideas than any of the other best of the year anthologies. It’s a worthy contribution and a good volume to have on your shelf.”—SF Site

 

“Every fan will have their favorites; there’s pretty much something for everyone. . . . Overall,
Nebula Awards Showcase 2006
gets it right. I judge it a keeper.”—Scifi Dimensions

 

“The variety of taste shown by the SFWA continues to be striking and heartening.”—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Invaluable, not just for the splendid fiction and lively nonfiction, but as another annual snapshot, complete with grins and scowls.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

ROC
Published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell,
Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre,
Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632,
New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

 

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

Published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, April 2009

Copyright © Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, 2009

Additional copyright notices can be found on p. 435.
All rights reserved

 

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

 

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

In the works of fiction published in this volume, names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

 

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.

eISBN : 978-1-101-02886-5

I’d like to thank Michael Capobianco, Mike Resnick, Gardner Dozois, Jack Dann, Pamela Sargent, George Zebrowski, Gordon Van Gelder, Jonathan Strahan, Sheila Williams, and Del Howison for their advice and help with the book.

P
eople are still saying that science fiction is dead, but I’ve been editing SF/F for over twenty-five years, and I see science fiction and fantasy writers continuing to create vibrant, original, provocative fiction. Both subgroups of fantastic fiction have branched out into a variety of subgenres and readers can find
their
kind of SF/F that still gives them a kick, as there are book publishers and professional magazines and webzines catering to many different tastes.