The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 22nd Annual Collection

THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF

BEST NEW

SCIENCE FICTION

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THE MAMMOTH BOOK
OF BEST NEW
SCIENCE FICTION

22nd Annual Collection

Edited by
GARDNER DOZOIS

ROBINSON

London

Constable & Robinson Ltd
3 The Lanchesters
162 Fulham Palace Road
London W6 9ER
www.constablerobinson.com

First published in the USA by St Martin’s Press 2009

First published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson, 2009

Copyright © Gardner Dozois, 2009

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication
Data is available from the British Library

UK ISBN 978-1-84529-930-9

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint the following materials:

“Turing’s Apples”, by Stephen Baxter. Copyright © 2008 by Stephen Baxter. First published in
Eclipse Two
(Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled,” by Michael Swanwick. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Gambler,” by Paolo Bacigalupi. Copyright © 2008 by Paolo Bacigalupi. First published in
Fast Forward 2
(Pyr), edited by Lou Anders. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Boojum,” by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. First published in
Fast Ships, Black Sails
(Night Shade), edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. Reprinted by permission of the authors.

“The Six Directions of Space,” by Alastair Reynolds. Copyright © 2008 by Alastair Reynolds. First published in
Galactic Empires
(Science Fiction Book Club), edited by Gardner Dozois. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“N-Words,” by Ted Kosmatka. Copyright © 2008 by Ted Kosmatka. First published in
Seeds of Change
(Prime), edited by J. J. Adams. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“An Eligible Boy,” by Ian McDonald. Copyright © 2008 by Ian McDonald. First published in
Fast Forward 2
(Pyr), edited by Lou Anders. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Shining Armour,” by Dominic Green. Copyright © 2008 by Dominic Green. First published in
The Solaris Book of Science Fiction: Volume Two
(Solaris), edited by George Mann. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Hero,” by Karl Schroeder. Copyright © 2008 by Karl Schroeder. First published in
Eclipse Two
(Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Evil Robot Monkey,” by Mary Robinette Kowal. Copyright © 2008 by Mary Robinette Kowal. First published in
The Solaris Book of Science Fiction: Volume Two
(Solaris), edited by George Mann. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Five Thrillers,” by Robert Reed. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, April 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Sky That Wraps the World Round, Past the Blue and Into the Black,” by Jay Lake. Copyright © 2008 by Jay Lake. First published electronically online in
Clarkesworld
, March 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Incomers,” by Paul McAuley. Copyright © 2008 by Paul McAuley. First published in
The Starry Rift
(Viking), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Crystal Nights,” by Greg Egan. Copyright © 2008 by Interzone. First published in
Interzone
, April 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Egg Man,” by Mary Rosenblum. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“His Master’s Voice,” by Hannu Rajaniemi. Copyright © 2008 by Interzone. First published in
Interzone
, October 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Political Prisoner,” by Charles Coleman Finlay. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, August 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Balancing Accounts,” by James L. Cambias. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Special Economics,” by Maureen F. McHugh. Copyright © 2008 by Maureen McHugh. First published in
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy
(Del Rey), edited by Ellen Datlow. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Days of Wonder,” by Geoff Ryman. Copyright © 2008 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, October/November 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The City of the Dead,” by Paul McAuley. Copyright © 2008 by Paul McAuley. First published in
Postscripts 15
. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Voyage Out,” by Gwyneth Jones. Copyright © 2008 by Gwyneth Jones. First published in
Periphery: Exotic Lesbian Futures
(Lethe Press), edited by Lynne Jamneck. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm,” by Daryl Gregory. Copyright © 2008 by Daryl Gregory. First published in
Eclipse Two
(Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“G-Men,” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Copyright © 2008 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. First published in
Sideways in Crime
(Solaris), edited by Lou Anders. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Erdmann Nexus,” by Nancy Kress. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, October/November 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Old Friends,” by Garth Nix. Copyright © 2008 by Garth Nix. First published in
Dreaming Again
(Eos), edited by Jack Dann. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Ray-Gun: A Love Story,” by James Alan Gardner. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, February 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Lester Young and the Jupiter’s Moons’ Blues,” by Gord Sellar. Copyright © 2008 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, July 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Butterfly, Falling at Dawn,” by Aliette de Bodard. Copyright © 2008 by Interzone. First published in
Interzone
, December 2008. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Tear,” by Ian McDonald. Copyright © 2008 by Ian McDonald. First published in
Galactic Empires
(Science Fiction Book Club), edited by Gardner Dozois. Reprinted by permission of the author.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Summation: 2008

TURING’S APPLES
•
Stephen Baxter

FROM BABEL’S FALL’N GLORY WE FLED
•
Michael Swanwick

THE GAMBLER
•
Paolo Bacigalupi

BOOJUM
•
Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette

THE SIX DIRECTIONS OF SPACE
•
Alastair Reynolds

N-WORDS
•
Ted Kosmatka

AN ELIGIBLE BOY
•
Ian McDonald

SHINING ARMOUR
•
Dominic Green

THE HERO
•
Karl Schroeder

EVIL ROBOT MONKEY
•
Mary Robinette Kowal

FIVE THRILLERS
•
Robert Reed

THE SKY THAT WRAPS THE WORLD ROUND, PAST THE BLUE AND INTO THE BLACK
•
Jay Lake

INCOMERS
•
Paul J. McAuley

CRYSTAL NIGHTS
•
Greg Egan

THE EGG MAN
•
Mary Rosenblum

HIS MASTER’S VOICE
•
Hannu Rajaniemi

THE POLITICAL PRISONER
•
Charles Coleman Finlay

BALANCING ACCOUNTS
•
James L. Cambias

SPECIAL ECONOMICS
•
Maureen F. McHugh

DAYS OF WONDER
•
Geoff Ryman

CITY OF THE DEAD
•
Paul McAuley

THE VOYAGE OUT
•
Gwyneth Jones

THE ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY OF LORD GRIMM
•
Daryl Gregory

G-MEN
•
Kristine Kathryn Rusch

THE ERDMANN NEXUS
•
Nancy Kress

OLD FRIENDS
•
Garth Nix

THE RAY-GUN: A LOVE STORY
•
James Alan Gardner

LESTER YOUNG AND THE JUPITER’S MOONS’ BLUES
•
Gord Sellar

BUTTERFLY, FALLING AT DOWN
•
Aliette de Bodard

THE TEAR
•
Ian McDonald

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
2008