1996 was a year that I was really into science fiction and fantasy and the Year in Review in the front by Gardner Dozois was quite nostalgic for me in that I had read, watched, or in other ways consumed - or at least recognized - most of the things out that year. Though I had not really ever been into the scifi magazines that much. Publishing-wise, 1996 was a terrible year for sf magazines with a lot of them losing subscriptions and dealing with then-nascent online publishing. So going back to this particular Years Best was much more disappointing than I expected. Most of the stories were fairly lousy - either not having much in the way of good science, good fiction, or both. Even 'big' names for the day were had submissions that were hohum and banal. Oh well; maybe I should have tried another nostalgic year.

IMHO, there were a few bright spots though to keep me going through the anthology. I did enjoy The Dead by Michael Swanwick - with a twist on what the undead can do. I also liked A Dry Quiet War for being somewhat meta. Death Do Us Part was an interesting concept of relationships over longevity. The Land of Nod was probably my favorite and best written, but then I really liked his Kirinyaga stories, which this fit in with nicely. ( )

Book Description: NY: St. Martin's Griffin, 1997. First Printing. Large Trade PB. VF /