A. Lafferty295 • Blind Shemmy • (1983) • novelette by Jack Dann316 • In the Islands • (1983) • shortstory by Pat Murphy329 • Nunc Dimittis • (1983) • novelette by Tanith Lee348 • Blood Music • (1983) • novelette by Greg Bear371 • Her Furry Face • (1983) • shortstory by Leigh Kennedy387 • Knight of Shallows • (1983) • novelette by Rand B. Lee419 • The Cat • [Solar Cycle] • (1983) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe426 • The Monkey Treatment • (1983) • novelette by George R. R. Martin452 • Nearly Departed • [Deadpan Allie] • (1983) • shortstory by Pat Cadigan467 • Hearts Do Not in Eyes Shine • (1983) • novelette by John Kessel486 • Carrion Comfort • (1983) • novelette by Dan Simmons522 • Gemstone • (1983) • novelette by Vernor Vinge546 • Black Air • (1983) • novelette by Kim Stanley Robinson571 • Honorable Mentions: 1983 • essay by Gardner Dozois

    It's a great way to learn about nuclear physics!

    Rite contains short stories and novellas, three teleplays, four nonfiction pieces, and short introductions to each tale.

    F. Benson, H. P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Stephen Crane, Charles Dickens, Robert Barr, and many others who know well how to manipulate a reader's emotions. From Washington Irving comes "The Adventure of My Grandfather" and from Saki, "The Cobweb." Bill Pronzini plays a horrifying game of "Peekaboo," while Frances Garfield portrays "The House at Evening" to alarming effect. This unique and very special collection is like a carnival ride of terror that you'll want to go on again and again.

    In Lammas Night a young weaver is persuaded to bide a while in a small village, to make their village spells and keep the Dark at bay. The villagers give her the house of her predecessor. Now a half-seen phantom courts her. He is either her lover for all time--or a wicked spirit's seeming, the aim of which is to entrap her in an unspeakable fate.Contents:Lammas Night by Mercedes LackeyHallowmas Night by Mercedes LackeyHarvest of Souls by Doranna DurginThe Heart of the Grove by Ardath MayharMiranda by Ru EmersonDemonheart by Mark ShepherdSunflower by Jody Lynn NyeSummer Storms by Christie GoldenA Choice of Many by Mark GarlandThe Captive Song by Josepha ShermanMidsummer Folly by Elizabeth WatersThe Mage, The Maiden and The Hag by S.M. Stirling and Jan StirlingThe Road Taken by Laura Anne GilmanA Wanderer of Wizard-kind by Nina Kiriki HoffmanCircle of Ashes by Stephanie D ShaverA Choice of Dawns by Susan SchwartzMiranda's Tale by Jason HendersonLady of the Rock by Diana L PaxsonBefore by Gael Baudino

    Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including: Daniel Abraham • Eleanor Arnason • Pauolo Bacigalupi • Kage Baker • Stephen Baxter • Terry Bisson • James L. Cambias • Albert E. Cowdrey • Colin P. Davies • Paul Di Fillipo • Brendan DuBois • Michael F. Flynn • Peter F. Hamilton • M. John Harrison • James Patrick Kelly • Caitlin R. Kiernan • Nancy Kress • Paul Melko • David Moles • Pat Murphy • Robert Reed • Benjamin Rosenbaum • Mary Rosenbaum • Christopher Rowe • William Sanders • Vandana Singh • Vernor Vinge • Walter Jon WilliamsSupplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and a list of honorable mentions, making this book a valuable resource as well as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.Cover design by Shea M. KornblumCover illustration by Stephan MartiniereDescription from back cover Contents xi • Acknowledgments (The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Second Annual Collection) • (2005) • essay by Gardner Dozoisxiii • Summation: 2004 • essay by Gardner Dozois1 • Inappropriate Behavior • (2004) • novelette by Pat Murphy27 • Start the Clock • (2004) • shortstory by Benjamin Rosenbaum42 • The Third Party • (2004) • novelette by David Moles72 • The Voluntary State • (2004) • novelette by Christopher Rowe105 • Shiva in Shadow • (2004) • novelette by Nancy Kress153 • The People of Sand and Slag • (2004) • novelette by Paolo Bacigalupi172 • The Clapping Hands of God • (2004) • novelette by Michael F. Flynn214 • Tourism • (2004) • shortstory by M. John Harrison228 • Scout's Honor • (2004) • shortstory by Terry Bisson244 • Men Are Trouble • (2004) • novelette by James Patrick Kelly283 • Mother Aegypt • [Company] • (2004) • novella by Kage Baker348 • Synthetic Serendipity • (2004) • shortstory by Vernor Vinge366 • Skin Deep • (2004) • shortstory by Mary Rosenblum389 • Delhi • (2004) • shortstory by Vandana Singh405 • The Tribes of Bela • [Colonel Kohn] • (2004) • novella by Albert E. Cowdrey465 • Sitka • (2004) • shortstory by William Sanders478 • Leviathan Wept • (2004) • shortstory by Daniel Abraham499 • The Defenders • (2004) • shortstory by Colin P. Davies504 • Mayflower II • [Xeelee] • (2004) • novella by Stephen Baxter562 • Riding the White Bull • (2004) • novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan588 • Falling Star • (2004) • shortstory by Brendan DuBois603 • The Dragons of Summer Gulch • (2004) • novelette by Robert Reed628 • The Ocean of the Blind • (2004) • shortstory by James L. Cambias649 • The Garden: A Hwarhath Science Fictional Romance • [Hwarhath] • (2004) • novella by Eleanor Arnason688 • Footvote • (2004) • shortstory by Peter F. Hamilton706 • Sisyphus and the Stranger • (2004) • shortstory by Paul Di Filippo (aka Sisyphe et l'étranger)718 • Ten Sigmas • (2004) • shortstory by Paul Melko726 • Investments • [Dread Empire's Fall] • (2004) • novella by Walter Jon Williams811 • Honorable Mentions: 2004 • essay by Gardner Dozois

    Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including:Stephen Baxter, M.Shayne Bell, Rick Cook, Albert E. Cowdrey, Tananarive Due, Greg Egan, Eliot Fintushel, Peter F. Hamilton, Earnest Hogan, John Kessel, Nancy Kress, Ursula K. Le Guin, Paul J. McAuley, Ian McDonald, Susan Palwick, Severna Park, Alastair Reynolds, Lucius Shepard, Brian Stableford, Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Steven Utley, Robert Charles WilsonSupplementing the stories is the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and lengthy list of honorable mentions, making this book a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.

    Following his invitation to "browse through my gallery", readers will find ghoulish ghost stories "designed to frighten and instruct" -- instruct, that is, about the strange existence ghosts must endure! Stories include Miss Emmeline Takes Off by Walter Brooks; The Valley of the Beasts by Algernon Blackwood; The Haunted Trailer by Robert Arthur; The Truth About Pyecraft by H.G. Wells; The Isle of Voices by Robert Louis Stevenson; and more. Parents and kids can't help but chuckle at Hitchcock's comment, "I don't want to appear disloyal to television, but I think reading will be good for you." Contains some very spooky two-color illustrations by Fred Banbery.

    This thrilling compendium includes:Jeffrey Toobin's eye-opening exposé in The New Yorker about a famous prosecutor who may have put the wrong man on death rowSkip Hollandsworth's amazing but true tale of an old cowboy bank robber who turned out to be a "classic good-hearted Texas woman"Jimmy Breslin's stellar piece about the end of the Mob as we know it

    PaxsonThe Proper Balance • (1993) • short story by Robyn McGrewThe Gift of Minerva • (1993) • short story by Dorothy J. HeydtFriendly Fire • (1993) • short story by Mercedes LackeyHeart in a Box • (1993) • short story by Lynne Armstrong-JonesDance of Death • (1993) • short story by Donna Bocian CurrieEarth, Air, Fire, and Water • (1993) • short story by Kirsten M. CorbyFealty • (1993) • short story by Kati Dougherty-CarthumHunt for the Queen's Beast • (1993) • short story by J.M. CressyRobes • (1993) • short story by Patricia Duffy NovakBonds of Light • (1993) • short story by Vera NazarianNight, Who Creeps Through Keyholes • (1993) • short story by Francesca MymanOaths • (1993) • short story by Leslie Ann MillerDouble Vision • (1993) • short story by Lucas K. LawThe Phoenix Medallion • (1993) • short story by Diann PartridgeA Run in the Forest • (1993) • short story by David A. PillardOld Age and Treachery… • (1993) • short story by Nancy L. PineIn Sheep's Clothing • (1993) • short story by Lawrence SchimelHer Mother's Sword • (1993) • short story by Stephanie D. ShaverThe Sorceress' Apprentice • (1993) • short story by Deborah WheelerMage-Sight • (1993) • short story by Lynne Alisse WittenEther and the Skeptic • (1993) • short story by Katy Huth JonesThe Limwitch • (1993) • short fiction by Rebekah JensenSmile of the Goddess • (1993) • short story by Lorina J. StephensJust Reward • (1993) • short story by Karen LukBoys Will Be Girls • (1993) • short story by Vicki KirchhoffTaking Shape • (1993) • short story by Lisa DeasonJustice Is Mine • (1993) • short fiction by Carolee J. Edwards

    Lovecraft, and his acknowledged masterpiece, At the Mountains of Madness, in which an expedition to the desolation of Antarctica discovers evidence of an ancient ruin built by horrific creatures at first thought long-dead, until death strikes the group. All but two of the stories are original to this edition, and those reprints are long-lost works by science fiction masters Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Silverberg.

    This year's volume includes Ian R. MacLeod, Nancy Kress, Greg Egan, Maureen F. McHugh, Robert Reed, Paul McAuley, Michael Swanwick, Robert Silverberg, Charles Stross, John Kessel, Gregory Benford and many other talented authors of SF, as well as thorough summations of the year and a recommended reading list.Contents xi • Summation: 2002 • essay by Gardner Dozois1 • Breathmoss • (2002) • novella by Ian R. MacLeod52 • The Most Famous Little Girl in the World • (2002) • novelette by Nancy Kress71 • The Passenger • (2002) • novelette by Paul J. McAuley [as by Paul McAuley ]95 • The Political Officer • (2002) • novella by Charles Coleman Finlay135 • Lambing Season • (2002) • shortstory by Molly Gloss145 • Coelacanths • (2002) • novelette by Robert Reed164 • Presence • (2002) • novelette by Maureen F. McHugh184 • Halo • [Macx Family] • (2002) • novelette by Charles Stross212 • In Paradise • (2002) • shortstory by Bruce Sterling221 • The Old Cosmonaut and the Construction Worker Dream of Mars • (2002) • novelette by Ian McDonald243 • Stories for Men • (2002) • novella by John Kessel302 • To Become a Warrior • (2002) • shortstory by Chris Beckett313 • The Clear Blue Seas of Luna • (2002) • novelette by Gregory Benford339 • V.A.O. • (2002) • novella by Geoff Ryman367 • Winters Are Hard • (2002) • novelette by Steven Popkes390 • At the Money • (2002) • novelette by Richard Wadholm417 • Agent Provocateur • (2002) • shortstory by Alexander C. Irvine [as by Alexander Irvine ]427 • Singleton • (2002) • novella by Greg Egan467 • Slow Life • (2002) • novelette by Michael Swanwick486 • A Flock of Birds • (2002) • shortstory by James Van Pelt501 • The Potter of Bones • (2002) • novella by Eleanor Arnason538 • The Whisper of Disks • (2002) • novelette by John Meaney (aka The Whisper of Discs)567 • The Hotel at Harlan's Landing • [Company] • (2002) • shortstory by Kage Baker578 • The Millennium Party • (2002) • shortfiction by Walter Jon Williams581 • Turquoise Days • [Revelation Space] • (2002) • novella by Alastair Reynolds641 • Honorable Mentions: 2002 • essay by Gardner Dozois

    “The Hairy Ghost!” “The Corpse Army of Khartoum!” “The Yellow Peril!” and “The Christmas Spirits!” will introduce you to the supernatural wonders that these bold men of the 19th century were compelled to shoot, poison, burn, and beat to death with shovels, all in the name of SCIENCE!

    They represent the whole evolving trajectory of such notions as Hastur, the King in Yellow, Carcosa, the Yellow Sign, the Black Stone, Yuggoth, and the Lake of Hali. A succession of writers from Ambrose Bierce to Ramsey Campbell and Karl Edward Wagner have explored and embellished these concepts so that the sum of the tales has become an evocative tapestry of hypnotic dread and terror, a mythology distinct from yet overlapping the Cthulhu Mythos. Here for the first time is a comprehensive collection of all the relevant tales.

    This masterpiece collection represents a high watermark of America’s underbelly. Crime writing gets no better than this.CONTENTSErle Stanley Gardner: Come and Get ItFredric Brown: Cry SilencePeter Collison: Arson PlusFredrick Nebel: Doors in the DarkLester Dent: LuckDashiell Hammett: The Maltese FalconStewart Sterling: Ten Carats of LeadWyatt Blassingame: Murder Is Bad LuckTalmadge Powell: Her Dagger Before MeCharles G. Booth: One ShotRichard Sale: The Dancing RatsKatherine Brocklebank: BraceletsThomas Walsh: Diamonds Mean DeathRoul Whitfield: Murder in the RingWalter C. Brown: The Parrot That Wouldn’t TalkMerle Constiner: Let the Dead AloneCarrol John Daly: Knights of the Open PalmWilliam Cole: Waiting for RustyRamon Decolta: Rainbow DiamondsWilliam Rollins Jr.: The Ring on the Hand of DeathTheodore A. Tinsley: Body SnatcherD wight V. Babcock: Murder on the GaywayCleve F. Adams: The KeyWilliam Campbell Gault: The Bloody BokharaBrett Halliday: A Taste for CognacDay Keene: Sauce for the GanderW.T. Ballard: A Little DifferentCharles M. Green: The Shrieking SkeletonHank Searls: Drop Dead TwiceDale Clark: The Sound of the ShotFrederick C. Davis: Flaming AngelDon M. Mankiewicz: Odds on DeathNorvell Page: Those CatriniHugh B. Cave: Smoke in Your EyesRobert Reeves: Blood, Sweat and BiersWhitman Chambers: The Black BottleMilton K. Ozaki: The Corpse The Didn’t KickRaymond Chandler: Try the GirlNorbert Davis: Don’t You Cry for MeRay Cummings: T. McGuirk Steals A DiamondSteve Fisher: Wait For MeFrank Gruber: Ask Me AnotherHorcase McCoy: Dirty WorkJulius Long: Merely MurderJohn D. MacDonald: Murder in One SyllableH.H. Stinson: Three Apes from the EastD.L. Champion Death Stops PaymentRichard Connell: The Color of HonorBruno Fischer: Middleman for MurderRichard Deming: The Man Who Choose the DevilC.M. Kornbluth: Beer-Bottle PolkaCornell Wollrich: Borrowed Crime