The Year's Best Science Fiction : Tenth Annual Collection

625 Pages·1993·9.51 MB·English

by  Editor: Gardner R. Dozois

THEY EAR'S
BESTS CIENCE
FICTION
TENTH ANNUAL COLLECTION
ALSO BY GARDNER DOZO$
Anthologies
A Day in the Life
AnotherW orld
BestS cienceF iction Storieso f the Year, Sixth Annual Collection
BestS cienceF ictionS torieso f the Year,S eventhA nnualC ollection
BestS cienceF ictionS torieso f theY ear,E ighth AnnualC ollection
BestS cienceF ictionS torieso f theYear,N inth AnnualC ollection
BestS cienceF ictionS torieso f the Year,T enth AnnualC ollection
The Besto f lsaacA simov'Ss cienceF ictionM agazine
Time-Travellefrrso m lsaacA simoy'sS cienceF ictionM agazine
TranscendentaTla lesf rom IsaacA simov'Ss cienceF ictionM agazine
IsaacA simov's Aliens IsaacA simov'sS F Life
lsaac Asimov'sM ars IsaacA simov'sP lanet Earth
(with SheilaW illiams)
lsaac Asimov'sR obofs( with Sheila Williams)
The Year's BestS cienceF iction, First Annual Collection
The Year'sB est ScienceF iction, SecondA nnual Collection
The Year'sB est ScienceF iction, Third Annual Collection
TheYear's Best ScienceF iction, Fourth Annual Collection
TheYeais Besfs cienceF iction, Fifth Annual collection
The Year'sB esf ScienceF iction, Sixth Annual Collection
TheYear'sB estS cienceF iction, SeventhA nnual Collection
The Year'sB estS cienceF iction, Eighth Annual Collection
TheYeafs Best scienceF iction, Ninth Annual collection
Future Earths: L|nder African Sfties( with Mike Reslick)
Future Earths:U nder SoufftA mericanS fties( with Mike Resnick)
Future Power( with fack Danp) Sorcerers(w! it[ ]ack Da11)
Aliens!( with JackD ann) Demons!( with fack Dann)
I)nicorns!( with JackD anl) Dogtales!( with |ack Daln)
Magicats! (with fack Darur) Rtp per! (with Susal Casper)
Migicats 2 (with fack Danr-r) Seaserpents(w! ith fack Dann)
Bestiary(! with fack Dann) Dinosaurs!( with fack Dann)
Mermaidsl (with fack Danl) Little People!( with fack Daln)
Fictiort
Strangers
The Yisible Man (collection)
Nightmare B/ue (with George Alec Effinger)
S/Jw Dancing ThroughT ime (with JackD ann, Michael Swanwick,
SusanC aspera nd lack C. HaldenranI I)
The Peacemaker
G eodesicD reams (collection)
Nonfiction
The Fiction of lames TiPtree, lr'
THEY EARS
BESTS CIENCE
FICTION
TENTH
ANNUAL
COLLECTION
GardnerD ozoisE, ditor
ST.MARTIN'SPRESS NEWYORK
Form y ClarionW estC lasses,
the Classo f 19BB
and theC /asso f 1992.
THEy nAR'BSE SsTc rENcFEr crroNT: ENTAHN NUAcLo LLECrIoNC.o pyrighOt I99l by GardneDr ozois.
All rightsr eservedP. rintedi n the UnitedS tateso f America.N o parto f this bookm ay be usedo r
,.prJ,r".d in any mannerw hatsoevewri thoutw rittenp ermissioenx cepitn the caseo f briefq uota-
tionse mbodiedin criticala rticleso r reviewsF. or informationa, ddresSs t. Martin'sP ress1, 75F ifth
Avenue,N ewY ork,N .Y. 10010.
Libraryo f CongresCs atalogC ardN umber:8 5-645716
ISSN:0743-1740
FirstE dition:f une 1993
10987654)2r
Paperbac0k- i lZ-0917+-8
Hardcove0r - 3l Z-09427-X
Acknowledgmenist madef or permissionto print the followingm aterial:
"Criffin'sE gg,"b y MichaelS wanwickC. opyrigh@t 1990b y MichaelS wanwickF. irstp ublishedin
GreatB ritaini n l99l by RandomC enturyC roup. Reprintedb y permissioonf RandomH ouseU K
Limiteda nd St. Martin'sP ress.
"Event he Queen,"b y ConnieW illis. Copyrigh@t 1992b y DavisP ublicationsIn, c. Firstpublished
in lsaacA simov'sS cienceF iction Magazine,A pril 1992.R eprintedb y permissiono f the author.
"The Round-EyeBd arbariansb,"y L. Spragudee C amp.C opyrighCt I 1992b y L. Spragudee C amp.
Firstp ublishedin AmazingS toriesf,a nuary1 992.R eprintedb y permissiono f the author.
"Dust," by Greg Egan. Copyright@ 1992b y DavisP ublicationsI,n c. First publishedin lsaac
Asimov'sS cienceF ictionM agazine,f uly 1992.R eprintedb y permissiono f the author.
"Two Guysf romt heF uture,"b yT erryB issonC. opyrighOt 1992b yO mni PublicationIsn ternational
Ltd. Firstp ublishedin Omni, August1 992.R eprintedb y permissioonf the authora ndt he author's
agent,S usanA nn Protter.
"The Mountaint o Mohammed,"b y NancyK ressC. opyright@ 1992byD avisP ublicationsI,n c.
Firstp ublishedin IsaccA simov'Ssc ienceF ictionM agazineA, pril 1992.R eprintedb y permissioonf
the author.
"The Comingo f Vertumnus,"b y lan Watson.C opyrightO 1992b y lnterzoneF. irstp ublishedin
lnterzoneF, ebruary1 992.R eprintedb y permissioonf the autl-ror.
"A Long Night'sV igil at the Temple,"b y RobertS ilverbergC. opyright@ l99Z by Agberg,L td.
Firstp ubfishedin AfterThe King( Tor). Reprintedb y permissioonf the author.
"The Hammero f Cod," byA rthurC . Clarke.C opyrigh@t 1992b yA rthurC . Clarke.F irstp ublished
in Time,F all 1992.R eprintedb y permissioonf thea uthor'sa gentsS, cottM eredithL iteraryA gency,
Inc., 845T hird Avenue,N ewY ork,N .Y. 10022.
"Crownups,"b y lan R. Macleod. Copyright@ 1992b y DavisP ublicationsIn, c. Firstp ublishedin
lsaacA simov'Ss cienceF ictionM agazinef, u ne 1992.R eprintedb y permissiool f the ,uiho, andt he
author'sa gentsO, wlswickL iteraryA gency.
"Graves,"b y foe HaldernanC. opyrighto 1992b y MercuryP ressI,n c. First publishe d in The
Magazineo f Fantasy& ScienceF iction,O ctober/Novembe1r9 92.R eprintedb y permissioonf the
author.
"The Glowing Cloud," by StevenU tley. Copyright@ 1992b y Davis PublicationsI,n c. First
publishedin lsaacA simov'sS cienceF ictionM agazinef,a nuary1 992.R epriptedb y permissiono f
the author.
"Gravity's Angel," by Tom Maddox. Copyright @ 1992 by Omni Publicatio's I'ternational Ltd.
First published in Omni, November 1992. Reprint d by permission of the author.
"Protection," by Maureen F. McHugh. Copyright @ 1992b y Davis Publications,I nc. First published
in Isaac Asimov'sS cienceF iction Magazine, April 1992. Reprinted by permissiop of the author.
"The ["ast Cardinal Bird in Tennessee,"b y Neal Barrett, fr. Copyright O 1990 by Artists Writing
For Film, Ltd. First published in Slightty OffCenter (Swan Press),O ctober 1992. Reprinted by
permission of the author.
"Birth Day," by Robert Reed. Copyright @ 1992 by Mercury Press,I 1c. First publishedinThe
Magazine of Fantasy & ScienceF iction, fune 1992.
"NamingN ames,"b y PatC adiganC. opyrightO 1992b y PatC adigan.F irstp ublishedir r Narrow
House(L ittle, BrownU K).Reprintebdy permissiororf the author.
"The Elvis NationalT heatero f Okinawa,"b y |onathanL ethema nd Lukasf aeger.C opyright@
1992byf onathanle them andL ukas] aegerF. irstp rrblisheidn In Dreams(G ollancz)R. eprintedb y
permissiono f the authors.
,,TheT erritoryi'by BradleyD enton.C opyrightO 1992b y MercuryP ressI,t rc. Firstp ublishedin
TheM agazineo f Fantasy& SciencFe iction,) uly 1992.R eprintedb y pen-nissioonf the author'
"The Besta ndt he Resto f famesf oyce,"b y lan McDonald.C opyright@ 1992b y lnterzoneF. irst
publishedin lnterzoneA, pril 1992.R eprintedb y permissioonf the author.
,,Namingt he Flowers,"b y KateW ilhelm. CopyrightO 1992b y KateW ilhelm. Firstp ublishedb y
AxolotlP ressR. eprintedb y permissioonf the author.
,,Srodgrassb,"y lan R. Macleod. CopyrightO 1992b y lan R. Macleod. First publishedin In
Dreair(Collancz).R eprintedb y permissioorrf thea uthora ndt hea ttthor'sa geutsO, wlswickL iterary
Agency.
,,Byt he Mirror of My Youth," by KatheK oja.C opyright@ )l 99Z by RobertS ilverberagn d Karen
Haber.F irst publis6edin llniverse2 (Bantanr)R. eprintedb y pernrissiono f the authora nd the
author'sa geni,S cottM eredithL itcraryA gencyI,n c., 845T hird AvenucN, ewY ork,N 'Y' 10022'
,.out'urnberirg the Dead,"b y FrederikP ohl.C opyright@ 1990b y FrederikP ohl. Firstp ublished
i' GreatB ritaini n l99l by RandomC enturyG roup. Reprintedb y pernrissioonf RandomH ouse
UK Limiteda ndS t. Martin'sP ress.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments lx
Summation: 1992 xi
GntpprN'sE cc Michael Swanwick I
EvnN run QunnN Connie Willis 67.
THe RouND-EyEDB ensenhNs L. Spragued e Camp 76
Dusr Greg Egan 87
Two Guvs FRoMT HE FuruRE Terry Bisson ll3
Tue MoUNTAINr o MoUIMMED Nancy Kress r27
THs CoN,rrNco F VuRruN,INus Ian Watson r37
A [,oNc Ntcst's Vtcu- AT THE TnN{pt-s Robert Silverberg 175
THE HeN,runno r Goo Arthur C. Clarke 195
GnowNups Ian R. Macleod 205
Gnavss foe Haldeman 738
THn GlowrNG CLoUD Steven Utley 245
Gnevrrv's ANcm Tom Maddox 296
Pnorncrlox Maureen F. McHugh 312
Tun Lesr CenplNel Brno lN TeNNnsssn Neal Barrett, ]r. 7+6
Bmru Dev Robert Reed 357
Neurruc Neuns Pat Cadigan ]67
THn Ervrs NerroNel THserER oF Oxmewe fonathan Lethem
and Lukas faeger 390
THs TnnnIToRY Bradley Denton 394
THn Bssr ANDr HE RBsr or Jaues Jovcn lan McDonald 432
NeurNc rHB Fr-ownns Kate Wilhelm 4+8
SNoocness lan R. MacLeod +91
By rsa Mrnnon op My YourH Kathe Koia 5tI
OurNuunERrNcr se Deeo Frederik Pohl 519
HonorableM entions 583

[-
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The editorw ouldl ike to thankt hef ollorvingp eoplefo r theirh elpa nds upport:
firsta nd foremost,S usanC asperf,o r doingr nu.h of the thankjesssc uf* ork
involvedin producingthisa nthologyM; ichaelS wanwic,kla netKagan,E llen
Datlow, Virginia Kidd, Sheila Williams, Ian Randal'S trock,"S cott L.
Towner, Tina Lee, D:vid ?ringle, KristineK athrynR usch,D ean Wesley
Smith, Pat cadigan, David S. Garnett,c harlesc . Ryan,c huq von Ros-
pach, SusanA llison, Ginjer Buchanan,L ou Aronica,B etsyM itchell, Beth
Meacham,c laire Eddy, David G. Hartwell,B ob walters, TessK issinger,
Jim Frenkel,G reg Egan, steveP asechnickS, usanA nn protter,L awrence
Person,D wight Brown,C hris Reed,D irk StrasserM, ichael SumberaG, len
Cox, Darrell Schweitzer,D on Keller, RobertK illheffer, Greg Cox, and
speciatl hankst o my own editor,G ordonV an Gelder.
Tlrarrls are also due to CharlesN . Brown, whose magazineL ocus( Locus
PublicationsP, .o. Box 13305,o akland, cA 9466t, $s"o.oofo r a one-year
subscriptionlt welve_issuevsia] firstc lassm ail, $1g.00s econdc las) *r, us.d ,,
a references ourcet hroughoutt he Summation,a nd to Andrewp orter,w hose
magazinSe cienceFictionChronicle(ScieFniccteio nC hronicleP, .O. BoxZ730,
Blooklyn,N Y I 1202-0056$, 30.00f or a one-yeasr ubscriptionit r.lu. isues];
$36.00f irst classw) asa lsou seda s a references ourcet hroughout.