by Stephen King
A mutant baby goes on a rampage through Central Park. An immigrant reveals secrets in the folds of a perfect gift. Lucky Cats extend their virtual paws to salute a generous revolution. The Internet invades a third-world village.
The premier speculative-fiction magazine Fantasy & Science Fiction continues to discover and showcase many of the most inventive authors writing in any genre. Now drawing even more deeply upon F&SF's impressive history, this extraordinary companion anthology expands upon sixty-five years' worth of top-notch storytelling. The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume Two is a star-studded tribute to the continuing vision of F&SF.
A mutant baby goes on a rampage through Central Park. An immigrant reveals secrets in the folds of a perfect gift. Lucky Cats extend their virtual paws to salute a generous revolution. The Internet invades a third-world village.
The premier speculative-fiction magazine Fantasy & Science Fiction continues to discover and showcase many of the most inventive authors writing in any genre. Now drawing even more deeply upon F&SF's impressive history, this extraordinary companion anthology expands upon sixty-five years' worth of top-notch storytelling. The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume Two is a star-studded tribute to the continuing vision of F&SF.
Reviews-
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June 16, 2014
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction—aka F&SF—has been one of the flagships of speculative fiction since its founding in 1949. While similarly lauded magazines, like Galaxy, Galileo, and If, have fallen by the wayside, F&SF steadfastly soldiers on. Van Gelder, the magazine’s current editor in chief, offers 27 stories arranged in chronological order, providing a demonstration of the magazine’s evolution over six decades. Longtime readers will recognize justly famous stories such as Zenna Henderson’s touching “The Anything Box,” Kit Reed’s amusing “The Attack of the Giant Baby,” and Maureen F. McHugh’s stark “The Lincoln Train.” Less deserving is Robert Silverberg’s “Sundance,” in which stylistic daring fails to distract from an unfortunate portrayal of Native Americans. Van Gelder provides a short foreword and includes a charmingly irascible introduction by acclaimed critic Michael Dirda. -
Gardner Dozois, editor of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine and The Year's Best Science Fiction, Volumes 1-31
"The best stand-alone reprint anthology of the year was probably the retrospective anthology The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2."
- SF Crowsnest “If you like quality short fiction and you're looking for an anthology that collects together stories both old and new, I'd warmly recommend that you check out The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume Two."
- Speculition “The first [was] an all-star anthology, the second, also edited by Gordon van Gelder, possesses just as much impact, history, and sheer enjoyability, and is a welcome retrospective of one of the genre's bastions.... Just a superb anthology."
- Galaxy's Edge “Gordon Van Gelder is the current editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and as with his earlier volume of this series, has put together a killer anthology of the very best from F&SF."
- Book Likes “Van Gelder set out to provide a taste of some of the most renowned speculative fiction authors over the last half-century, and he succeeded brilliantly"
- Starburst “...a collection of some of the best sci-fi and fantasy short stories out there."
- World of Books “This is the second part of an anthology of incredible short stories edited by Gordon van Gelder (who has won two Hugo's for Best Editor, Short Form). The stories themselves are, purposefully, incredibly varied. Some are funny, others heartbreakingly sad and others thrilling. The common thing across the board is that these are excellent stories."
- Beauty in Ruins “...a must read."
- Lit Reactor “The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2 is a great addition to any reader's library because it chronicles the genres' changes over time. All of the stories are enjoyable...."
- Looking for a Good Book "The Very Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Volume 2, edited by Gordon van Gelder is a book that can't help but appeal to anyone who already loves the genre and is a great way to introduce great science fiction and fantasy to new readers."
- Stephen King "Still the gold standard for short fiction in America"
- Publishers Weekly, starred review "For sheer reading pleasure, this anthology is unparalleled."
- The Guardian "A landmark anthology"
- Kirkus "It's obvious why F&SF has thrived while competitors have vanished. Eloquent, scintillating, often sublime."
