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The Very Best of the Best

35 Years of The Year's Best Science Fiction

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The Very Best of the Best

By: Gardner Dozois - editor
Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny, Will Damron
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About this listen

A 2020 Locus Award Finalist for Best Anthology

"[Vivienne Leheny and Will Damron's] characterizations are poignant and widely varied, their delivery soulful and immersive, and their pacing attuned to each new world. Ideal for fans of short stories and science fiction." (AudioFile magazine)

For the first time in a decade, a compilation of the very best in science fiction, from a world authority on the genre.

For decades, The Year's Best Science Fiction has been the most widely read short science fiction anthology of its kind. Now, after 35 annual collections comes the ultimate in science fiction anthologies. In The Very Best of the Best, legendary editor Gardner Dozois selects the finest short stories for this landmark collection, including short fiction from authors such as Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Greg Egan, Stephen Baxter, Pat Cadigan, and any many more.

©2019 Gardner Dozois (P)2019 Macmillan Audio
Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Science Fiction Short Story
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Critic reviews

2020 Locus Awards Nominee

What listeners say about The Very Best of the Best

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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A very mixed bag

The title promised so much but its more a case of some OK, some good, and more importantly some very, very bad stories. I've never given up on an audio book before, but then I tried to listen to "Someday" by James Patrick Ķelly. I'll finish this collection but will never listen to it again. A great shame

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A Fine Collection

A well curated collection of science fiction shorts from the last ten to fifteen years. If you assume it's the best from the whole 35 years of collections you will be led astray. Otherwise outstanding and well narrated.


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    4 out of 5 stars
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some excellent stories

but the last third of the book is less excellent than the first two thirds, and is populated with 'relationship' stories, which aren't really my thing...

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    2 out of 5 stars
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A Struggle

Really struggled with this short Stories didn't seem to have any conclusions to them. pppp

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2 people found this helpful