Year's best SF/F, January to June 2016 edition

I love science fiction and fantasy stories. I love nominating works for the Hugo and Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. But what I don't love is reading tons of works at the end of each year in a desperate bid to fill out my award nominations. After all, cram reading is rarely fun reading.

So this year I promised to get ahead of the curve. Below are my favorite stories and novels from the first half of 2016. I strongly recommend people seek out and read all these stories.

While I feel the list is fairly complete, it's still possible I'll read some works published between January and June 2016 and add them. For example, I'm behind on my reading from Asimov's and Interzone, and may be adding a few stories from those magazines. I'm also fairly certain I'll add a novella or two because I'm just now reading Monstrous Little Voices: New Tales Shakespeare's Fantasy World, which features novellas by five of my favorite fantasy authors (Adrian Tchaikovsky, Emma Newman, Jonathan Barnes, Foz Meadows and Kate Heartfield).

As an FYI, I'm tracking my picks for the year's best SF/F through the SFWA Recommended Reading list. You can access all of my recommended works, including works from the second half of 2016 which I'll add in the coming months, at that link.

January - June 2016 Novels

  • All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor)
  • City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway Books)
  • Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones (William Morrow)
  • The Fireman by Joe Hill (William Morrow)
  • The Race by Nina Allan (Titan Books. Note: This novel was originally published in the U.K. in 2014 but was released in the U.S. this year in a revised edition, making it eligible for this year's awards.)
  • The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar (Small Beer Press)

January to June 2016 Novellas

  • Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor.com)
  • The Coward's Option by Adam-Troy Castro (Analog)
  • The Liar by John P. Murphy (F&SF)
  • Under the Stone by Karoline Georges (Anvil Press. Note: See my review of this excellent novella.)

Janurary to June 2016 Novelettes

  • Empty Planets by Rahul Kanakia (Interzone)
  • Fifty Shades of Grays by Steven Barnes (Lightspeed)
  • Motherboard (A Tale from Somewhere) by Jeffrey Thomas (Interzone)
  • Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed)
  • The Shores of Being by Dave Creek (Analog)
  • The Stone War by Ted Kosmatka (F&SF)
  • We Will Wake among the Gods, among the Stars by Caroline Yoachim & Tina Connolly (Analog)
  • You'll Surely Drown Here If You Stay by Alyssa Wong (Uncanny Magazine)

January to June 2016 Short Stories

  • Between Dragons and Their Wrath by An Owomoyela & Rachel Swirsky (Clarkesworld)
  • Laws of Night and Silk by Seth Dickinson (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
  • Life in Stone, Glass, and Plastic by José Pablo Iriarte (Strange Horizons)
  • Lullaby for a Lost World by Aliette de Bodard (Tor.com)
  • Michael Doesn’t Hate His Mother by Marie Vibbert (Lightspeed)
  • No Matter Which Way We Turned by Brian Evenson (People Holding ...)
  • Sic Semper, Sic Semper, Sic Semper by Douglas F. Warrick (Tor.com)
  • Sweet Marrow by Vajra Chandrasekera (Strange Horizons)
  • The Red Thread by Sofia Samatar (Lightspeed)
  • The Right Sort of Monsters by Kelly Sandoval (Strange Horizons)
  • The Secret Mirror of Moriyama House by Yukimi Ogawa (F&SF)
  • The Silver Strands of Alpha Crucis-d by N. J. Schrock (F&SF)
  • The Unmistakable Smell of Wood Violets by Angélica Gorodischer, translated by Marian Womack (The Big Book of Science Fiction. Note: This story was first published in English this year, making it eligible for 2016 awards.)
  • Things With Beards by Sam J. Miller (Clarkesworld)
  • Three Points Masculine by An Owomoyela (Lightspeed Magazine)
  • Two Small Birds by Han Song, translated by John Chu (The Big Book of Science Fiction. Note: This story was first published in English this year, making it eligible for 2016 awards.)
  • Unreeled by Mercurio D. Rivera (Asimov's Science Fiction)
  • Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station | Hours Since the Last Patient Death: 0 by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed)
  • White Dust by Nathan Hillstrom (Asimov's)

Review of Under the Stone by Karoline Georges

One of the most exciting novellas I’ve read this year is Under the Stone by Quebec author Karoline Georges. The story focuses on a child born in cell number 804 on the 5969th level of a massive building containing all remaining humans in the world.

The child grows up both mentally and physically trapped by this cell while also learning to survive an abusive father and fearful mother, who are as trapped as the child and take their anger and disgust out on their offspring. The child's only escape — the possible movement of the incalculable amounts of concrete surrounding the cell and a crack which may bring about the ultimate transformation in the child.

This psychological and philosophical novella is beautifully written and reads like a modern-day version of George Orwell's 1984, presenting a claustrophobic view of life where society reduces humans to our most basic instincts and needs.

Originally published in French as Sous Beton in 2010, the novella was released in English a few months ago by Anvil Press, an independent publisher from Vancouver. I highly recommend people check it out. Under the Stone will definitely be on my shortlist of novellas for the major SF awards.

As a side note, I purchased the novella from Bakka Phoenix Books on a recent visit to Toronto. There was a misprint in my book and the staff at Bakka went above and beyond in making sure I received a new copy so I could finish reading the story. Many thanks to them. Be sure to check out their excellent SF/F bookstore if you're in the area.

Stop the Goodreads bullies ... stopped?

Who could have predicted that authors attacking readers would not end well?

It appears Stop the Goodreads Bullies (STGRB), a group of authors including Anne Rice who campaigned to punish readers who post multiple "bad" reviews on Goodreads and other sites, has shut down. Their website is now defunct, pulling up only a generic placeholder site by the domain hosting company.

For more on the inane history of this group, check out my post on STGRB from two years ago. I also suggest reading Foz Meadows' analysis or this Dear Author post. 

The circumstances of the STGRB site disappearing also suggest behind the scenes drama in the group. According to the Wayback Machine, the last post on the site was in December 2015. The site also experienced intermittent outages this year. 

But it now appears the site is down for good. Internic is reporting the STGRB site has a "ClientTransferProhibited" hold on their url, while the STGRB hosting company (see screengrab) says "The domain [stopthegrbullies.com] has been banned from being used on FastDomain."

What does all that mean? Did someone merely forget to renew the url when it expired or were more serious actions taken against STGRB? I have no idea, but either way it appears Stop the Goodread Bullies has been stopped. Much to the enjoyment of readers everywhere.

 

"Toppers" in Asimov's Science Fiction, August 2016

My novelette "Toppers" has been published in the August 2016 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction. The time travel story set in a weirdly different New York City is already receiving positive reviews.

The August 2016 Asimov's is currently in stores. You can also order ebook editions of the issue from Amazon and other places.

My MidAmeriCon II schedule

I'm a participating author at MidAmeriCon II, August 17 to 21 in Kansas City. This will be my first WorldCon and I look forward to seeing everyone.

Here's my schedule. Also note that I'll be giving away signed limited edition copies of my novelette "Blood Grains Speak Through Memories," published earlier this year by Beneath Ceaseless Skies. While supplies last, as the cliche goes.

The Future of Forensics

Thursday August 18, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m., 2209 (Kansas City Convention Center)

Forensic scientists analyze scientific evidence in criminal investigations and as with all science the methods available grow and change and improve on a regular basis. This panel of experts discuss what is current and lead to where it might go next. 

Jason Sanford, Alistair Kimble (M), Jack Campbell Jr., Diana Rowland, Anna Yeatts

Autographing: Sharon Joss, Anna Kashina, Mur Lafferty, Jason Sanford

Thursday August 18, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., Autographing Space (Kansas City Convention Center)

Stop by for an autograph and pick up a free limited edition copy of my novelette "Blood Grains Speak Through Memories," published earlier this year by Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Knock on Wood. From Squirrel Girl to Lumberjanes

Thursday August 18, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m., 2207 (Kansas City Convention Center)

What the junk?! In the last couple of years we've seen the growth of comics that might superficially appear to be aimed at a YA audience, however these titles are hitting the mainstream with a vengeance. Marvel are leading the pack with Squirrel Girl, Ms Marvel and Captain Marvel, but there's also a vast amount of Indie work coming through such as Lumberjanes, Space Dumplin', Kaos Komics and Footloose. Our panel discuss why these titles are so popular, and what they have to offer both new and established audiences. 

Tom Galloway, Jason Sanford, Adam Rakunas, Rebecca Schwarz (M), Catherine Lundoff

Trends in Magazine Publishing

Friday August 19, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., 3501D - A/V (Kansas City Convention Center)

A lot of things have changed for magazine publishing. What's the beat way in, and how do we write for a genre that is moving across media?

MR. Donald Douglas Fratz (M), John Joseph Adams, Neil Clarke, Shahid Mahmud, Dr. Mary Anne Mohanraj, Jason Sanford

Kaffeeklatsch: Richard Hescox, Rebecca Moesta, Jason Sanford, Martha Wells

Saturday August 20, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.,  2211 (Kansas City Convention Center)

Stop by and pick up a free limited edition copy of my novelette "Blood Grains Speak Through Memories," published earlier this year by Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Archaeology in SF

Saturday 2:00 - 3:00 p.m, 2503B (Kansas City Convention Center)

Forget Indiana Jones, learn what archaeologists really do and how science fiction and fantasy get it right and wrong.

Dana Cameron, Rhiannon Held, Jason Sanford (M), Jack McDevitt, Ms Rosemary Claire Smith

Note: I used to be an archaeologist and have strong views on how that science is depicted in SF.

Magazine Group Reading - Apex

Saturday 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., 2504B (Kansas City Convention Center)

Our Magazine Group Reading Series continues with a special group reading that features authors from Apex Magazine.

Jason Sizemore (M), Ms Rachel Swirsky, Jason Sanford, Kate Elliott, Foz Meadows, Adam-Troy Castro

Hybridity in Comics

Sunday 10:00 - 11:00 a.m., 2503B (Kansas City Convention Center)

 "The hybrid constantly betrays the reader as it switches from one formula to the other, shocking and surprising us and breathing new vividness into the familiar" (Ada Palmer). As with any evolving genre, comics borrow some elements from elsewhere, cross thematic genres, and learn from their peers, both historical and contemporary. Our panel discuss some of the ways that hybridity benefits the genre, and helps it grow.

Ada Palmer (M), Jason Sanford, Jessica Guggenheim, Mr. Stephen Stiles, Ms. Lynne M. Thomas

Criticism in Speculative Fiction

Sunday 12:00 - 1:00 p.m., 3501F (Kansas City Convention Center)

More than just a review, criticism places a piece of literature in the overarching field of speculative fiction. Critics discuss works in relation to what has come before, perhaps even trying to establish the importance of an author or work beyond popularity. What is the role of a critic? What different types of critics are there, and do some hold more sway than others? 

Dr. Amy H. Sturgis, Dr. Tom Easton, Jason Sanford