In this case, to those who wait for the Hartwell and Dozois collections, both coming out in the summer. Yeah, this one came out early in the year - but doesn't that make you stop to wonder, right there? How can Silverberg and Haber possibly have time to thoroughly review the field, make well-considered best-story choices, put the book together, copyedit, publish, and have it on shelves in the first couple of months of the year? They can't, or at least they didn't here. Enormous typeface cheats the reader out of the number of stories one would expect from a volume of this thickness and price. Not to mention that my (admittedly brief) perusal of the contents did not impress me. These stories are not *bad*, but they are not particularly outstanding and seem about average for what you'd get if you picked up any random month's top 3 or 4 sf magazines - and the stories are all you get; no review of the year in sf the way you get from Dozois, and no strong feeling of consistency like you get from Hartwell. Use the money to buy copies of the best sf collections of years past - Dozois or Hartwell or, going back further, Carr or Wollheim.

Its been a while since i last picked up an SF compilation. Im thoroughly pained by the quality of this book. Though i have yet to finish it, completed only stories 1 - 5... i realised that they are pretty much a rehash of old themes

- creation
- adam and eve
- looking back at the past... travelling there then accidentally changing it... urgh... (how star trekky can u be)
- the purpose of life from the eyes of a robot... (asimov!)

i mean, come on? are there no more original stories... im still looking for the class that was so apparent from authors of old nebula and hugo award winners. its sorely missing in the crop presented by this compilation...

Classics like Hyperion from Dan Simmons (his story is last in this compilattion - im saving it.. hopefully its worth waiting for!)

then there's the ever inspiring - Border's of Infinity.
a multitude of gems from Asimov, or the very few from Arthur C Clarke.

are sf authors really dead? have they all sink to the semi space opera sf works of Peter F. Hamilton? Or the many ... so called authors which produce the commercial star wars series?

surely u can do better than this.

I had high hopes for "Science Fiction: The Best of 2001," the anthology edited by Robert Silverberg and Karen Haber. The main reason I was so enthused about the book was due to the presence of science fiction legend Silverberg as co-editor; I figured, "This guy knows sci-fi." Well, I was not disappointed. "2001" is a marvelous collection of 11 tales about humans, extraterrestrials, robots, and/or genetically engineered creatures.

My favorite tales in the anthology are as follows: Michael Blumlein's "Know How, Can Do," told in the first-person by a genetically engineered "chimeric life form"; Richard Wadholm's "From Here You Can See the Sunquists," about a couple's visit to a town that is enveloped by a temporal anomaly; Robin Wayne Bailey's "Keepers of Earth," the story of a devastated earth, abandoned by humanity and populated by robots; Michael Swanwick's "The Dog Said Bow-Wow," in which a genetically engineered superdog has an adventure in a future London; Nancy Kress's "And No Such Things Grow Here," which opens with the protagonist learning that her sister has been arrested for GMFA (Genetic Modification Felony Actions); and Dan Simmons's "On K2 with Kanakaredes," the rather touching story of an interspecies mountain climbing expedition.

But the best story in the collection, in my opinion, is Jim Grimsley's haunting "Into Greenwood." This tale takes place on a planet where neutered, genetically altered humans serve as symbionts for a race of intelligent trees. "Into Greenwood" is a superb blend of a compelling sci-fi concept, great character development, and wonderful descriptive writing. I recommend "Science Fiction: The Best of 2001" both for pleasure reading and as a classroom literature text.

I remember earlier sci fi collections having stories with a variety of outcomes; positive and negative. There's nothing uplifting in this collection. Makes me wonder if the the writers and the judges are all a bunch of depressed souls. Unless you're looking for that last book to read before you off yourself, I'd skip this one.

why publishing this book ? it says 2001, but include stories from the 90's. it's more bibilographic stuff and comentery then literature. for the stories :

"story of your live" - ted chiang - 4 stars - the best story in the book, enlightning and entertaining.

"mars is not place for children" - mary turizilo - 3 stars, written by influence of the nasa sojourn and the rover , that landed on mars, more like kid's story with publicity to NASA then SF.

"the cost of doing buisiness" - i realy don't think this is SF story (this follow the line of kony willis nebula showcase that included many "un-ortodox" SF stories - 3 stars.

"epilogogue from parable of the talents" - i also don't think this is SF story, or any relation for SF - 3 stars.

i'll skip on the "unhidden agendas" article...

"the weding album" by david marusek - was the best story in "the years best acience fiction edited by gardner dozois" from 99 - did i mentioned "luck of material". - 4 stars.

"radiant doors" - 3 stars - kind of terminator short story.

judas danced - didn't like the writing at all - 2 stars.

"algernon charlie and i" by daniel keyes - bibiliographic borring stuff.

so what we have her - not much of interesting reading, more like item for collectors and SFWA members. i want to recomend on the 2000 showcase edited by gergory benford which was much better and homourious, probebly since benford is not part of the SFWA system like willis and silverberg.

Celebrating their 35th anniversary, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) collect the final award-winning short fiction of the old millennium in Nebula Awards Showcase 2001, edited by SF legend Robert Silverberg. This volume gathers together the winning short story, novella, and novellette - plus selected runners-up and non-fiction commentaries. Highlights include:

"Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang (Best Novella), in which a woman learns to break away from her time-constrained thinking while deciphering the language of visiting aliens.

"Mars is No Place for Children" by Mary A. Turzillo (Best Novellette), the heart-rending tale of a young girl growing up on Mars, where the ever-present solar radiation is tragically lethal to kids.

"The Cost of Doing Business" by Leslie What (Best Short Story), telling of a future where "surrogates" agree to act as stand-ins, enduring whatever unpleasantness their wealthy employers wish to avoid.

Two excellent runners-up are included: David Marusek's "The Wedding Album," a story told from the point of view of holographic simulacrums who experience a virtual revolt against their flesh-and-blood progenitors; and Michael Swanwick's "Radiant Doors," set in a huge refugee camp which exists as the result of a time-war.

The anthology also includes the epilogue from Octavia E. Butler's Nebula-winning novel Parable of the Talents, an early short story from Brian W. Aldiss (who was proclaimed a Grand Master last year), and an excerpt from Daniel Keyes's Charlie, Algernon and I, his non-fiction account of how the much-celebrated novella Flowers for Algernon came to be.

The fiction in this collection is truly first-class (as one would expect). Some of the non-fiction, with the exception of Keyes's entry, is of little interest to anyone but SFWA insiders and hardcore followers.

All in all, this is an excellent continuation of the fine tradition of the Nebula Awards.

Silverberg sets this novel 25 years into the future, but alas the future overtook his dates. Writer's main character votes for predetermined futures, quoting Reverend Einstein that God would not so play dice. Although there is a bit of dialogue on parallel universes and reversed arrows of time, this story lacks the elements that would hang it on the peg of science fiction'rather, it is a tale of psi and clairvoyance. Tales on future prediction and the death of free will belong in the genre of new age philosophy along with Edgar Cayce's. Still a good read.

I can happily say that I started to read this book with no expectations as to the quality of the storyline etc. I think if I had had any, I may have been disappointed.

That said, Mr. Silverberg tells an interesting (to a point) tale of a character who is able to predict the future with a reasonable degree of accuracy. His life changes radically when he meets someone who actually can see the future as it will happen.

Throw in stuff about bone smoking, Kama Sutra style sex (not explicit) and a healthy dose of politics and thats the novel.

I've read better, and I've read much worse. If nothing else, you might get a new view on life and death.

I enjoyed the book for the interesting plot, which focuses on the overpopulation problem of Earth in the 23rd century. The plot threads include the development of a faster-than-light spaceship for colonization of other planets; terraforming Venus; and the redistribution and euthenasia of Earth's inhabitants. The main character, Roy Walton, director of The Bureau of Population Equalization (POPEEK) has his hands full with his obnoxious brother Fred, who tries to blackmail him. Director Walton also has to deal with trying to hide a crime he committed, and with the discovery of the serum for producing immortality. (Just what an overpopulated world needs, right?) It's not a thick book, so character development and description is minimal. The technology in the book (a "voicewrite", a "telefax", and pneumatic tubes for sending messages) are obsolete in 1999, but what can you expect from a novel written in the 1950's? I don't plan on rereading this book; it's going into my "used paperbacks for sale" box. --- Miandra Case Editor-in-Chief of H.O.P.E., publisher of "Online Fantasy Fans" (O.F.F.)

This is the only book by Silverberg that I've read but I will move on to others after this one. There are plot devices here that I haven't seen before, and I'm curious to know if this is true of his other works as well. Very interesting character development initially, although I found that my interest flagged towards the end. Silverberg has created his characters well, only to have half of them promptly shift to two dimensions once Lona and Minner begin their relationship. It seems that more could have been done with the materials Silverberg has assembled. I give the book three stars for this reason, but it's worth reading if only to get to know the two main characters, who have been beaten up by life in ways that most of us will never experience. Their courtship and arguments seem very familiar to me, however. Perhaps one moral of the story is that we're all alien in some respect, and the damage we bring to the table will always present challenges to forming truly nurturing relationships.

I actually liked this book. It was from a boys point of view. And as is I think typical of Robert Silverberg, he takes a turning point in someones life, and makes a wonderfull book out of it. Not only does this boy get included in an alien incounter, but he gets to find more alien life forms. What person would not want to do all these things themselves.

I have to say that before I picked up this book, I had never read a Majipoor novel. But I have read Silverberg on occassion, and I find him to be quite entertaining. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this work. First off, Silverberg is an outstanding writer, one of the best in the business in my humble opinion; but this novel is long-winded and laggard, featuring characters a bit on the forgettable side. Quite frankly, I found myself bored with this novel, summoning what was left of my fortitude just to finish reading the thing.

I'd never read a Majipoor novel by Silverberg before, and I found this to be a fantastic initiation into this massive world. The plot grabs you from the first page, and you stay enthralled. Some characters can be a bit grating, but I found myself missing some of them when the book came to an end.

It's fast paced, filled with intrigue and overall a vastly entertaining novel. I definitely recommend it.

This book was one of the best I have read in a long time. It is an excellent prelude to the other books after it. Robert Silverberg has the gift of painting vivid and lively pictures with words that enable the reader to actually see the characters' surroundings and companions. I really got a kick out of this book.

This book is so dull, unimaginative and predictable that it comes as a complete shock it was written by Silverberg. I guess anything will get published if you slap a big name on the cover. Complete waste of time.

Such a disapointment! This novel has quite a few weak points that a veteran science fiction writer should not allow themselves, the narration is a bit jumpy, with a varying degree of detail being assigned to unexpected aspects, and some technical details look weird (that is, different from the expected and not explained by any alleged futuristic developments). The ending is not ellaborated enough, which makes you feel even more that the rest of the novel was too long for such a climax. This is the first novel by Robert Silverberg that I read and it does not show me where all the good qualities of this author resides. BTW, does anybody know what the author intention could be in going all that way (at some points the sentences felt forced) to deprive the year-captain from a normal name? And has anyone figured out whether there is any relationship between the "angels" (I don't want to spoil the end) and the psychic powers of Planet A?

Fifty brilliant men and women set off on an interstellar expedition to find a new home for humanity and end up discovering - themselves. That hokey summary aside, though, this is a solid novel from sci-fi grandmaster Robert Silverberg, featuring good characterizations, a believable star voyage, and some unusual planetary discoveries. This book borrows heavily from Robert Heinlein's fine juvenile Time for the Stars, which also features one half of a pair of identical twins who communicate telepathically in order to keep their star-going vessel in contact with earth. Like Heinlein's book, there's a strong element of the psychological mixed in with occasional landings on unknown planets, and extensive descriptions of the ship and its sociopolitical structure, although it should be admitted that Heinlein covers this territory far more thoroughly and convincingly. Where this book differs from Heinlein's is in the characters, who are much more grown up, and whose strengths and weaknesses are discussed more frankly than in Heinlein's book, which is told in the first person by a not-so-insightful teenaged boy. Unfortunately, for a book that is so strongly character-based, the year-captain, the explorer Huw, and Noelle, the blind telepath, don't seem all that overpoweringly realistic. Their behavior strikes one as too consistently rational, predictable, and altruistic. Quite a bit of this book focuses on irrelevancies like playing Go, the year-captain's longing to relinquish his authority, and the burgeoning romances between the main characters. The conclusion is pretty standard fare to most sci-fi readers, and has been done much more effectively by other writers. Overall, the thing most missing from this novel is originality, something that is usually Silverberg's strength. He took the situation from one novel and his conclusion from another, and tried to go into a little more depth psychologically than is common, but he doesn't seem to have much really new to offer. There's virtually no slam/bang action in this story; it's a story about relationships, so young women who are into sc-fi will probably enjoy this more than their male counterparts. This doesn't mean the novel isn't an engrossing entertainment, but it's certainly not Silverberg's best.

This sequel to "Sorcerers of Majipoor" has to rank as one of Silverberg's weakest efforts. "Sorcerers" was a simple enough story but it was reasonably compelling; however, in "Lord Prestimion" not much happens. The Coronal and his lieutenants traipse about the globe for several hundred pages unitl it's time to wrap things up. Even Silverberg's luminous prose can't make up for the fact that there isn't much of a story to be told.

Fundamentally, Majipoor makes no sense. The larger a planet, the less unified it would be and the more unstable the politics. On Majipoor, we are asked to believe, not only is there one language and culture but the same political system has existed without change for thousands of years. With a sufficiently vigorous plot, one can overlook this and suspend one's disbelief, but there's not enough going on here to distract you from the man behind the curtain (so to speak).

Jack Vance's Big Planet, by contrast, depicts a giant-size world as it probably would be --- a thousand contentious cultures, no central political control of any kind, technology limited only by the lack of metals. Surely Silverberg is familiar with this venerable work (in many ways, one of Vance's best); but Majipoor is fantasy, not SF. Still, we know Silverberg can do much better.

Robert Silverberg is usually one of my favorite authors and the original Majipoor chronicles was one of the first and best trilogies that I have ever read. Thats why this latest chapter continuing the rather disappointing Sorcerers of Majipoor was also, well disappointing I guess. Silverbergs main strength has always been that his stories have always been character driven as opposed to action driven including Lord Valentines Castle, but the characters of this novel are remarkably dull. Prestimion the main character seems well intentioned, but frankly I wouldn't trust him to be dogcatcher let alone co-ruler of a planet of billions. Some of the supporting characters are marginally interesting, but we really never learn what makes them tick. And frankly the vast sequences discribing the "wonders" of Majipoor got to be quite distracting as they have nothing to do with the story, are never expanded upon, and make this book unnecesarily long. I will probably check out the concluding volume of this trilogy to see if a great master like Silverberg can clear up this mess. He is certainly capable, but I wish he hadn't gone for the easy money and left a great trilogy alone and written other great books like he has and hopefully will!

I agree with previous reviewers, who say that this book seems to be all about Prestimion's well nigh endless travelling over the globe and about describing every wonderful thing he sees, which is boring. Downright boring. But still, this was a pretty entertaining book in between those endless descriptions, which is more than can be said of many modern novels... So I still give this three stars. I'd give it four, if it didn't show quite so many similarities to Valentine Pontifex (including the "battle" of minds in the end of the book which also ends the war). All in all I recommend that you read this book if you like the Majipoor books, but I wouldn't try this as your first Majipoor-book.

maybe because its an e-book, but the story starts well enough but stops very suddenly just as it gets going. I felt I had wasted my money buying half a book

An unfortunately predictable ending to a potentially good story. A man is sent back to Ancient Thebes to rescue two people who were mistakenly sent to the wrong time and place in the Ancient past. Although the descriptions of Ancient Thebes are very enjoyable, the plot (along with the dialogue) leaves much to be desired.

Silverberg is a master at drawing you into an imaginative world. This book makes you feel like you're smack in the middle of ancient egypt pursuing a potentially deadly mission, from ancient temples to the city of the dead. Great plot and amazing imagery.