The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction: 23rd Annual Collection

THE MAMMOTH BOOK
OF BEST NEW
SCIENCE FICTION

Also available in the Mammoth series

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 20
The Mammoth Book of Wolf Men
The Mammoth Book of Merlin
The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 4
The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance
The Mammoth Book of Filthy Limericks
The Mammoth Book of Chess
The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance
The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 9
The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories
The Mammoth Book of Bizarre Crimes
The Mammoth Book of Special Ops Romance
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 7
The Mammoth Book of Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places
The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF
The Mammoth Book of Casino Games
The Mammoth Book of Sudoku
The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy
The Mammoth Book of Zombie Comics
The Mammoth Book of Men O’War
The Mammoth Book of Mindblowing SF
The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures
The Mammoth Book of The Beatles
The Mammoth Book of the Best Short SF Novels
The Mammoth Book of New IQ Puzzles
The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories
The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance
The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2
The Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games
The Mammoth Book of Tasteless Jokes
The Mammoth Book of New Erotic Photography

Constable & Robinson Ltd
3 The Lanchesters
162 Fulham Palace Road
London W6 9ER
www.constablerobinson.com

First published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd., 2010

Copyright © Gardner Dozois, 2010 (unless otherwise indicated)

The right of Gardner Dozois to be identified as the author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition
that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold,
hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover
other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition
including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in
Publication data is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-84901-382-6

Printed and bound in the EU

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint the following material:

“Utriusque Cosmi,” by Robert Charles Wilson. Copyright © 2009 by Robert Charles Wilson. First published in
The New Space Opera 2
(Eos), edited by Jonathan Strahan and Gardner Dozois. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“A Story, With Beans,” by Steven Gould. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact
, May 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Under the Shouting Sky,” by Karl Bunker. Copyright © 2009 by Karl Bunker. First published in
Cosmos
, August/September 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Events Preceding the Helvetican Revolution,” by John Kessel. Copyright © 2009 by John Kessel. First published in
The New Space Opera 2
(Eos), edited by Jonathan Strahan and Gardner Dozois. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Useless Things,” by Maureen F. McHugh. Copyright © 2009 by Maureen F. McHugh. First published in
Eclipse Three
(Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Black Swan,” by Bruce Sterling. Copyright © 2009 by
Interzone.
First published in
Interzone 221.
Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Crimes and Glory,” by Paul McAuley. Copyright © 2009 by Paul McAuley. First published electronically on
Subterranean
, Spring 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Seventh Fall,” by Alexander Irvine. Copyright © 2009 by Alexander Irvine. First published electronically on
Subterranean
, Summer 2009.

“Butterfly Bomb,” by Dominic Green. Copyright © 2009 by
Interzone.
First published in
Interzone 223.
Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Infinites,” by Vandana Singh. First published in
The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet
(Penguin India), by Vandana Singh. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Things Undone,” by John Barnes. Copyright © 2009 by John Barnes. First published electronically on
Jim Baen’s Universe
, December 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“On the Human Plan,” by Jay Lake. Copyright © 2009 by Jay Lake. First published electronically on
Lone Star Stories
, February 1. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Island,” by Peter Watts. Copyright © 2009 by Peter Watts. First published in
The New Space Opera 2
(Eos), edited by Jonathan Strahan and Gardner Dozois. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Integrity of the Chain,” by Lavie Tidhar. Copyright © 2009 by Lavie Tidhar. First published electronically on
Fantasy
, July. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Lion Walk,” by Mary Rosenblum. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, January 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Escape to Other Worlds with Science Fiction,” by Jo Walton. Copyright © 2009 by Jo Walton. First published electronically at Tor.com. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Three Leaves of Aloe,” by Rand B. Lee. Copyright © 2009 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, August/September 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Mongoose,” by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. Copyright © 2009 by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. First published in
Lovecraft Unbound
(Dark Horse Comics), edited by Ellen Datlow. Reprinted by permission of the authors.

“Paradiso Lost,” by Albert F. Cowdrey. Copyright © 2009 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, June/July 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“It Takes Two,” by Nicola Griffith. Copyright © 2009 by Nicola Griffith. First published in
Eclipse Three
(Night Shade), edited by Jonathan Strahan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Blocked,” by Geoff Ryman. Copyright © 2009 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
, October/November 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Solace,” by James Van Pelt. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact
, June 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Act One,” by Nancy Kress. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, March 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Twilight of the Gods,” by John C. Wright. Copyright © 2009 by John C. Wright. First published in
Federations
(Prime), edited by John Joseph Adams. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Blood Dauber,” by Ted Kosmatka and Michael Poore. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, October/November 2009. Reprinted by permission of the authors.

“This Wind Blowing, and This Tide,” by Damien Broderick. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, April/May 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Hair,” by Adam Roberts. Copyright © 2009 by Adam Roberts. First published in
When It Changed
(Comma Press), edited by Geoff Ryman. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Before My Last Breath,” by Robert Reed. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, October/November 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“One of Our Bastards is Missing,” by Paul Cornell. Copyright © 2009 by Paul Cornell. First published in
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Three
(Solaris), edited by George Mann. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Edison’s Frankenstein,” by Chris Roberson. Copyright © 2009 by Chris Roberson. First published in
Postscripts 20/21.
Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Erosion,” by Ian Creasey. Copyright © 2009 by Dell Magazines. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, October/November 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Vishnu at the Cat Circus,” by Ian McDonald. Copyright © 2009 by Ian McDonald. First published in
Cyberabad Days
(Pyr), by Ian McDonald. Reprinted by permission of the author.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Summation: 2009

UTRIUSQUE COSMI
•
Robert Charles Wilson

A STORY, WITH BEANS
•
Steven Gould

UNDER THE SHOUTING SKY
•
Karl Bunker

EVENTS PRECEDING THE HELVETICAN RE NAISSANCE
•
John Kessel

USELESS THINGS
•
Maureen F. McHugh

BLACK SWAN
•
Bruce Sterling

CRIMES AND GLORY
•
Paul J. McAuley

SEVENTH FALL
• Alexander Irvine

BUTTERFLY BOMB
•
Dominic Green

INFINITIES
•
Vandana Singh

THINGS UNDONE
•
John Barnes

ON THE HUMAN PLAN
•
Jay Lake

THE ISLAND
•
Peter Watts

THE INTEGRITY OF THE CHAIN
•
Lavie Tidhar

LION WALK
•
Mary Rosenblum

ESCAPE TO OTHER WORLDS WITH SCIENCE FICTION
•
Jo Walton

THREE LEAVES OF ALOE
•
Rand B. Lee

MONGOOSE
•
Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette

PARADISO LOST
• Albert E. Cowdrey

IT TAKES TWO
•
Nicola Griffith

BLOCKED
•
Geoff Ryman

SOLACE
•
James Van Pelt

ACT ONE
•
Nancy Kress

TWILIGHT OF THE GODS
•
John C. Wright

BLOOD DAUBER
•
Ted Kosmatka and Michael Poore

THIS WIND BLOWING, AND THIS TIDE
•
Damien Broderick

HAIR
•
Adam Roberts

BEFORE MY LAST BREATH
•
Robert Reed

ONE OF OUR BASTARDS IS MISSING
•
Paul Cornell

EDISON’S FRANKENSTEIN
•
Chris Roberson

EROSION
•
Ian Creasey

VISHNU AT THE CAT CIRCUS
•
Ian McDonald

Honorable Mentions: 2009