First published 2010
Ian Creasey opens this collection as a man pushes his exo-suit to breaking point before abandoning a crumbling Earth. Sara Genge presents a hunter in a body-switching society who must fight unprepared to claim his wife's form. Steven Gould examines how faith survives in a future where metal-eating insects devour civilization. John Kessel follows a monk who steals forbidden theatrical works from tyrants to liberate his people. Jay Lake introduces an enigmatic alien seeking the demise of Death itself on a withering planet. Paul McAuley sends a detective across space pursuing stolen alien tech that both species desperately want. Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear unleash a pest controller and his tentacled partner aboard a space station overrun with dangerous creatures. Robert Reed tracks a geologist whose coal mine discovery reveals an inexplicable burial ground. Peter Watts confronts a crew member who must choose whether installing a stargate will doom an alien civilization. Robert Charles Wilson reimagines America where the Civil War never happened and slavery faded without bloodshed. Elizabeth Bear curates these tales from 2009's finest genre writing.
Genres: short-stories, science-fiction, speculative-fiction
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Period: 2009
Audio CD · AudioText