The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 1 Read online

  Table of Contents

  CONTENTS

  Introduction - Gordon Van Gelder

  Of Time and Third Avenue - Alfred Bester

  All Summer in a Day - Ray Bradbury

  One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts - Shirley Jackson

  A Touch of Strange - Theodore Sturgeon

  Eastward Ho! - William Tenn

  Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes

  Harrison Bergeron – Kurt Vonnegut

  This Moment of the Storm – Roger Zelazny

  The Electric Ant – Philip K. Dick

  The Deathbird – Harlan Ellison®

  The Women Men Don’t See – James Tiptree, Jr.

  I See You – Damon Knight

  The Gunslinger – Stephen King

  The Dark - Karen Joy Fowler

  Buffalo - John Kessel

  Solitude – Ursula K. Le Guin

  Mother Grasshopper – Michael Swanwick

  macs – Terry Bisson

  Creation – Jeffrey Ford

  Other People – Neil Gaiman

  Two Hearts – Peter S. Beagle

  Journey into the Kingdom - M. Rickert

  The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate – Ted Chiang

  Return to Table of Contents

  PREVIOUS ANTHOLOGIES FROM Fantasy & Science Fiction

  Edited by Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction (1952)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Second Series (1953)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Third Series (1954)

  Edited by Anthony Boucher

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Fourth Series (1955)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Fifth Series (1956)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixth Series (1957)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Seventh Series (1958)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science: Fiction: Eighth Series (1959)

  Edited by Robert P. Mills

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Ninth Series (1960)

  A Decade of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1960)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Tenth Series (1961)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Eleventh Series (1962)

  Edited by Avram Davidson

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Twelfth Series (1963)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Thirteenth Series (1964)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Fourteenth Series (1965)

  Edited by Edward L. Ferman

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Fifteenth Series (1966)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixteenth Series (1967)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Seventeenth Series (1968)

  Once and Future Tales from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1968)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Eighteenth Series (1969)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: Nineteenth Series (1971)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: 20th Series (1973)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: 22nd Series (1977)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: 23rd Series (1980)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: A 30 Year Retrospective (1980)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: 24th Series (1982)

  The Best Fantasy Stories from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1986)

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: A 40th Anniversary Anthology (1989)

  Oi, Robot: Competitions and Cartoons from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1995)

  Edited by Edward L. Ferman and Robert P. Mills

  Twenty Years of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1970)

  Edited by Edward L. Ferman and Anne Devereaux Jordan

  The Best Horror Stories from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1988)

  Edited by Edward L. Ferman and Kristine Kathryn Rusch

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: A 45th Anniversary Anthology (1994)

  Edited by Edward L. Ferman and Gordon Van Gelder

  The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction: The 50th Anniversary Anthology (1999)

  Edited by Gordon Van Gelder

  One Lamp: Alternate History Stories from Fantasy & Science Fiction (2003)

  In Lands That Never Were: Swords & Sorcery Stories from Fantasy & Science Fiction (2004)

  Fourth Planet from the Sun: Tales of Mars from Fantasy & Science Fiction (2005)

  THE VERY BEST OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION:

  60TH ANNIVERSARY ANTHOLOGY

  COPYRIGHT © 2009 by GORDON VAN GELDER

  THE EVENTS PORTRAYED IN THIS BOOK ARE FICTITOUS, AND

  ANY RESEMBLANCE TO REAL PEOPLE OR EVENTS IS STRICTLY

  COINCIDENTAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO

  REPRODUCE THIS BOOK, OR PORTIONS THEREOF, IN ANY FORM.

  INTERIOR DESIGN & COMPOSITION BY JOHN COULTHART

  COVER DESIGN BY BRYAN CHOLFIN

  COVER ART BY DAVID HARDY

  TACHYON PUBLICATIONS

  1459 18th Street #139

  SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107

  (415) 285-5615

  WWW.TACHYONPUBLICATIONS.COM

  [email protected]

  SERIES EDITOR: JACOB WEISMAN

  ISBN 13: 978-1-892391-91-9

  ISBN 10: 1-892391-91-0

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY WORZALLA

  9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  This book is dedicated to

  the memory of Aunt Pat,

  who was there at the start,

  and to Zoe,

  who will be there for the future

  ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS MADE FOR PERMISSION TO

  PRINT THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL:

  “Of Time and Third Avenue” by Alfred Bester. Copyright © 1951 by Alfred Bester. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1951. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate and The Pimlico Agency, Inc.

  “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury. Copyright © 1954, renewed 1982 by Ray Bradbury. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 1954. Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agents, Don Congdon Associates.

  “One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts” by Shirley Jackson. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1955. Reprinted in Just an Ordinary Day: The Uncollected Stories of Shirley Jackson, copyright © 1997 by the Estate of Shirley Jackson. Used by permission of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

  “A Touch of Strange” by Theodore Sturgeon. Copyright © 1958 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1958. Reprinted by permission of Ralph Vicinanza, Ltd.

  “Eastward Ho!” by William Tenn. Copyright © 1958 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1958. Reprinted by permission of the author. (October 1958)

  “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes. Copyright © 1959, © 1987 by Daniel Keyes. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, April 1959. Reprinted by permission of William Morris Agency LLC, on behalf of the author.

  “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. Copyright © 1961 by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1961. Reprinted in Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., copyright © 1961 by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. Used by permission of Dell Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc.

  “T
his Moment of the Storm” by Roger Zelazny. Copyright © 1966 by Mercury Press. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, June 1966. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate and The Pimlico Agency, Inc.

  “The Electric Ant” by Philip K. Dick. Copyright © 1969 by Philip K. Dick. Copyright renewed by Laura Coelho, Christopher Dick and Isolde Hackett. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1969. Reprinted by permission of the Philip K. Dick Trust and the Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency, Inc.

  “The Deathbird” by Harlan Ellison. Copyright © 1973 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2001 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. Reprinted by arrangement with, and permission of, the Author and the Author’s agent, Richard Curtis Associates, Inc., New York. All rights reserved. Harlan Ellison is a registered trademark of The Kilimanjaro Corporation. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 1973.

  “The Women Men Don’t See” by James Tiptree, Jr. Copyright © 1976 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, December 1973. Reprinted by permission of the James Tiptree Estate and the Virginia Kidd Agency.

  “I See You” by Damon Knight. Copyright © 1976 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1976.

  “The Gunslinger” by Stephen King. Copyright © 1978 by Stephen King. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1978. Permission granted by the author. All rights reserved.

  “The Dark” by Karen Joy Fowler. Copyright © 1999 by Mercury Press, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, June 1991.

  “Buffalo” by John Kessel. Copyright © 1991 by John Kessel. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1991.

  “Solitude” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Copyright © 1994 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, December 1994.

  “Mother Grasshopper” by Michael Swanwick. Copyright © 1998 by Michael Swanwick. First published in ‘The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, April 1998.

  “macs” by Terry Bisson. Copyright © 1999 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 1999.

  “Creation” by Jeffrey Ford. Copyright © 2002 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May 2002.

  “Other People” by Neil Gaiman. Copyright © 2001 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2001.

  “Two Hearts” by Peter S. Beagle. Copyright © 2005 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2005.

  “Journey into the Kingdom” by M. Rickert. Copyright © 2006 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May 2006.

  “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang. Copyright © 2007 by Spilogale, Inc. First published in ‘The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 2007.

  CONTENTS

  CONTENTS

  Introduction - Gordon Van Gelder

  Of Time and Third Avenue - Alfred Bester

  All Summer in a Day - Ray Bradbury

  One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts - Shirley Jackson

  A Touch of Strange - Theodore Sturgeon

  Eastward Ho! - William Tenn

  Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes

  Harrison Bergeron – Kurt Vonnegut

  This Moment of the Storm – Roger Zelazny

  The Electric Ant – Philip K. Dick

  The Deathbird – Harlan Ellison®

  The Women Men Don’t See – James Tiptree, Jr.

  I See You – Damon Knight

  The Gunslinger – Stephen King

  The Dark - Karen Joy Fowler

  Buffalo - John Kessel

  Solitude – Ursula K. Le Guin

  Mother Grasshopper – Michael Swanwick

  macs – Terry Bisson

  Creation – Jeffrey Ford

  Other People – Neil Gaiman

  Two Hearts – Peter S. Beagle

  Journey into the Kingdom - M. Rickert

  The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate – Ted Chiang

  Introduction - Gordon Van Gelder

  “The magazine was conceived because we were convinced that there was a good market for a periodical offering its readers a representation of the best of the entire range of imaginative literature.... We’ve tried in F&SF to represent at its best the field of imaginative fiction: the literature of the impossible-made-convincing.”

  Thus wrote Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas some fifty-eight years ago, in the introduction to the first “Best from F&SF” anthology. And here we are today, still following the same vision.

  I’m delighted to use our Diamond Jubilee as an excuse for collecting our best stories in one book, but I can’t pretend that this volume does the job. Just think: if I limited myself to selecting but one story per year, we’d still wind up with a book that’s more than twice as long as the one you’re reading now.

  So I’ve assembled a book of roughly two dozen of our best stories. I feel a bit like I’ve taken a few chunks off the top of an iceberg and claimed to have represented the entire floating mass. There are several thousand more great stories in our inventory. (I’ve tried to bring a few more to light this year by running reprints in the magazine, but trust me—even with those reprints, we’ve barely begun to represent all the goodies. )

  A big note of thanks needs to go out to all the thousands of people who have made the magazine happen, from the founding editors and publishers to the many talented writers, artists, cartoonists, editors, proofreaders, circulation managers, distributors, and suppliers, but personally, I feel the biggest debt of gratitude to you, the reader. In my thirteen years at F&SF, I’ve been continually impressed and astonished by the wisdom, wit, and support of our readers, and I’d like to say thanks. You make the magic happen.

  Return to Table of Contents

  Of Time and Third Avenue - Alfred Bester

  The late, great Alfred Bester (1913-1987) wrote short fiction, radio scripts, and comic books in the late 1930s and ’40s, but he really hit his stride in the 1950s... much to the good fortune of F&SF, since he published many of his classic short stories in our pages, including “The Pi Man,” “5, 271, 009,” “Fondly Fahrenheit,” and “The Men Who Murdered Mohammed.” He also reviewed books for us in the early ’60s, during which time he ruffled quite a few feathers with his outspoken opinions. “Of Time and Third Avenue” appeared in the tenth issue of F&SF and I find that it remains a joy after a dozen readings.

  What Macy hated about the man was the fact that he squeaked. Macy didn’t know if it was the shoes, but he suspected the clothes. In the backroom of his Tavern, under the poster that asked:WHO FEARS MENTION THE BATTLE OF THE BOYNE? Macy inspected the stranger. He was tall, slender, and very dainty. Although he was young, he was almost bald. There was fuzz on top of his head and over his eyebrows. When he reached into his jacket for a wallet, Macy made up his mind. It was the clothes that squeaked.

  “MQ, Mr. Macy,” the stranger said in a staccato voice. “Very good. For rental of this backroom including exclusive utility for one chronos—”

  “One whatos?” Macy asked nervously.

  “Chronos. The incorrect word? Oh yes. Excuse me. One hour.”

  “You’re a foreigner,” Macy said. “What’s your name? I bet it’s Russian.”

  “No. Not foreign,” the stranger answered. His frightening eyes whipped around the backroom. “Identify me as Boyne.”

  “Boyne!” Macy echoed incredulously.

  “MQ. Boyne.” Mr. Boyne opened a wallet like an accordion, ran his fingers through various colored papers and coins, then withdrew a hundred-dollar bill. He jabbed it at Macy and said: “Rental fee for one hour. As agreed. One hundred dollars. Take it and go.”

  Impelled by the thrust of Boyne’s eyes,
Macy took the bill and staggered out to the bar. Over his shoulder he quavered: “What’ll you drink?”

  “Drink? Alcohol? Never!” Boyne answered.

  He turned and darted to the telephone booth, reached under the pay-phone and located the lead-in wire. From a side pocket he withdrew a small glittering box and clipped it to the wire. He tucked it out of sight, then lifted the receiver.

  “Co-ordinates West 73-58-15,” he said rapidly, “North 40-45-20. Disband sigma. You’re ghosting...” After a pause he continued: “Stet. Stet! Transmission clear. I want a fix on Knight. Oliver Wilson Knight. Probability to four significant figures. You have the co-ordinates... 99.9807? MQ. Stand by...”

  Boyne poked his head out of the booth and peered toward the Tavern door. He waited with steely concentration until a young man and a pretty girl entered. Then he ducked back to the phone. “Probability fulfilled. Oliver Wilson Knight in contact. MQ. Luck my Para.” He hung up and was sitting under the poster as the couple wandered toward the backroom.

  The young man was about twenty-six, of medium height and inclined to be stocky. His suit was rumpled, his seal-brown hair was rumpled, and his friendly face was crinkled by good-natured creases. The girl had black hair, soft blue eyes, and a small private smile. They walked arm in arm and liked to collide gently when they thought no one was looking. At this moment they collided with Mr. Macy.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Knight,” Macy said. “You and the young lady can’t sit back there this afternoon. The premises have been rented.”