I love the YBF&H series and consider each anthology a real treat. The editors consistently choose engaging, literate stories that pack a huge wallop. I always look forward to settling down with one of these mammoth books. I know I'm in for some great reading.

That said, this particular collection was a big disappointment.

It's good, but it's not really in the same league as the rest of the series. And it's a shame, really, because all the ingredients are there. To begin with, the summations are thoughtful and informative. The fantasy segments loaded me down with a goodly number of TBR-destroying suggestions. This was Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant's first year co-editing the fantasy side of the anthology, but it doesn't show. Their summations are pulled together very nicely indeed.

I'll admit that I normally find Ellen Datlow's summations rather unhelpful. By her own admission, Datlow doesn't have much time to read novels, and her segments usually consist of very long lists of every horror novel published in the year in question. Very long lists with no paragraphing. I was pleasantly surprised by her approach this time around. The lists are still present, but she's broken them up a little better and I found that she included a bit more commentary than usual. I got some good suggestions here, too.

Then there are the stories themselves, which are all well-written, literate examples of genre fiction with crossover appeal for those who don't normally consider themselves sf/f/h fans. I feel like a terrible, horrible, wretched person for not loving them with all my soul. But in most cases, I just couldn't find the spark. They're decent stories that display a true grasp of the craft. They aren't spectacular, world-shaking work.

When I read a YBF&H, I'll usually come across one or two stories that do nothing for me. There'll be another handful that were all right, but nothing special. The rest are amazing, and I have a hell of a time picking my favourites. There'll be one or two shoe-ins that I loved with all my heart, but I feel terrible leaving the rest off the list. This time, I've got a rather small list of stories that I quite enjoyed. That's all.

If I had read this book straight after it was published, I'm sure I'd assume that Link and Grant were to blame. This was their first year working on the anthology, after all. They had some big shoes to fill, and they didn't quite fill them. The trouble with that theory is that I've already read two of their later collections, and I know that they have damned good taste. (Seriously, y'all should rush out and grab the nineteenth YBF&H. That's one awesome anthology). And it's not just the fantasy that's lacking here; Datlow's horror picks also failed to move me as they usually do.

Maybe 2003 was a dud year for short fiction. Maybe 2003 was chock full of spectacular short fiction that just didn't appeal to me, personally. Whatever the reason, I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as the other YBF&Hs I've read thus far. That's not to say that it wasn't good, because it was. It just can't quite stand alongside the rest of the series.

For the record, the stories - and poem - that did work for me were: "At the Mouth of the River of Bees" by Kij Johnson; "L'Aquilone du Estrellas (The Kite of Stars)" by Dean Francis Alfar; "King Dragon" by Michael Swanwick; "The Baby in the Night Deposit Box" by Megan Whalen Turner; "Flotsam" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman; "The Man Who Did Nothing" by Karen Traviss; "Ancestor Money" by Maureen F. McHugh; and "Final Girl II: The Frame" by Daphne Gottlieb. The only story I really and truly loved was "The Fluted Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi.

All in all, this collection is worth reading if you like short fiction, but I wouldn't say this is the best YBFH to start with. Read a few other volumes first so you know what's standard for the series, then tackle this one.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

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