Read these:

Press Enter by John Varley - 4* - I liked spending time in his story. Likely the first story I've ever read by him and will seek out more.

Blued Moon by Connie Willis - 4* - 2nd story I've read by this author, will seek out more.

Instructions by Bob Leman - 4* - 2nd story I've read, will seek out more.

The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson DNF

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler - 4* - 1st story I've read by this author will seek out more.

Nancy Kress - did not read, changed my mind when I saw the subject ( )

The included material is:

•9 • Introduction • (1985) • essay by Terry Carr
•11 • Press Enter • (1984) • novella by John Varley
•73 • Blued Moon • (1984) • novelette by Connie Willis
•108 • Summer Solstice • (1984) • novelette by Charles L. Harness
•153 • Morning Child • (1984) • shortstory by Gardner Dozois
•160 • The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything • (1984) • shortstory by George Alec Effinger
•176 • A Day in the Skin (or, The Century We Were Out of Them) • (1984) • shortstory by Tanith Lee
•194 • Instructions • (1984) • shortstory by Bob Leman
•203 • The Lucky Strike • (1984) • novelette by Kim Stanley Robinson
•240 • Green Hearts • (1984) • shortstory by Lee Montgomerie
•258 • Bloodchild • (1984) • novelette by Octavia E. Butler
•278 • Trojan Horse • (1984) • novelette by Michael Swanwick
•312 • Fears • (1984) • shortstory by Pamela Sargent
•325 • Trinity • (1984) • novella by Nancy Kress
•375 • 1984, the SF Year in Review • (1985) • essay by Charles N. Brown
•383 • Recommended Reading (Best SF of the Year 14) • (1985) • essay by Terry Carr

As Locus editor Charles N. Brown discusses at the end of the book, the big news of 1984 was George Orwell's then 35 year old novel '1984' which was back on the best seller lists. I think even I re-read it then. Brown thought 1984 would be quickly forgotten again as we got to the coming '90s. I don't think it has been forgotten, and here we are now 35 years later than then. It is deja vu all over again.

A few comments. Press Enter is one of the great early computer hacker stories. If this doesn't make you paranoid, nothing will. Excellent story. I also liked Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Lucky Strike" which imagines a different scenario for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This really isn't a science fiction story - it is one of those "what if" alternate history stories that wonder what might happen if some moment in history changed. "Summer Solstice is a piece of historical fiction set in ancient Egypt in the time of Ptolemy - but it does very much have a science fiction elemnt put into it.

Connie Willis's humorous stories were always hit or miss with me. Some I loved, some not. The one here is a miss for me at this point in time.

'Green Hearts' by Lee Montgomerie is the only story I have ever read by this author and I don't think I will forget it very soon.

Besides 'Press Enter', the other story that makes this a must read is Octavia Butler's 'Bloodchild'. Bloodchild won the Hugo, The Nebula and the Locus award for best novelette. It is undoubtedly one of the most important science fiction stories of the 80's, and probably the story that first established Octavia Butler as an author to be reckoned with. If this story doesn't creep you out and make you think about thngs, then you are not human.

Overall this was a good collection of longer length stories from 1984. Dated in places with the advancements of technology, but not dated with the ideas and issues it addresses. ( )

A decent collection of mid-1980's science fiction and fantasy. Read and reviewed 25 years after its publication, the stories really show their age because of the technological change that has taken place over that period of time. Still, at least some of the collection are worth reading, even at this late date. ( )