The Best of Jim Baen's Universe II

by Mike Resnick

Book Overview

Once again, Eric Flint has picked the cream of the crop from stories that have appeared in 'Jim Baen's Universe', the online magazine. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416555706
• ISBN13: 9781416555704
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Baen Books
• Length: 487 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

More From the Universe

The Best of Jim Baen's Universe #2 (2008) is the second speculative fiction anthology in this series, following The Best of Jim Baen's Universe. It contains twenty-two stories. The Preface comments on the successes of this online magazine, points out that certain "impossible" accomplishments were achieved, and promises to produce much more of the same. Science Fiction Stories - Crawlspace by Erik Flint and Dave Freer is a mystery from the Rats and Bats universe. Joy girls are vanishing from the Last Chance Saloon and then found in the tunnels. - The Big Guy by Mike Resnick introduces an android prototype who plays center with the Montana Buttes basketball team. - Murphy's Law by James P. Hogan considers the possible consequences of automating ballistic missile launch systems. - Laws of Survival by Nancy Kress tells of aliens that want an armageddon survivor to train some dogs. - War Stories by Elizabeth Bear involves a combat veteran and the boy that she finds in a shellhole. - A Stranger in Paradise by Edward M. Lerner examines the findings of a belter and a biologist searching for a lost Firster colony. - NEWTS by Kevin J. Anderson presents a neutered male in a religious colony with the evils of secular civilization. - An Ocean is a Snowflake, Four Billion Miles Away by John Barnes divulges the thoughts of a media journalist who likes big bangs. - Dark Corners by Kristine Kathryn Rusch concerns an elf who is hiding his family from the Nazis. This tale seems to belong in the fantasy section. - The Ten Thousand Things by Marl L. Van Name exposes a Japanese business man to the thoughts of his deceased father. - A Better Sense of Direction by Mike Wood postulates that a sense of direction would be quite different in outer space. - Tweak by Jack McDevitt describes the new attitude that arises after a civilization reaches maturity. - Squish by S. E. Ward depicts an entomologist who lost her love of bugs and became an exterminator. Fantasy Stories - Touching the Dead by J. Kathleen Cheney discloses the secrets of a child who communes with the dead. - The Spiral Road by Louise Marley shows the meeting of a man and a woman from opposite sides of a war who meet with the aid of a mystic and a ghost. - Sir Hereford and Mister Fitz Go to War Again by Garth Nix explains the mission of an animated puppet and an artillerist in the temple of a malicious god. - Creation: The Launch! by Laura Resnick addresses the real story of creation, as told by the consultant. - Midnight at the Quantum Cafe by K. D. Wentworth confronts a man with his duplicates in a tavern that exists in many places. - Swing Time by Carrie Vaughn brings a timetraveling woman to the attention of the temporal authorities. - The Lord-Protector's Daughter by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. reveals the talents of a descendant of the first Protector. It is the first part of the novel of the same name. - Palm Sunday by Ian Watson examines the power of palmistry

Very highly recommended for any discriminating science fiction library

The online magazine JIM BAEN'S UNIVERSE is in its third year and the book The Best of Jim Baen's Universe #2 gathers the best under one cover, presenting on- and off-line readers with a synthesis of top names and stories. These are a diverse presentation of plots and sagas, offering a wide range blending all kinds of science fiction. And the authors Nancy Kress, Kevin Anderson, Elizabeth Bear can't be beat. Very highly recommended for any discriminating science fiction library. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

A Better Idea????

I had hoped that Baen had learned to issue their good books in Hard Cover first instead of later, but it seems they have an even better idea: Issue a paperback and charge the hard cover price for it. This is obviously the best of all possible worlds - for them, Unfortunately, I won't bite.