Title: Few Diamonds, Mostly Coal
Product review: I was quite disappointed with this anthology. The stories written by acknowledged "masters" of the genre such as Le Guin, Disch, Kelly and Niven read like the kind of material these talented authors would never dream of submitting. Joyce Carol Oates "Commencement," her first sci-fi story, is extremely well-written but pointless. If I were the editor of this collection, I would have sent the majority of stories back to the authors for rewrites. There are a few gems, however. New writer Laura Whitton's vibrant and challenging "Froggies" shows us what might happen if we come to care for another alien species a little too much, and Rucker and Shirley's "Pockets" is both mind-bending and terrifying. I just wish Mr. Sarrantonio would have been a bit more discriminating in accepting stories for this collection. Gardner Dozois' yearly collection is the one to read; even on off years, his choices are better than these.
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