The 1973 Annual World's Best SF. edited by Donald A. Wollheim
The 1973 Annual World’s Best SF is rated 85%.
AVERAGE STORY: 4.00
10 Stories : 3 great / 4 good / 3 average / 0 poor / 0 DNF
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Science Fiction of the 1970s is still something of a mystery to me and many anthologies from this era are full of stories and authors that I frequently do not recognize. Thankfully, the Wollheim anthologies are filling that gap with short but excellent books. (1975 = 90% and 1978 = 85%)
The 1973 Annual seems to have one foot in the more ‘character driven’ tales of the New Wave and one foot in traditional SF. There were good stories in both forms and not a bad story in the bunch. Strangely, one of the stories that I thought merely average - “Goat Song” - ended up winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
There were three Great stories.
“The Man Who Walked Home” by James Tiptree, Jr. A time travel tragedy that spans hundreds of years and can’t truly be understood until the end of your first read. An accident starts a devastating war and creates a crater where a being appears at regular intervals to generations of people. But the real tragedy is not the explosion, or the war, but something very human.
“The Gold at the Starbow's End” by Frederik Pohl. This is such a smart story. It overflows with ideas, speculation, and universe changing concepts. 10 people have been sent to Alpha Centauri and start to expand their minds through the study of mathematics and other complex concepts. Back on Earth, the United States is imploding and the dark purpose of the space mission is revealed. Superb stuff.
"Willie's Blues" by Robert J. Tilley. This is a story that exudes the passion, wild spirit, and pathos of jazz. A jazz-loving time traveler gets his life mingled with that of his favorite performer and the result is tragic. The writing and the characters jump and dance in this story, but always stop in time for quiet human feeling.
THE 1973 ANNUAL WORLD’S BEST SF IS RATED 85%.
3 GREAT / 4 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 0 POOR / 0 DNF
How do I arrive at a rating?
“Goat Song” by Poul Anderson
Average. Its a SF retelling of the Orpheus myth with plenty of poetry. A man tries to convince an overlord computer - SUM- to return his death wife. The total is less than the sum of its parts here.
“The Man Who Walked Home” by James Tiptree, Jr.
Great. Haunting time travel tragedy that is really different, alienating, and ultimate triste. An explosion devastated the world, but a strange figure keeps appearing to different people over the decades.
“Oh, Valinda!” by Michael G. Coney
Average. While icebergs and giant animals are moved for profit on an alien world, the aliens seem more capable of human emotion than their colonial overlords.
“The Gold at the Starbow's End” by Frederik Pohl
Great. While Earth governments fall into anarchy, a team of 10 astronauts are sent towards a planet around Alpha Centauri, but there is a secret behind the real purpose of the mission.
“To Walk a City's Street” by Clifford D. Simak
Good. A man who brings healing is hired to walk amongst the ill.
”Rorqual Maru” by T. J. Bass
Good. Part of the GodWhale series. Future humans have adapted to the Hive and the Sea, but conflict arrises when krill return to the Ocean.
“Changing Woman” by W. Macfarlane
Average. Native American woman is hired to work on a very well funded project
"Willie's Blues" by Robert J. Tilley
Great. A time-traveling jazz lover repeated meets his favorite musician with powerful and tragic results.
“Long Shot” by Vernor Vinge
Good. Hard SF about an sentient automated spacecraft on a long journey for a purpose that will only later become clear.
“Thus Love Betrays Us” by Phyllis MacLennan [as by Phyllis MacLennon]
Good. A man temporarily left on a rather boring moss-covered world strikes up a tragic friendship with one of the planets inhabitants.
