Industry Reviews
"The best stand-alone reprint anthology of the year was probably the retrospective anthology The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2."
?Gardner Dozois, editor of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine and The Year's Best Science Fiction, Volumes 1-31
?If you like quality short fiction and you're looking for an anthology that collects together stories both old and new, I'd warmly recommend that you check out The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume Two."
?SF Crowsnest
?The first [was] an all-star anthology, the second, also edited by Gordon van Gelder, possesses just as much impact, history, and sheer enjoyability, and is a welcome retrospective of one of the genre's bastions.... Just a superb anthology."
?Speculition
?Gordon Van Gelder is the current editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and as with his earlier volume of this series, has put together a killer anthology of the very best from F&SF."
?Galaxy's Edge
?Van Gelder set out to provide a taste of some of the most renowned speculative fiction authors over the last half-century, and he succeeded brilliantly"
?Book Likes
?...a collection of some of the best sci-fi and fantasy short stories out there."
?Starburst
?This is an excellent place to see not only gems from Fantasy and Science Fiction, but also great stories from over 60 years of the field.
?Tangent
?This is the second part of an anthology of incredible short stories edited by Gordon van Gelder (who has won two Hugo's for Best Editor, Short Form). The stories themselves are, purposefully, incredibly varied. Some are funny, others heartbreakingly sad and others thrilling. The common thing across the board is that these are excellent stories."
?World of Books
?...a must read."
?Beauty in Ruins
?The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2 is a great addition to any reader's library because it chronicles the genres' changes over time. All of the stories are enjoyable...."
?Lit Reactor
?If the previous two anthologies had heavy-hitters, this one has legends: Brian Aldiss, Paolo Bacigalupi (the remarkable ?The People of Sand and Slag"), Jack Finney, Elizabeth Hand, Robert A. Heinlein, Stephen King, Kit Reed, Robert Silverberg ? oh, hell, why bother listing them? The stories in this book are so good (and surprisingly, many of them are funny) that you need to buy it. ?
?Lit/Rant
"The Very Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Volume 2, edited by Gordon van Gelder is a book that can't help but appeal to anyone who already loves the genre and is a great way to introduce great science fiction and fantasy to new readers."
-Looking for a Good Book
Praise for Fantasy & Science Fiction
"Still the gold standard for short fiction in America"
?Stephen King
Praise for The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction
"For sheer reading pleasure, this anthology is unparalleled."
?Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A landmark anthology"
?The Guardian
"For a long time, F&SF has been a leader in expanding the terrain of speculative fiction. Judging from this volume, it intends to continue in this role.
?Booklist
"It's obvious why F&SF has thrived while competitors have vanished. Eloquent, scintillating, often sublime."
?Kirkus
"Half an hour's reading, and I spent the next day or so catching myself staring off into space muttering, 'Oh wow.'"
?io9.com
