Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Very Best of the Best cover art

The Very Best of the Best

By: Gardner Dozois - editor
Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny, Will Damron
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $43.99

Buy Now for $43.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

A 2020 Locus Award Finalist for Best Anthology

"[Vivienne Leheny and Will Damron's] characterizations are poignant and widely varied, their delivery soulful and immersive, and their pacing attuned to each new world. Ideal for fans of short stories and science fiction." (AudioFile magazine)

For the first time in a decade, a compilation of the very best in science fiction, from a world authority on the genre.

For decades, The Year's Best Science Fiction has been the most widely read short science fiction anthology of its kind. Now, after 35 annual collections comes the ultimate in science fiction anthologies. In The Very Best of the Best, legendary editor Gardner Dozois selects the finest short stories for this landmark collection, including short fiction from authors such as Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Greg Egan, Stephen Baxter, Pat Cadigan, and any many more.

©2019 Gardner Dozois (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

2020 Locus Awards Nominee

What listeners say about The Very Best of the Best

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Collection!

This collection is a long listen with many wonderful and fascinating stories and worlds. Sci fi covers such a wide range of topics that no two stories are similar. I recommend this audio book and especially to those people that may be looking for an intro into the genre without too much commitment. After all, this is not Star Wars or Star Trek.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Should be titled various fantasy stories

Boy oh boy if there was an audio book that was inappropriately titled this is the one. I got it expecting to get a smorgasbord of SF stories however most of these stories do not fit the definition of SF. For instance one of these stories is about a furry living in a medieval village on some distant planet. That is not science fiction it is pure fantasy. Unfortunately most of the stories are like this and not even Greg Egan can redeem this anthology and to make matters worse the narrators give quite a few characters Yorkshire accents.

This is one title I shall be returning.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.