When The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction reached its 30th anniversary in 1979, the publisher celebrated by releasing an anthology that included classic stories which had appeared in the magazine's pages through the years. This month F&SF turns 50, and many might have expected another retrospective anthology to mark the occasion. In his introduction to this book, co-editor Gordon Van Gelder reveals that such a project was indeed discussed. Van Gelder writes, however, that many of the great stories of past decades are widely anthologized, which isn't the case with stories from more recent issues of the magazine (the last Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction volume was published five years ago). The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology concentrates on this recent period in the magazine's history, from 1993 to 1998, collecting 20 stories and one of Paul Di Filippo's "Plumage from Pegasus" columns.

Van Gelder writes that throughout the magazine's 50 years, the only formula the editors of F&SF have followed is to try to find and publish the best fantastic literature available. This anthology is characteristic of the magazine's diversity, containing stories ranging from anthropological science fiction (Ursula K. Le Guin's "Solitude") to fairy tales (Rachel Pollak's "The Fool, the Stick, and the Princess"). About all that's missing is hard SF and medieval fantasy. The stories selected display F&SF's longstanding preference for stories with an emphasis on literary values and precise writing, a founding principle of the magazine.

The anthology contains several major award winners, including Nebula Award winners "Last Summer at Mars Hill" by Elizabeth Hand, Le Guin's "Solitude," "Lifeboat on a Burning Sea" by Bruce Holland Rogers, and "A Birthday" by Esther M. Friesner. Other important stories include Bruce Sterling's "Maneki Neko," Gene Wolfe's "No Planets Strike," S. N. Dyer's "Sins of the Mothers," John Crowley's "Gone," Robert Reed's "First Tuesday," Bradley Denton's "We Love Lydia Love," Dale Bailey's "Quinn's Way," Terry Bisson's "The Partial People," and a pair by two SF legends, Harlan Ellison's "Sensible City" and Ray Bradbury's "Another Fine Mess."

Not quite a retrospective, but still great

Although Van Gelder's explanation for assembling this five-year collection--rather than a 50-year retrospective--does have some merit, it seems that a wider ranging F&SF anthology would have been well worth creating. Still, it's hard to be disappointed with the results of their decision. The Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology is an outstanding anthology. Almost every story is an expertly crafted, distinctive piece that showcases how vibrant and elegant fantastic literature can be in the hands of its best writers.

Le Guin's "Solitude," in which the daughter of an anthropologist grows up knowing only the primitive culture her mother is studying, is the best story in the book. It's a very personal, and ultimately very painful, story of cultural separation within a family. Hand's "Last Summer on Mars Hill" is a character-driven story, in which two teenagers with dying parents console each other during a summer at a magical New England commune. Crowley's "Gone" takes a different, and brilliant, approach to the alien invasion story, intertwining the anxieties in a woman's life with the persistence of aliens trying to convince humans to accept their vague offers to take over.

Bailey's "Quinn's Way" is another fine character-driven story that explores domestic abuse in a small West Virginia town in the 1940s. McHugh's "The Lincoln Train" takes an alternate approach to alternate history, focusing on the effects on individuals in a post-Civil War world in which Lincoln survives the assassination attempt, but is incapacitated. One of the more provocative and unusual pieces is Bisson's short-short, "The Partial People," a viciously elegant satire in the tradition (though not the style) of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal."

All in all The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology is a wonderful celebration of the recent history of one of science fiction's great magazines.