Unplugged: The Web's Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 2008 Download

A short but superlative substantiation of the quality of speculative fiction being published on the Internet, this exceptional anthology of the best science fiction and fantasy put online in 2008 includes gems by genre luminaries as well as rising stars like Tina Connolly and Beth Bernobich. Peter S. Beagle's fairy tale–like “The Tale of Junko and Sayuri” explores the love of a huntsman for a beautiful shape-shifter in feudal Japan. “First Rites” by Nancy Kress is a poignant examination of a genetically modified boy's connection with a cosmic consciousness. Cory Doctorow's “The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away” follows a monk/computer geek as he leaves his cubicle after 16 years in seclusion. After reading this 14-story compilation, online publishing naysayers may rethink their position. (Jan.)