2008: The Year in Shorts

Every year, for the past several years, I've made it a goal to read at least one short work per day of the year. I may read several on one day and none over a few days, but I try to average it out. When I finally get all my archived postings up you'll see that some years I do better than others, but I've managed to hit that minimum each time.

Count for the year (as of December 31, 2008): 854 (goal of 365; 0 to go!).

Hmmmm....365 x 2 = 730...can I make it? Update at the second third of December...yes, I did! And beyond!

Abnett, Dan: Warhammer 40,000: Eisenhorn (2 short stories in 2008, short story part of omnibus completed).

Poul Anderson: The novels and short stories of Poul Anderson’s Technic Civilization series (25 entries so far, in process). Inconstant Star (2 stories, collection complete).

Isaac Asimov: Several short stories from the robot stories, read in conjunction with a screenplay (7 entries in 2008).

Isaac Asimov (editor): The Hugo Winners (Volumes 1 and 2) (9 stories in 2006, 0 in 2007) (started the collection again in 2008 from the beginning: 6 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg (editors): Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 1 (1939) (7 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

Robert Lynn Asprin (editor): Sanctuary (omnibus of Thieves' World, Tales from the vulgar Unicorn and Shadows of Sanctuary) Also: First Blood (omnibus of the first two books in the series, plus one additional story) (11 stories, first book in the series finished; 9 stories, second book completed, 1 additional story in 2008, continuing to read).

James Baen (editor): Destinies, Volume 1, Number 1 (4 entries in 2007, in process).

Iain M. Banks: The State of the Art (1 story in 2008, continuing to read).

Gregory Benford: A variety of short works from various sources (43 stories in 2006, 8 stories in 2007, continuing to read).

Alfred Bester: Virtual Unrealities (2 stories in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

Leigh Brackett: The Secret of Sinharat and People of the Talisman (3 stories all together, collection completed). A World is Born (1 story, downloaded from Manybooks).

Lillian Stewart Carl and John Helfers (editors): The Vorkosigan Companion: The Universe of Lois McMaster Bujold (1 entry in 2008, continuing to read).

Sir Arthur C. Clarke: Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! (45 entries in 2008, continuing to read). Tales from the "White Hart" (18 stories, collection completed).

Gordon R. Dickson: Dickson! (2 stories in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

Gardner Dozois: The Year's Best Science Fiction, Twenty-Third Annual Collection (6 stories in 2006, five stories in 2007, continuing to read).

Gardner Dozois: The Year's Best Science Fiction, Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection (3 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan: The New Space Opera (2 entries in 2007, 1 in 2008, continuing to read).

David Drake: Balefires (22 stories in 2007, 22 in 2008, collection completed). Other times Than Peace (17 stories, collection completed). The Complete Hammer's Slammers, Volume One; The Complete Hammer's Slammers, Volume Two; The Complete Hammer's Slammers, Volume Three (36 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

Lord Dunsany (Edward Plunkett): In the Land of Time and Other Fantasy Tales (43 entries, collection completed).

Greg Egan: Dark Integers and Other Stories (6 entries in 2008, collection completed).

Loren Eiseley: The Unexpected Universe (1 essay in 2008, continuing to read).

Eric Flint (editor): The Ring of Fire (16 stories, collection completed). Grantville Gazette, Volume 1 (8 stories in 2008, continuing to read) (omnibus review here).

Jacques Futrelle: The Thinking Machine: The Enigmatic Problems of Prof. Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S., M.D., M.D.S. (9 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

Neil Gaiman: Fragile Things (32 stories in 2008, collection completed). Smoke and Mirrors (31 entries, collection completed). A Study in Emerald (1 story).

Marc Gascoigne and Christian Dunn (editors): Warhammer 40,000: Let the Galaxy Burn (5 entries in 2008, continuing to read).

Colonel David H. Hackworth (USA, Retired): Hazardous Duty (15 entries, collection completed).

Peter Hamilton: A Second Chance at Eden (4 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

David G. Hartwell (editor): The Science Fiction Century, Volume 1 and Volume 2 (2 stories in 2006, continuing to read).

David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (editors): Year's Best SF 10 (1 story in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (editors): Year's Best SF 13 (2 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (editors): The Space Opera Renaissance.

Robert A. Heinlein: Farmer in the Sky (Introduction by William H. Patterson, Jr.; Afterword: Terraforming Ganymede by Dr. Jim Woosley; counts as 2 entries in 2008). Between Planets (Introduction by William H. Patterson, Jr.; Afterword by Travis S. Taylor, Ph.D.; counts as 2 entries in 2008).

Herge: The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 1 (3 stories, volume complete). The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 2 (3 stories, volume complete). The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 3 (3 stories, volume complete). The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 4 (3 stories, volume complete). The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 5 (3 stories, volume complete). The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 6 (3 stories, volume complete). The Adventures of Tintin, Volume 7 (3 stories, collection complete, continuing to read omnibus edition).

Ryszard Kapuscinski: Travels with Herodotus (28 entries, collection completed).

Rudyard Kipling: Complete Verses (Definitive Edition) (71 poems, counting every two poems as one entry, 35 entries in 2008, continuing to read).

Henry Kuttner: Elak of Atlantis (1 story in 2008, continuing to read).

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: Necessary Evils (part of the Liaden Universe).

George Mann (editor): The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction (4 entries in 2008, continuing to read).

Joseph McCabe: Hanging Out with the Dream King: Conversations with Neil Gaiman and His collaborators (21 entries in 2008, collection completed).

Jack McDevitt: Outbound (8 entries in 2008, continuing to read).

Walter M. Miller: A Canticle for Leibowitz (3 stories in a "fixup" novel; collection completed).

Michael Moorcock: Elric, Stealer of Souls (3 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

C.L. Moore: Northwest of Earth: The Complete Northwest Smith (14 stories in 2008, collection completed).

Larry Niven (editor): The Man-Kzin Series (twelve numbered volumes, one greatest hits, several omnibus or "fix-up" novels and collections) (1 story in 2008, continuing to read).

H. Beam Piper: A complete re-reading of his various works (5 stories in 2007, continuing to read).

Jerry Pournelle: Exile and Glory (omnibus of High Justice and Exiles to Glory) (2 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

Jerry Pournelle (editor): The Endless Frontier, Volume I (17 entries in 2007, 17 entries in 2008, collection complete).

Spider Robinson: The Callahan Chronicals (22 stories in 2008, collection completed). Time Travelers Strictly Cash (21 items not found in Callahan omnibus, collection completed).

John Scalzi: You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop (62 entries in 2008, collection complete).

James Schmitz (edited by Eric Flint): Telzey Amberdon (3 stories in 2008, 7 stories in 2007, collection completed).

Clifford D. Simak: Eternity Lost (The Collected Stories of Clifford D. Simak, Volume 1) (3 entries in 2008, continuing to read). City (6 stories in 2008, continuing to read).

"Cordwainer Smith" (Dr. Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger): The Instrumentality of Mankind (5 entries in 2008, continuing to read).

Ian Stewart: Letters to a Young Mathematician.

Mark L. Van Name and T.K.F. Weisskopf (editors): Transhuman (8 entries in 2008, continuing to read).

Vernor Vinge: A variety of collections and stories (7 stories in 2006, 0 in 2007, 20 in 2008).

David Weber (editor): More Than Honor (1 story in 2007, in process).

Jack Williamson (edited by Stephen Haffner): The Metal Man and Others; The Collected Stories of Jack Williamson, Volume One (5 entries in 2007, continuing to read).

Donald A. Wollheim (editor): The 1972 Annual World's Best SF (8 stories in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

Magazines/Periodicals:

Eric Flint (editor): Jim Baen's Universe, Volume 1, Number 1 (33 stories read in 2008, issue completed). Jim Baen's Universe, Volume 1, Number 2 (2 stories read in 2008, continuing to read).

Non Fiction Read: I'm going to start counting non-fiction in this round-up. I have found that the non-fiction magazines are piling up because, naturally, I want to keep the short count going. So each non-fiction magazine read will count between one and five entries, depending on how many articles really caught my attention (instead of just being skimmed). I will also count non-fiction that I read down here when the author is not linked to fiction reading or is part of a collection that is mixed between fiction and non-fiction.

Anthony Bourdain: A Cook's Tour (18 entries in 2008, collection completed).

Freeman Dyson: The Scientist as Rebel (2 entries in 2008, continuing to read).

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays (1 essay in 2008, continuing to read).

David H. Levy: Star Trails: 50 Favorite Columns from Sky & Telescope (51 entries in 2008, collection completed).

Alan Lightman: Dance for Two (7 essays in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

Chet Raymo: The Soul of the Night: An Astronomical Pilgrimage (3 essays in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

Ian Stewart: Letters to a Young Mathematician (14 essays in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

Rick N. Tumlinson and Erin R. Medlicott (editors): Return to the Moon (4 essays in 2006, 0 in 2007, continuing to read).

Locus: September 2004, October 2004, November 2004, December 2004, June 2006, July 2006, August 2006, September 2006, October 2006 (16 entries) (each issue counts as two entries).

Wired: January 2008 (2 entries) (each issue counts as two entries).