A top-notch collection, curated by an expert. I appreciated the mix of reprints and new stories, names I knew and names I didn't, and the was pleased by the note that translators were paid equally to the authors. Opening in Bodard's Xuya universe must have been an easy choice, and sets the stage for a slew of more-SF-than-F stories written by artists who shine in their genre. An anthology is always a risk--will this be a smooth ride or more pot-hole than road?--but you're in safe hands here. Get a coffee, or a pint, and settle down for a good read.

The title is a bold claim, but this was a fantastic collection of stories that embraced the ‘world’ aspect in particular, and it was a delight to discover not only new authors, but also different approaches to sscience fiction and storytelling in general. As with any collection that were a few stories that I didn’t connect with as much as the others, but overall I really enjoyed this anthology and also the sheer variety both in terms of diversity and subject matter. Some of the stand out stories for me were ‘Immersion’ by Aliette de Bodard, one of the few authors I had read previously and I just love how she writes, I also really enjoyed ‘The Emptiness in the heart of All Things’, ‘The Cryptid’ and ‘Fandom for Robots’.

An excellent anthology of speculative fiction from around the globe. Tidhar's choices are intriguing and show multiple facets of modern speculative fiction. The anthology is long and best to enjoy one story at a time, with no time pressure.

Lavie Tidhar put together 26 speculative short fictions, mostly from SF subgenre. None of the stories is from a U.S. or UK author, so you'll get some non-traditional story telling with exotic settings and cultural influences. 

Tidhar is well established in the international league of authors. He's been editor of similar anthologies before, mostly as Apex Book of World SF between 2009 and 2015. 

This new anthology is really excellent, featuring two five star stories "Immersion" be Aliette de Bodard, and "His Master's Voice" by Hanny Rajaniemi. There's only one bummer story written by Manickavel, contrasted by a whole series of excellent four star stories. I've been looking forward reading many of the featured authors - de Bodard and Rajaniemi, but also Han Song, Tade Thompson, Vandana Singh, Lauren Beukes, Karin Tidbeck, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and lastly Zen Cho (who will be published in just a couple of days with her novel Black Water Sister).

You'll find diversity not only in the author's genders (14 women, 12 men) and origins (21 countries, France, China, Singapore, Botswana, Nigeria, India, Japan, Italy, Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad, Spain, Mexico, Finland, Israel, Iceland, Russia, Ghana, South Africa, Sweden and Malaysia), but also in subgenres. There are robots, spaceships, time-travel, post-singularity, Space Opera, and Cyberpunk. But also a few Fantasy, Magical Realism, or weird stories. 

As a German, I'm missing an author from my home country, or from one of the other German speaking countries (that's a huge market, btw). Maybe next time?

Most of the stories are reprints and available elsewhere. As usual, I've added links to those resources within the respective story's reviews. 

Be aware, that I've read through the whole anthology, but sadly didn't provide a review for every story. Yes, I've been in a reviewing slump. 

Nonetheless, I can fully recommend this wonderful anthology for SF readers who'd like to discover authors outside of well-trodden paths. Don't shy away from the non-SF stories, some of them are really good!

Contents (as of isfdb):

1 •   ★★★★★ • France • Immersion • 2012 • SF Xuya short story by Aliette de Bodard • review
21 • ★★★☆☆ • China • Debtless • 2020 • Space Opera novelette by Chen Qiufan • review
81 • ★★★☆☆ • Singapore • Fandom for Robots • 2017 • SF short story by Vina Jie-Min Prasad • review
97 • ★★+☆☆☆ • Botswana • Virtual Snapshots • 2016 • short story by Tlotlo Tsamaase • review
107 • Nigeria • What the Dead Man Said • 2019 • short story by Chinelo Onwualu
125 • ★★★★☆ • India • Delhi • 2004 • Time travel short story by Vandana Singh • review
149 • ★★★☆☆ • China • The Wheel of Samsara • 2009 • SF short story by Han Song • review
159 • ★★★★☆ • Singapore • Xingzhou • 2019 • short story by Ng Yi-Sheng
179 • Japan • Prayer • short story by Taiyo Fujii
187 • Italy • The Green Ship • 2018 • short story by Francesco Verso
201 • ★★★★☆ • Cuba • Eyes of the Crocodile • 2020 • Post-singularity short story by Malena Salazar Maciá • review
211 • ★★+☆☆☆ • United Kingdom • Bootblack • 2017 • Time travel short story by Tade Thompson • review
223 • ★★★☆☆ • Brazil • The Emptiness in the Heart of All Things • 2018 • Magical reality novelette by Fábio Fernandes • review
251 • ★★★+☆☆ • Trinidad and Tobago • The Sun from Both Sides • 2019 • Space Opera novelette by R. S. A. Garcia • review
309 • ★★★+☆☆ • Spain • DUMP • 2018 • Cyberpunk short story by Cristina Jurado • review
331 • ★★☆☆☆ • Mexico • Rue Chair • 2002 • Cyberpunk short story by Gerardo Horacio Porcayo
339 • ★★★★★ • Finland • His Master’s Voice • 2008 • Posthuman SF short story by Hannu Rajaniemi • review
357 • ★★☆☆☆ • Israel • Benjamin Schneider's Little Greys • 2009 • Weird short story by Nir Yaniv • Benjamin comes every week to the hospital with strange little alien body estrangements
365 • ★★★★☆ • Iceland • The Cryptid • 2021 • Fantasy novelette by Emil Hjörvar Petersen • review
389 • ★★★☆☆ • Russia • The Bank of Burkina Faso • 2012 • Weird short story by Ekaterina Sedia • review
403 • ★+☆☆☆☆ • India • An Incomplete Guide to Understanding the Rose Petal Infestation Associated with EverTyphoid Patients in the Tropicool IcyLand Urban Indian Slum • 2016 • short story by Kuzhali Manickavel • rather pointless - no story, no character
413 • ★★★+☆☆ • Ghana • The Old Man with the Third Hand • 2017 • Weird fiction short story by Kofi Nyameye • review
427 • ★★★★☆ • South Africa • The Green • 2012 • Planetary Romance short story by Lauren Beukes • review
445 • ★★★★☆ • Sweden • The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir • 2019 • Space Opera short story by Karin Tidbeck
467 • ★★★+☆☆ • Mexico • Prime Meridian • 2017 • novella by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
553 • ★★★★☆ • Malaysia • If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again • 2018 • Magical realism novelette by Zen Cho • review

It’s always a leap of faith picking up an anthology, no less so when it is science fiction. I got an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I tested the waters so you don’t have to take a risk, if you like. The Best of World SF is not a risk. Some of the stories are utterly fantastic, some missed their mark for me personally but were still interesting conceptually whether in style or direction. This is what good sci-fi is. The Best of World SF is not a lie. This particular anthology was bookended by two authors familiar to me and the stretched around the world to scoop up perspectives on sci-fi I could never have imagined. That’s where this anthology sings: juxtaposing styles and ideas. No two stories are the same. Some are even hopeful about the future (SF does not equal dystopia)! If you even tentatively like science fiction, inside you will find new favourites I promise.

I requested this ARC as Lavie Tidhar is one of my favorite writer and this book features other favorites like Aliette De Bodard, Zen Cho and Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I loved the stories in this book and the term "Best" is correct in describing the works of these authors.
All the stories are fascinating, well written and thought provoking.
I discovered some new to me authors and, even if I already read some of the stories before, I re-read some great stories by my fav authors.
I wish I could read novels by all these authors, especially those new to me.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Best of World SF is a rich and varied anthology that brings together stories from across the spectrum of science fiction – expect robots, spaceships and time travel, as well as some really weird stuff – representing twenty-one countries and five continents. These include; France, China, Singapore, Botswana, Nigeria, India, Japan, Italy, Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad, Spain, Mexico, Finland, Israel, Iceland, Russia, Ghana, South Africa, Sweden and Malaysia. Lavie Tidhar has selected stories that range from never-before-seen originals to award winners; there are fourteen women and twelve men and present are authors at every stage of their writing career. There are also a number of translations, including a story translated from Hebrew by Tidhar himself, although many of the tales were written in English as the writers second language.

At long last a vibrant generation of author’s is changing the sci-fi genre in its current form one story at a time to move away from primarily western, white, cis-hetero writers to a more inclusive and diverse genre. This is deeply exciting for any sci-fi fan as it's opening the genre up to new ideas and the incorporation of different experiences, backgrounds and cultures that were not represented previously. The Green by South Africa’s Lauren Beukes invites us to suit up and step into the xenoflora all the way up to our armour-plated oxsters. It's suit-punk cross-fertilised with slime moulds and zombies. And Italian author Francesco Verso’s The Green Ship features a decommissioned aircraft carrier as a seed as it 3D prints a brave new micronation in the Indian ocean.

Prayer by prominent Japanese writer Taiyo Fujii features a reconnaissance operative answering a killer robot’s prayers. The Sun From Both Sides by Trinidad and Tobago’s R.S.A. Garcia has a quiet opening that belies the complexity of its end game. It takes us from a cottage in the woods into an interstellar diaspora of luscious xenobiology, sisterly starships and chess as life and death. This is an unmissable collection for any sci-fi fan with many of the stories being thoroughly absorbing, refreshingly original and a pleasure to dive into. I was riveted and the best news is that, unbelievably, there isn't a single dud amongst the 26 stories. This is international sci-fi at its finest; Tidhar really has sourced meticulously, and I cannot recommend this highly enough.

"Best" is a word that is often used too freely, but in the case of "The Best of World SF" I can't imagine a better word. Travelling the world through fiction is always fun and entertaining, but getting the chance to explore the minds of authors from all over the world in a sci-fi setting is totally magical! I loved each and every story and it's impossible to pick a favourite. There is an incredible standard to the writing, very cool characters, and awesome plots.

My thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Entitling a book ‘The Best of World SF’ is bound to raise a few eyebrows about the inclusivity of such a title, let alone its exclusivity. One just has to recall Nnedi Okorafor’s disdain of the term ‘afrofuturism’, for example, who states she writes “africanfuturism, a subcategory of science fiction”. It might sound like a semantic difference, but SF is a surprisingly politicised literary genre, both from a conservative and a reactionary point of view, and one rife with a large degree of factionalism.

Many SF readers who consider themselves relatively well-versed in the genre, however, have rarely read a book or story by someone outside of their home country. This has largely been due to the insularity of both the genre and the publishing industry itself, with foreign writers not only lacking viable platforms to make their voices heard, but there also being a distinct lack of opportunities to have foreign-language content translated and published in English.

A recent development in SF is how ‘internationalised’ it has become. Yes, prominent author incubators like Asimov’s remain largely focused on North American writers, but that magazine’s dominance has been successfully challenged by the likes of Clarkesworld and tor.com.

Lavie Tidhar was born in Israel and has lived in the United Kingdom and South Africa, as well as Laos, Vanuatu and London. Hence he knows intuitively about the displacement and estrangement that immigrants are often confronted with, a fairly common theme in SF itself. His own metafictional historical novel ‘Osama’ won the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, though it verges more on SF, hence attesting to Tidhar’s own take on Derrida’s eponymous ‘The Law of Genre’.

Apart from being a notable SF writer himself, Tidhar is an influential editor, with ‘The Apex Book of World SF’ being a major achievement in giving a voice to many previously unknown SF writers. This means he is perhaps one of the most experienced genre practitioners out there to attempt to tackle a book that dares to call itself ‘The Best of World SF’. Obviously such a book cannot please everyone, let alone live up to its credo of international inclusivity. But the 26 stories curated here make a powerful and resounding argument about the true diversity of SF as a literary genre.

Sam Tyler puts it best in SFBook Reviews:

"It is testament to Tidhar’s selection process that none of the teales felt impenetrable. Indeed, there is no alienation for the reader at all. One argument could be that a reader avoids foreign fiction as it will be complex and hard to understand. These tales are all accessible and are in many ways the type of work that any hardened SF reader will be used to, just with a few nuances of change that make them special."

trigger warning
<spoiler> n-word,racism, slavery, kidnapping, rape, domestic violence, child neglect </spoiler>

Normally I'd say that in this anthology, some stories appealed more to me than others, and while that is still true, I am glad to say there was not one dud in here. Every single story is told by a master story teller, and we have so many different settings, plot ideas, concepts, characters, authors.

Especially notable were:
- Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad about a robot who exists in a museum, is not needed any longer and mostly ignored <i>but</i> has access to the internet and thus to fanfiction. This concept was utterly unexpected and yes, this solidified, once again, the decision to be more picky about the things I read, because I <i>love</i> sci fi but am tired of the same old stories about the same old white hetero-cis guys.
- The one with the weird world sorted by classes into a chess game, I am really sorry I can't remember the title, sleep deprived as I am. But I love how it started one way and suddenly you find yourself at the other edge of the universe.
- His Master's Voice by Hannu Rajaniemi about a dog who's a very good boy
- The Cryptid by Emil H. Petersen about the Struggles of Cryptozoology in a world post-multiverse
- The Bank of Burkina Faso by Ekaterina Sedia about how to get your money back when your bank is probably not real
- Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-Garcia about slice of life in a future world where still everything is a struggle

This anthology makes me question why I don't consider myself a huge fan of short story anthologies, despite liking the possibility of discovering new voices with less commitment than diving into a multiple-hundreds-pages novel. Probably I am just used to suffering on in the hope that it'll get better. I mean, give me a Pratchett or Gaiman collection and I don't mind at all.
So I am sure I'll read more by this anthologist and am glad that I have an arc of The Escapement by L. Tidhar. Will report back.

The arc was provided by the publisher.
- If At First You Don't Succeed by Zen Cho about personal growth

This was a great collection of modern sci-fi, of which I enjoyed every story. Some of them were much more my "type" than others - I particularly enjoyed Fandom for Robots which was a very funny reflection on sci-fi fans and online fics. Others were sad and thought-provoking, with dystopian ideas, like "Immersion" and "Debtless". I enjoyed the wide-ranging gamut of themes, and I found myself going back to re-read a number of the stories. It has opened my eyes to a lot of science fiction writers that were completely new to me. A really accessible collection for anyone,, not just sci-fi fans.

This anthology of twenty-six short stories offers a glimpse into the state of science fiction writing outside of the traditional Western bloc. In compiling these stories, Tidhar is bringing the spotlight onto stories from a background which has historically been neglected and undervalued. It's a diverse crop of authors, which feeds into the writing itself. Unsurprisingly, there is some great quality work being done in sci-fi outside of the usual types of writers, but unfortunately this collection left me cold.

There are some great stories which I loved, such as 'Fandom for Robots' by Vina Jie-Min Prasad and 'The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir' by Karin Tidbeck. Others were strong entries, yet for the most part I felt like I was missing something. Some seemed far too ambitious for the short story format, throwing in way more ideas than there was room for without focusing on particular themes or developing character. There was definitely potential in those instances, but ultimately too much was crammed into a small space. One of my favourites, 'Prime Meridian' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was arguably neither a short story, nor sci fi. For other stories, I just couldn't work out what was going on and, in some cases such as 'Prayer', it just seemed like there was nothing actually there. A story was hinted at, but nothing really happens and the conclusion is incredibly simplistic. My thought is that a lot of these writers haven't got a great grasp of what actually constitutes a story.

After reading this selection of short stories, I am eager to check out the work of some of its contributors and further collections. A part of me hopes that this isn't the best that World Sci Fi has to offer.

The genre of Science Fiction has always been a wide one in terms of ideas. You can set a book on our own Earth with only one or two tweaks to the norm. This Speculative Fiction is Sci Fi, but so are the Space Operas that span eons and are inhabited by alien races. Although the nature of Sci Fi can change, for a long time those that wrote it did not. American and British writers dominated the shelves, and, in many cases, these were white men. With the age of the internet, access to more information, cultures and stories has shown that there is Science Fiction written by other people in the world and it is great. Don’t believe me? Then just read The Best of World SF Vol 1.

From robots that visit chat rooms to a living ship outgrowing its own skin, World SF 1 runs the gamut of the genre, but sticks to Sci Fi, not delving into fantasy or horror. Editor Lavie Tidhar has a long history of co-operation with International writers and making their work accessible to a wider market. If this collection of stories is anything to indicate the quality beyond the traditional borders, then there is a wealth of talent that any Science Fiction reader will love.

Using the word Best in the book’s title is a bold statement and one that could easily slip up an editor, but Tidhar knows his short stories. There is a not a poor story here, it truly feels like these could be the best around, but you know that there is even more out there (Volume 2 perhaps). The collection also has a genuinely nice balance between lighter and harder stories.

My tastes lie towards the lighter and more comedic outings, but those who prefer more thoughtful and deep prose are also served. It is testament to Tidhar’s selection process that none of the tales felt impenetrable. Indeed, there is no alienation for the reader at all. One argument could be that a reader avoids foreign fiction as it will be complex and hard to understand. These tales are all accessible and are in many ways the type of work that any hardened Science Fiction reader will be used to, just with a few nuances of change that make them special.

Highlights for me include the wonderful Fandom For Robots by Via Jie-Min Prasad. The story of a redundant robot sitting in a museum, only to discover new life in the form of online forums that discuss robot anime. The Green by Lauren Beukes is also comedic, but in a much darker fashion. It tells the story of a group of workers who harvest deadly plant life only to discover that they are part of the experiment.

There are more hard-hitting stories that showcase the ability for Science Fiction to reflect on our own society, even if it is set in some distant future. The Green Ship by Francesco Verso and translated by Michael Colbert, is a near future tale in which Europe has 3D printed an armada of ships to prevent immigration via the sea. Immersion by Aliette de Bodard reads like hard Sci Fi but dig a little deeper and it reflects upon how some in society will change their appearance to fit in with others and the worse scenario of some cultures expecting others to bend to their aesthetics.

To finish the book off Tidhar chose two the best stories; Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho. Both are authors to look out for. Moreno-Garcia has fast become one of my authors to watch with her wonderful way of creating characters and sense of place. Cho has created in this collection a strong comedic story, but with one of the biggest hearts. There is nothing quite like completing a collection of short stories with a tear in your eye. Cho’s story acts as the perfect conclusion to the volume.

As a group, the stories on offer within The Best of World SF Volume 1 are so strong that I could have mentioned at least half a dozen others as stand outs. It is not that common within collections to have no poor stories, but Tidhar had the whole world to pick from and did so wisely. This is a great introduction to what the rest of the world has to offer. The answer is more great Science Fiction for us all to enjoy.

Lavie Tidhar has constructed a really great anthology here. As a good unthemed SF anthology, it's runs the gamut: outrageous far-future stories and terrifying near-future ones, stories that could almost be happening today and ones that require a complete wrench in how you think about the world. When I can't read an anthology straight through - when I have to pause between stories because they're so powerful, or strange, or just different - that's a pretty good sign.

Going over every story in the anthology would be boring, and not really useful. So let me just point to a few of my favourites:
Chen Qiufan's "Debtless" was DEEPLY weird and distressing and starts out as one thing then turns into something completely different. I thought I knew what was happening but I really didn't, even at the end. Remarkable worldbuilding (hats off to the translator, as always).
"Fandom for Robots", Vina Joe-Min Prasad: has always been a favourite and fits in well with Breq and Murderbot, and the Yoon Ha Lee's servitors. An AI writing fanfiction; why not.
Vandana Singh's "Delhi": one of those stories that could be happening right now, and you'd never know. Beautifully written.
Ekaterina Sedia, "The Bank of Burkina Faso": according to Tidhar's intro, other editors didn't know what to do with this story. I don't know how to react to that, because this story is fantastic and plays with email scams ("Hello dearest, help me get money from the bank...") in a weird and wonderful and heartfelt way.
"Prime Meridian", Silvia Moreno-Garcia: it's always hit and miss for me with Moreno-Garcia's work; some I adore, some not so much. This is definitely in the "I love it" category; near future, life and death and family and love, struggle and ambition, and so damned realistic.

In some ways it saddens me that this is a "best of world SF" because it's... just SF. Maybe it's because I'm Australian and, despite being Anglo and a native English speaker, I am still outside of the American (at best American / English) bubble. There are things that mark Australians that make us less viable to those markets, apparently - words and ideas that don't translate. As each of the writers in this anthology has experienced, undoubtedly to a greater extent than white Australians experience. Anyway - as an anthology this was great, as an example of what not-American / English writers can do it's a rather pointed reminder that good writing is not culturally, ethnically, racially, or anything else bound. And that's always good to see.