A diverse and interesting collection of science fiction and fantasy in a variety of forms. I would have loved to hear more from Kelly and Kessel about how the works were selected and arranged.

My favorites from the collection were: "Ponies", "Bumbershoot", and the stunning "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen's Window". Both "The Sultan of the Clouds" and "The Leviathan Whom Thou Hast Made" had some super cool worldbuilding even though they left me cold in other ways. ( )

I have never followed the Nebulas, so it was interesting to read through this years' field. As might be expected, I liked some of the stories and excerpts quite a lot, and others left me completely cold. The overall quality was of course high, though, and if you like SF short stories at all, this is definitely worth a read. I prefer Dozois's Year's Best in general, but this represents a wider range of tastes. ( )

The Nebula Awards Showcase 2012 presents a selection of winners and nominees for the Nebulas awards, including novel excerpts, novellas, novlettes, short stories, and poetry. Overall I enjoyed every story in this collect, from the straight scifi stories to the realms of fantasy.

There are many stories to love in this collection. Kij Johnson's "Ponies" is a disturbing portrayal of popularity and exclusion in young girls. "Map of Seventeen" by Christopher Barzak is a moving story about a young girl, frustrated with the world around her.

Shweta Narayan's "Pishaach" is about a girl who chooses to go mute when she learns about the mystical origins of her grandmother. She is taunted and treated as a witch, which in a way she is, as she holds sway over the local snakes with the power of her flute.

"Arvies" by Adam-Troy Castro is a delightfully disturbing tale about a future in which humanity doesn't look much like it does now (it may be for, against, or neutral on the subject of abortion, depending on your point of view, though I think it is more about the status of power in society).

Rachel Swirsky's "The Woman Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen's Window" is a stunning, epic story from the point of view of a summoned spirit, spanning epochs. The woman/spirit is an all too human character, who would rather allow harm to come to others rather than sacrifice her beliefs.

And there were many others. All around a really wonderful collection. ( )