Love For NW, Steam, Situation, Secret Lives

More year's best lists and reviews...The Guardian Online reviews Steampunk: "Much of the best work in the genre has happened in the pages of speculative fiction magazines such as Asimov's or been published by independent presses. More accessibly, Anne and Jeff VanderMeer have gathered many of the gnarliest examples of the genre in their Steampunk anthology."Dark Roasted Blend loved The Situation and Secret Lives:On the Situation: "Suffice it to say that anybody who's been slighted by the benefits-rich corporate culture, or has ever caught a whiff of something rotten emanating from the CEO's office (the Chairmen of the Board abide in a sort of a metaphysical tower and seem to be of insectoid, slug, or worse nature) - anybody who felt the foreboding of CHANGE ready to percolate down the managerial chain... anybody who was strangled creatively or artistically in the name of Almighty Routine... these readers would really appreciate the bizarre Kafka-esque environment of the "Situation", and may cherish it as a sort of confessional, akin to a conversation with a wise (if somewhat mischievous) priest at an altar...Kind of like Harlan Ellison's angriest (and most laconic) best. Good things come in small packages, indeed."On Secret Lives: "This book takes my pick as the most intriguing and under-appreciated publishing event of the year (it even has a strange, unaccounted story on the other side of the cover)."Ambling Along the Aqueduct continues posting year's best lists: "The indefatigable Ann and Jeff VanderMeer produced a number of anthologies in 2008. Of them, my favorite was The New Weird, which combined all sorts of tasty fiction along with some critical nuggets."