Much better than last year's collection. There are some real gems in here, but also some that had my eyes crossing. Apparently, Alice's taste doesn't exactly jive with my own, but it was close enough. ( )

Just a mediocre collection. All of the stories are well written, but they blend together...few of them take risks, and fewer of them are really interesting or striking. By far, the best of the stories are "The Briefcase" by Rebecca Makkai and "Magic Words" by Jill McCorkle. The most interesting and unique is "Modulation" by Richard Powers.

Overall, though, this isn't a collection I'd recommend. I've read some "Best Of" in this series where every other story begs me to search out more work by the respective authors. Here? Not one. ( )

Strongest BASS in quite a while! I was absolutely knocked out by Steve De Jarnatt's amazing "Rubiaux Rising," which could make a short story reader out of any skeptic. Other standouts for me: stories by Richard Powers, Annie Proulx, Ethan Rutherford and Joseph Epstein. Wow, genius! Two stories on modern China (by Greenfeld and Li) also fascinated me.

Hey! Somebody consult the legal department! There are no Alice Munro stories here. She lands three on the extended list, but it's hard to believe none deserved inclusion. Of course, she doesn't really need the recognition anymore. But with Updike gone, it feels like the passing of an era.

Along those lines, the series needs to look to the future. Good to see some historical fiction included here, but the series still needs more genre stories. (Guest editor Chabon pointed this out in 2005.) Hrbek's "Sagittarius" clearly got the annual slot that's gone recently to Karen Russell for a story in the literary/surreal approach to genre. My strongest word of advice to series ed. Heidi Pitlor (who has my dream job!) is embrace more genre fiction. Rid yourself of the workshoppy deadweight and go for a killer mix of literary and genres that truly encompasses the full spectrum of American stories. ( )

As you would expect of this kind of anthology, it's rather inconsistent. Some stories are better than others. Unfortunately, there are more mediocre or simply absurd stories than good ones in this collection. Much of this is due to the seemingly desperate search for variety, originality, and shallow timeliness. The standouts, which are specific in place and time but still seemingly timeless, make the book worth reading--or at least sampling. Unfortunately, there are too few of them. They include stories by Karl Taro Greenfeld, Eleanor Henderson, Victoria Lancelotta, Rebecca Makkai, Ron Rash, and (probably the best of the lot) Jill McCorkle. ( )

A very good compilation of short stories. In particular I enjoyed the stories by Daniel Alarcon, Adam Johnson, Rebecca Makkai, Richard Powers and Annie Proulx. ( )