The editor reviews the genre's status in 2003 and presents twenty-nine short stories.

Summation, 2003 --Off on a starship / William Barton -- It's all true / John Kessel -- Rogue farm / Charles Stross -- The ice / Steven Popkes -- Ej-es / Nancy Kress -- The bellman / John Varley -- The bear's baby / Judith Moffett -- Calling your name / Howard Waldrop -- June sixteenth at Anna's / Kristine Kathryn Rusch -- The green leopard plague / Walter Jon Williams -- The fluted girl / Paolo Bacigalupi -- Dead worlds / Jack Skillingstead -- King dragon / Michael Swanwick -- Singletons in love / Paul Melko -- Anomalous structures of my dreams / M. Shayne Bell -- The cookie monster / Vernor Vinge -- Joe Steele / Harry Turtledove -- Birth days / Geoff Ryman -- Awake in the night / John C. Wright -- The long way home / James Van Pelt -- The eyes of America / Geoffrey A. Landis -- Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst / Kage Baker -- Night of time / Robert Reed -- Strong medicine / William Shunn -- Send me a mentagram / Dominic Green -- And teh dish ran away with the spoon / Paul Di Filippo -- Flashmen / Terry Dowling -- Dragonhead / Nick DiChario -- Dear Abbey / Terry Bisson -- Honorable mentions, 2003.