This is one of the worst collections of "science fiction" ever. It is essentially the opposite of hard sci-fi; it was everything bad about the genre. Impressively, they found four stories which each were horrible in the same way! Complete avoid. ( )

I actually only read one story in this collection, and early work by George R R Martin. Nothing else seemed interesting enough to spend my time on it. And the Martin, in 2013, seemed a bit dull and stale compared to more recent sci-fi stuff. ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-of-best-of-analog-ed-bby-ben-bov... ( )

Although not all the stories in this collection are exactly to my taste, they do deserve the moniker of Best of Analog. All are extremely well-written with intriguing plots and interesting characters.
I did keep this book in my purse for reading in queues and waiting rooms, so I don't remember much of the beginning stories. I do remember that the very first story in the book, "Persephone and Hades" is my favorite. It's about an android who thinks he is the last conscious being on earth. A female human is unfrozen accidentally from a cryogenic state and they need to learn how to live together and maybe spawn a new era of humanity.
I was touched, deeply, by "A Song for Lya." A planet administrator is concerned because quite a few humans are joining the local 'alien' religion, which ultimately requires suicide of its devotees. He hires a couple of psychics to come investigate why humans are drawn to this seemingly horrible faith. What they learn about "God," the collective conscious, and love is immensely thought-provoking. The most entertaining story was "A Child of All Ages." I can't say anything more about it without giving it away, but it's a must-read.
I can't recall any that I actively disliked, and looking back through the table of contents now I don't see any others that I have a strong opinion about. I would recommend this collection to any fan of science fiction or short stories.