Why You Should Read The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy

edited by John Joseph Adams

About The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy

The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor—a leading writer in the field—then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected—and most popular—of its kind. Science fiction and fantasy enjoys a long literary tradition, stretching from Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne to Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, and William Gibson. In The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy award-winning editor John Joseph Adams delivers a diverse and vibrant collection of stories published in the prior year. Featuring writers with deep science fiction and fantasy backgrounds, along with those who are infusing traditional fiction with speculative elements, these stories uphold a long-standing tradition within both genres—looking at the world and asking, What if…?

Editors, writers, and publishers who would like their work considered, please visit johnjosephadams.com/basff-submissions for instructions on how to submit material for consideration.

Why I love this series

I might not love every story that is published through these anthologies, but I find that I am introduced to authors I never would have otherwise found and have a genuinely good time reading. Additionally, short stories allow of experimentation in a way that long form novels don’t. I am much more willing to read a 10-20 page short story that is in a difficult (or rather just new to me) format.

Anthologies in general also give more space for voices that might not otherwise be seen as important or “publishable”. John Joseph Adams does a wonderful job of selecting 20 stories that have varied voices (culturally, tonally, experimentally).

Ultimately, I go to The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy (and the other Best American series) for diverse storytelling and weird experimental work.