The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2026: The Premier Annual Collection of the Year's Best Short Fiction

by Olivie Blake, Olivie Blake

Of science fiction and fantasy, guest editor Olivie Blake writes, “It’s hard to look upon these genres and not see tools of life preservation.” The characters in these pages embody this sentiment as they choose to forge ahead despite the most daunting obstacles. An inscrutable woman imprisons a monster in her bathtub, a sentient spaceship carries 10,000 frozen human embryos to a distant space colony, a memory tailor alters memories for customers seeking a different past, and a girl goes to great lengths to attend a prestigious magical university. From dystopian resistance to utopian deceit, these stories acknowledge the helplessness, anger, and despair so prevalent in the world. But, as Blake reassures us, they also convince us that ultimately “faith, persisting and unshakable, will be enough to win.”

THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY 2026 INCLUDES: SARAH LANGAN • THOMAS HA • ALIX E. HARROW • ALEX IRVINE • NAOMI KANAKIA • ISABEL J. KIM • RICH LARSON • RAY NAYLER • P.C. VERRONE • AND OTHERS

Genres: Short Stories, Anthologies, Fantasy, Science Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2026

About the author

Olivie Blake is the pseudonym of Alexene Farol Follmuth, a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love.
​
Olivie has penned several indie SFF projects, including the webtoon Clara and the Devil with illustrator Little Chmura and the viral Atlas series. As Follmuth, her young adult rom-com My Mechanical Romance releases May 2022.

Olivie lives in Los Angeles with her husband and new baby, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull.

Reviews

[Holden Wunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology did a lot right and also did a lot….in general. The problem with a collection of short stories is that there will be truly astounding pieces and among those, other will not look just mediocre but bad. Unfortunately, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2026 is no exception.

There was some stories in this that may have thrived better on their own but among the whole they were dull, nonsensical, and laborious. I don’t necessarily want to pinpoint these stories and name them as it feels a disservice to writers that are very clearly talented but didn’t quite make the “cut” for me.

However, there was quite a few that really blew me away and just solidified why Science Fiction is one of my favourite genres. My absolute favourite stories among the bunch made this collection worth reading and would absolutely recommend looking into these authours and stories.

I was blown away by:
In My Country by Thomas Ha
Shorted by Alex Irvine
Drosera regina by A.L. Goldfuss (my god!!)
Five Things You Can See by Nadia Radovich
Human Voices by Isabel J. Kim
What We Don’t Know About Angels by Kristina Ten
Never Eaten Vegetables by H.H. Pak
Made to be Broken by Kari Maaren
Chickenfoot Soup by Marika Bailey
Catch A Tiger in the Snow by Ray Nayler
An Even Greater Cold to Come by Rich Larson
The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without a doubt, the best volume of the entire series—at least for me. There was only one (!!!) short story that I didn’t like, and even that one wasn’t that bad. This collection is stellar. I’m blown away by the talent exhibited by all of these authors. It’s really difficult to choose, but here are a few of my favorites:

“The Name Ziya” by Wen-yi Lee was the best short story, by far. I want the author to expand this into a full-length novel. Amazing, amazing worldbuilding. I would love to see a map of the world.

Other standouts were “Never Eaten Vegetables” by H.H. Pak, “Human Voices” by Isabel J. Kim, “Chickenfoot Soup” by Marika Bailey, and “Squid Teeth” by Sarah Langan---what the heck is going on in that last one, but wow, what an original concept! “Squid Teeth” grossed me out even as it intrigued me.

Honorable Mentions: “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (reminiscent of the current administration), “Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure” by Kanyin Olorunnisola, “The Patron” by Thomas Ha (you know you’re good when you show up twice in the same anthology), and I of course have to include the not-what-I-was-expecting-AT-ALL-but-very-good “The Knight and the Butcherbird” by Alix E. Harrow.

I seriously want a physical copy of this collection for my bookshelf, and I only buy books that I am obsessed with. I will re-read this multiple times. It’s that good.

5 out of 5 stars, and it’s well-deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy. I am writing this review entirely voluntarily.

[Kate Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an overall great collection of short science fiction stories from the last year. I appreciated how Olivie Blake wrote in her introduction about attempting to choose stories in conversation with each other. There were some standouts, In My Country, Resurrection Rum, and The Knight and the Butcherbird, that really clicked for me, while some others landed flat. A solid collection well worth a read for any sci-fi and fantasy fans.

In My Country: 5/5
Maybe perfect. Need to read everything by him ever.

Resurrection Rum: 5/5
I see what Olivie means about being able to see this clearly as a film, this is so easy to visualize, and the emotions are so prominent.

Shorted: 3.5/5
Felt like an update on the Black Mirror episode NoseDive.

Drosera regina: 4/5

Five Things You Can See: 3/5

Human Voices: 3/5

Domestic Disputes: 3/5

What We Don’t Know About Angels: 3/5

Never Eaten Vegetables: 4/5

Made to be Broken: 4.5/5

Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure: 5/5

Chickenfoot Soup: 4/5

Catch a Tiger in The Snow: 3/5

Squid Teeth: 2/5

An Even Greater Cold To Come: 3/5

A Nameless Thing: 4/5

The Patron: 4/5

The Name Ziya: 4/5

We, the Fleet: 2/5

The Knight and the Butcherbird: 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this collection.

[Marlene · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This annual collection is always the result of a long and detailed process, winnowing down the breadth of the previous year’s work in short works of Fantasy and SF into a single volume of 20 stories. Because this is a retrospective collection, by the time the stories are collected, they’ve all appeared elsewhere – which is how they were found in the first place.

Many of the stories have also been podcasted, and where available I listened to the podcasts. And some I already had, as two of the stories in this year’s collection were among the Hugo Nominees, including this year’s Best Short Story winner, Thomas Ha’s “In My Country” and H.H. Pak’s Best Novelette Winner, “Never Eaten Vegetables”. (Where I have previously posted a review of any of the stories, I’ve linked to it instead of repeating myself.)

Last year’s collection tipped darkly and creepily over the line into horror in both Fantasy and Science Fiction. It made for a read that required a cocoa and a lie-down after every other story and was not a collection to read in either the physical or emotional dark.

This year’s collection is a bit brighter, but also a bit blurrier. A lot of the stories this year straddled the line between Fantasy and Science Fiction, and were generally more thought-provoking than outright creeptastic – not that a few don’t straddle that line as well.

As is generally the case for collections like this, not every story will land for every reader, and that’s certainly true here. Resulting in a definitely fudge-factored Escape Rating of A- for the collection as a whole.

And without further ado, here are my brief reviews and ratings for the individual stories…

“In My Country” by Thomas Ha SCIENCE FICTION
2026 Hugo Award Winner in the Best Short Story Category. Previously reviewed https://www.readingreality.net/2026/0.... Escape Rating B

“Resurrection Rum” by Stephanie Malia Morris from Podcastle (podcast available) FANTASY
This story was so dark that it almost crossed over the line into horror. Then again, the situation WAS horrifying even before they started raising the dead. At first, it’s the story of a gang of black moonshiners in rural North Carolina, and the bigoted corruption of a local sheriff who murdered his own son in cold blood for driving for the black gang and then pinned the murder on the gang leader. Which is where the ‘resurrection rum’ comes in. Undiluted, it can raise the dead. So they raise their white friend in hopes he’ll testify against his powerful daddy. That the bigotry is so ingrained that nothing can stop the massacre, and the bloodshed explodes all around them, is where the darkness tips into horror about old hate and young zombies. Escape Rating B

“Shorted” by Alex Irvine from Reactor SCIENCE FICTION
This one left me with mixed feelings. It’s about the future economy of influencers, well, sorta/kinda. It’s really about the potentially terrible consequences of turning the monetization of streaming and followers, of turning being observed directly into social capital and money, and the seemingly inevitable results of what happens when people’s lives become commoditized. The concept is fascinating – and probably all too likely – but the tone is more than a bit wry and arch and endlessly in pursuit of attention – as such a character would be. I’m intrigued by the idea, frightened of the possibilities, but not certain about this particular iteration of it. Escape Rating B

“Drosera regina” by A.L. Goldfuss from Lightspeed (podcast available) FANTASY
I’m pretty sure this whole entire story was a metaphor for the way that women get treated in the world, mostly by men. And it’s about one woman reclaiming herself from that treatment. But in the literal sense, it’s about a woman who is the human equivalent of a venus flytrap, and it’s creepy as hell until she decides to stop. This was weird. Extremely compelling, very uncomfortable, dripping with body horror but weird. Escape Rating B

“Five Things You Can See” by Nadia Radovich from Strange Horizons SCIENCE FICTION
This story is uncomfortable as hell, but it works. It’s about time travel paradoxes – or rather it’s inside a time travel paradox. It combines the grounding exercise of “5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, etc.,” with the whole time loop of the Terminator movies. A teenage girl comes home to find her mother dead of a brain aneurysm and her future self knocking at the door, telling her she’s come to prepare her younger self for the coming apocalypse. The story works on the level that we’re sucked into the girl’s fear and Stockholm Syndrome, but we’re also caught in the paradox of how this really could/would/might work. Escape Rating B+ because I was right there with her but didn’t really want to be.

“Human Voices” by Isabel J. Kim from Lightspeed (podcast available) FANTASY
This is a story that stuck with me, but at the same time it’s a story that’s been done before. At first, it seems like a story of transformation, then it’s a story about magical creatures doing what they’re made to do and being what they’re made to be, and then it’s a story about running away but finding your way back through blood and pain. Out of love. Out of finally coming to understand that the love was worth the pain – no matter how much it hurts. At first it reminded me a lot of P. Djeli Clark’s How to Raise A Kraken in Your Bathtub, but then it turned around at the end and I realized it wasn’t like that AT ALL, and was all the better for it. Escape Rating A

“Domestic Disputes” by Naomi Kanakia from Lightspeed (podcast available) SCIENCE FICTION
This one is about marriage and saving the universe, not necessarily in that order. OTOH, it’s absolutely correct that arguments in a marriage are never about the thing they’re ostensibly about. On an entirely other hand, it’s about two people isolated within a marriage – admittedly on a quest to save the universe – and how badly that’s not working for either of them. On my third, cybernetic hand there’s a lot about roles, responsibilities and stereotypes and on the fourth there’s a bit about how easy it is to give up on saving the universe when no one appreciates the work. The tone is wry and arch and that last hand got a bit lost by the end. Escape Rating C

“What We Don’t Know About Angels” by Kristina Ten from Lightspeed (podcast available) FANTASY
The narrator of the story likes to make up stories about gods and monsters, and tells those stories, as the old fairytales and myths do, to explain the inexplicable in the world. In her case, it’s a way of dealing with her partner’s terminal cancer, her own caregiving role, and her fears about what she’ll do after her partner’s inevitable death. At the same time, and this is the SFnal bit of the story, she’s growing fingers. All over her body. Dozens and dozens of them. It seems to be a metaphor for all the feelings she can’t truly express. But the last myth she tells them both is about the burning mercy of angels. And then she becomes one in the only way left. This is a heartbreaker, but it’s also disjointed in the telling and that blunts some of the impact. Escape Rating C

“Never Eaten Vegetables” by H.H. Pak from Clarkesworld (podcast available) SCIENCE FICTION
2026 Hugo Award Winner in the Best Novelette Category.
Previously reviewed: https://www.readingreality.net/2026/0... Escape Rating A

“Made to Be Broken” by Kari Maaren from The Orange & Bee FANTASY
This was lovely – and very, very weird. It’s like someone took the weird insanity of Alice in Wonderland and dialed it up to, not merely 11 but more like 22. Or higher. It’s also a story about the power of stories and the way that stories are “supposed” to happen versus what actually happens when the person in the story makes their own decisions about the way things are going to go. If you like the fractured fairy tales of Alix E. Harrow’s A Spindle Splintered, you’ll love this story. I certainly did. Escape Rating A

“Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure” by Kanyin Olorunnisola from khōréō SCIENCE FICTION
This story is the science fictional version of “Resurrection Rum”. Not precisely but they both begin from the same root. That bigotry has nothing to do with anything people of color actually say or do, but with the way that too many white people are ingrained with the inheritance of all the prejudices that have been handed down. This story takes the form of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” game that might as well be “choose your own death” game. That in each iteration of the game, where the player’s avatar is a young black man, any action is the wrong one no matter how hard they try. And Escape Rating of B because it takes the reader a while to get how this is happening, but then it’s chillingly more like a ‘Reality Rating’

“Chickenfoot Soup” by Marika Bailey from Lightspeed (podcast available) FANTASY
This is a Baba Yaga story, which makes it a story about female power and female rage. While the tone of it recalled Veronica Roth’s Curse Bearer series, the way the story worked read a lot like all those internet “fix-it” stories – you know, the ones that are at least partially AI generated – about crazy family dynamics and learning to stand up for yourself against your own family’s craziness. Because it’s that kind of family, and the villain is her mother’s need to whittle her down at every opportunity. It was kind of fun while I was reading but didn’t necessarily stick. Escape Rating B

“Catch a Tiger in the Snow” by Ray Nayler from Asimov’s Science Fiction (podcast available) SCIENCE FICTION
I went into this one expecting to be fascinated, because this author’s work always fascinates me. This did not disappoint. It is science fiction, in the sense that it’s about a technology that does not exist to help people surgically forget pieces of their memories. And there’s irony in that. It’s also about a beautiful tragedy of a relationship that can’t possibly last – and doesn’t. Most of all, it’s about the ephemeral nature of memory and the paradoxical desire to be remembered, in full, in one perfect moment – and how we cling to such memories of others. The whole is considerably greater than the sum of this one’s parts and now that I’ve read it I’m astonished that it did not make the Hugo ballot. Escape Rating A

“Squid Teeth” by Sarah Langan from Reactor FANTASY
This one really got to me. On the surface, it’s a story about creativity and craft and the price that people will pay to live their dream. From another perspective, it’s about the tyranny of any group that can restrict access to fame and work and validation and fallacy of being forced to pay a certain kind of dues. And it’s about discovering that some gifts really do come at much too high a price, to the point where the gift is a curse but the recipient has to keep up the act to preserve a status quo they’re not a tortured part of. Also, ironically, this story is a bit of a mirror image to “Five Things You Can See”, where in that story the character’s future self comes back to warn her and she listens. In this story, she does not, to her endless regret. Escape Rating A

“An Even Greater Cold to Come” by Rich Larson from Clarkesworld (podcast available) SCIENCE FICTION
I listened to this one the same night I listened to Catch a Tiger in the Snow, and it reminded me a LOT of Nayler’s Palaces of the Crow. This is also a story about a terrible war that turns former neighbors into rapacious survivors, and one little family’s resistance. We’re not sure about which war or which country – and the monster that helps them survive at the end is not detailed, but it’s very like Palaces in tone and implication and frozen horror. IMHO it would have been better if we knew just a bit more. Escape Rating B

“A Nameless Thing” by P. C. Verrone from FIYAH FANTASY
This is fantasy, but it’s so dark it trips right over the line into horror. On the one hand, it’s the late 1960s and J. Edgar Hoover is still running the FBI and stalking all the protest groups, especially the Black Power groups such as the Black Panthers even as the Civil Rights Movement is heating up and pressing for change. That’s enough horror right there. But there’s also the horror of a black man with two secrets – he’s gay AND he’s host to a monster who is using his body to sate both of their desires, for bodies to fuck and bodies to eat. This could also be the origin story for either a superhero or a supervillain – depending on perspective. There’s a lot packed in her and it’s creepy on multiple levels. The real life historical consequences landed harder for me than the monster, but the poor guy figuring out what was happening made for some serious body horror shivers. Escape Rating B

“The Patron” by Thomas Ha from Sunday Morning Transport SCIENCE FICTION
This reminded me more than a bit of the author’s Hugo Award Winning Short Story, “In My Country”, as it’s a story about things that are not and cannot be said. But it’s also about the increasing isolation in which all of us live, and the way that the rich and the powerful “farm out” the work of relationships and intimacy, like childcare, to strangers and the “hired help”. In this story there are lonely wheels within lonely wheels, as one worker is contracted to pretend fatherhood by a boy who is trying to manipulate the system to acquire a “real” family for himself. It’s not a happy story, and it doesn’t end hopefully, but it feels much too plausible for comfort, which is precisely what SF is supposed to be. Escape Rating B+

“The Name Ziya” by Wen-yi Lee from Reactor FANTASY
This is a story about identity and assimilation that will remind readers a lot of Premee Mohamed’s Annual Migration of Clouds series. Ziya, the daughter of a poor, rural settlement, has been accepted into a prestigious university on a partial scholarship. The only way to afford this better future is to sell her past, in the form of the magical glyphs of her name. Glyphs that the wealthier students buy as adornment. With her brighter economic future, her parents buy a part of her name back – but it no longer fits, no matter how much she wants it to. This dark academia story asks some big questions about education, assimilation and identity along with culture appropriation. It’s also one of the stories that straddles genre lines, in this case between Fantasy and SFnal steampunk/gaslamp. Escape Rating A-

“We, the Fleet” by Alex T. Singer from Clarkesworld (podcast available) SCIENCE FICTION
At first, I wondered if ‘the Fleet’ was transforming Margo into either Edi from Mass Effect or a Borg from Star Trek. And so was Margo herself. The story was great because it didn’t go to either of those places, instead becoming a contrast of isolated civilizations with the same goal – to make a home for themselves among the stars. That the Fleet are a hive colony of queens and mindships, and the humans a matriarchal society of desperately limited resources, gave the two sides both an understandable fear of ‘the other’ and a desperate enough need to figure out how to achieve a whole that might possibly be greater – or at least more innovating and interesting – than the sum of either of their original parts. Escape Rating A

“The Knight and the Butcherbird” by Alix E. Harrow FANTASY
Previously reviewed: https://www.readingreality.net/2025/0.... Escape Rating A

Originally published at Reading Reality

[Isabel Sapp · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing early access to an audiobook copy of this collection!

Olivie Blake: I owe you my life. This is my favorite American sci-fi and fantasy collection ever, and Blake's careful curation bleeds through in every story. From quick thought experiments to epic fantasies to magical realism, Blake has compiled a truly wonderful, emotional, and dynamic addition to the Year's Best series. Fantastic!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for my advanced copy

I really enjoyed this collection. I thought that most of it was really entertaining, even the ones that I maybe didn't enjoy so much.

Not a very detailed review here as I read this while preparing for my dissertation prospectus.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wished I liked more of the stories in this book but there were maybe 2 or 3 I enjoyed. Reading the rest was starting to feel like a chore.

Most years I read "The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy" to find new authors not on my radar but these were a lot of returning authors who's work I was already familiar with. To be frank a lot of them sounded the same. They had the same voice, same vibes. I think that is due to the editing of Olivie Blake.

If you pick this up, I hope you like it more.

Obviously "The Knight and the Butcherbird" by Alix E. Harrow is one of my favorite stories but then I'd just recommend reading her collection, Slantwise Stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an Advanced Digital Copy of this book to read and review!

[Maykala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love picking up The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. It feels like a celebration of science fiction and fantasy, and short stories, which often don’t get the recognition they deserve. I also love that these collections are edited by writers themselves. Getting a glimpse of what authors enjoy reading is always interesting to me.

This collection is full of thought provoking stories. Some of the themes of these stories that really stood out to me are loneliness, community, and perseverance. I have included my ratings of each story below. I have read a few of these collections at this point and I think this is the best collection of stories I’ve read from a The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy collection yet. I always say that this is a great way to sample or find new writers to read from. I found so many writers I will be making sure to follow from now on.

I highly recommend this collection to readers of science fiction and fantasy or for readers interested in getting into the genre. This collection reflects how varied and unique this genre is. Any reader will likely find a story that fits their taste!


Ratings for each story:
In My Country ★ ★ ★ ★
Thomas Ha

Resurrection Rum ★ ★ ★
Stephanie Malia Morris

Shorted ★ ★ ★
Alex Irvine

Drosera Regina★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A.L. Goldfuss

Five Things You Can See ★ ★ ★1/2
Nadia Radovich

Human Voices ★ ★ ★ ★
Isabel J. Kim

Domestic Disputes ★ ★ ★1/2
Naomi Kanakia

What We Don’t Know About Angels ★ ★ ★1/2
Kristina Ten

Never Eaten Vegetables ★ ★
H.H. Pak

Made to Be Broken ★ ★ ★ ★
Kari Maaren

Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure ★ ★ ★ ★
Kanyin Olorunnisola

Chickenfoot Soup ★ ★ ★ ★
Marika Bailey

Catch a Tiger in the Snow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ray Naylor

Squid Teeth ★ ★ ★
Sarah Langan

An Even Greater Cold to Come ★ ★ ★ ★
Rich Larson

A Nameless Thing ★ ★ ★ ★
P.C. Verrone

The Patron ★ ★ ★ ★
Thomas Ha

The Name Ziya ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Wen-yi Lee

We, the Fleet ★ ★
Alex T. Singer

The Knight and the Butcherbird ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Alix E. Harrow

*e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Nyssa (Read & Reasoned) · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. This anthology is for science fiction and fantasy readers looking for original perspectives on what it means to be human, to be alive, and what it means to ask new questions about how we relate to others in the world.

The anthology starts with quiet. The first story is told from a father's point of view about his son who writes ambiguous stories in a world where certainty is the rule of law. Reminded me of classics like Brave New World, in that it examines, albeit briefly, what it would mean to be deliberately subversive in a society that rewards conformity. For fans of Black Mirror, particularly readers interested by the question, "What would happen if we kept on this path?"

Shorted is a not-so-subtle social-commentary-disguised-as-fiction told from the perspective of Damon, who lives in a time when a person's worth is determined by the value of the data they offer. The characters in this one are highly unlikable, which I think is very much the point.

I really liked Drosera Regina, particularly for the progression--I was impressed by the author's ability to create space in the story while still moving it forward, all within an anthology of other work. It felt like I was reading a standalone about a woman rediscovering herself and examining what it means to create balance in a world that would sooner see women harmed rather than hugged. This story would be great for fans of T. Kingfisher's more atmospheric, small-town-inhabiting stories that blend normalcy with nature horror.

Five Things You Can't See was my favorite, hands down. This is a highly relatable depiction of a young woman who uncovers the truth about her mother's work and the subsequent implications for her own future. If this were its own standalone novel, I'd buy and read it in a heartbeat. Excellently interesting premise that I can't even hint at here without spoiling it. Take my word for it, really great ingredients here.

Never Eaten Vegetables was oddly delightful. The story is told partly from the perspective of an unexpected narrator and, as a result, implicitly questions how empathy applies to different but nonetheless sentient beings. I really enjoyed the originality of this and how the author subtly unfolds all the pieces the reader needs to go "Oh. This is different." Really cool work.

If you're looking for a buffet-style reading session with some different perspectives, give this one a try.

I received an early copy of this from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Chuck Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big thanks to NetGalley and Marinier Books for the advance copy of this collection to read and review in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I think that this collection, as a whole, works very well. A good/equal crop of Sci-Fi and Fantasy tales that are as unique as the authors' writing, and I feel that there is something here for everyone who enjoys these two genres for sure. I think, as I'm sure all readers of these collections do, that some titles worked better than others, but they all feature great writing (in both description and plot) and deep themes that we can all relate to on some level.

The stories that I enjoyed the most included What We Don't Know About Angels by Kristina Ten, Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure by KANYIN Olorunnisola, A Nameless Thing by P. C. Verrone, and The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow.

In My Country by Thomas Ha - 3.5/5
Resurrection Rum by Stephanie Malia Morris - 3/5
Shorted by Alex Irvine - 3/5
Drosera regina by A. L. Goldfuss - 4/5
Five Things You Can See by Nadia Radovich - 3.5/5
Human Voices by Isabel J. Kim - 4/5
Domestic Disputes by Naomi Kanakia - 3.5/5
What We Don't Know About Angels by Kristina Ten - 4.5/5
Never Eaten Vegetables by H. H. Pak - 4/5
Made To Be Broken by Kari Maaren - 2/5
Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure by KANYIN Olorunnisola - 4.5/5
Chickenfoot Soup by Marika Bailey - 3/5
Catah a Tiger in the Snow by Ray Nayler - 3/5
Squid Teeth by Sarah Langan - 4/5
An Even Greater Cold to Come by Rich Larson - 4/5
A Nameless Thing by P. C. Verrone - 4.5/5
The Patron by Thomas Ha - 4/5
The Name Ziya by Wen-yi Lee - 3.5/5
We, the Fleet by Alex T. Singer - 3.5/5
The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow - 4.5/5

[Juli Stadler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a volume of "The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy." I like Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction. I haven't read much Fantasy, but I'm open to it. This book consists of twenty short stories, ten of each genre. While all of the stories were well-written, I liked just 9 of the 20, which is 45%. Olivie Blake's writing style is "all over the map," and that's a fair description of this anthology as well. If that appeals to you as a reader, you are going to love this book. Personally, I felt that the stories skewed a bit too much towards fantasy, including the science fiction stories. Some of the stories were a bit too playful/light-hearted for my taste. I like both Hard and Soft science fiction. My favorite kind of science fiction is Near Future. I also like Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Parallel Universes, Science Fiction Horror, and some Time Travel. Unfortunately, most of those subgenres were not well-represented in this volume. Even so, I plan to read more volumes of this series, several of which I already own, as I think the biggest challenge for me with this particular volume was a mismatch between Olivie Blake's taste and my own.

My favorite stories were:
"In My Country" by Thomas Ha
"Drosera regina" by A. L. Goldfuss
"Five Things You Can See" by Nadia Radovich
"Human Voices" by Isabel J. Kim
"What We Don't Know About Angels" by Kristina Ten
"Never Eaten Vegetables" by H. H. Pak
"Squid Teeth" by Sarah Langan
"An Even Greater Cold to Come" by Rich Larson
"The Patron" by Thomas Ha

Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the complimentary DRC. All opinions are my own.

[Jifu · Rating 4 out of 5]

(b>Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)

Although I do enjoy a good sci-fi or fantasy read, I often have trouble committing to full novels. So, collections like the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy from the longstanding Best American series work quite well for me. I can enjoy a rich variety of different stories in easily digestible pieces. And if I’m not a fan of any parts of the anthology, then at the very least I am still able to experience a brand new self-contained little world, and also likely experience a new writer and their unique style for the first time as well. Plus, given the nature of contemporary science fiction-fantasy writing and the ideas often layered behind them, I’m also likely able to come away with something new to mentally chew on.

So as to be expected, I had a good time with the 2026 edition of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy and the different worlds I was able to briefly escape into. The thoughtful selection was like the literary equivalent of a high quality chocolate sampler. And I’m sure it will be as good a treat for both the lighter sci-fi and fantasy enjoyers such as myself, and the heavier fans.

[Dave Hook · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2026, Olivie Blake & John Joseph Adams editors, October 2026 Mariner, includes ten short fiction stories each of fantasy and science fiction. Twelve of these were new to me. There is also great essay content, with a "Foreword" by series editor John Joseph Adams, an "Introduction" by editor Olivie Blake, "Contributor's Notes" which include some bio/career info on each author and some discussion by them on the stories, and essay "Other Notable Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025". My favorites were two superlative Thomas Ha stories, "The Patron", a short story, The Sunday Morning Transport April 2025 (new to me), and “In My Country”, a short story, Clarkesworld April 2025. My overall, average rating was 3.82/5, or "Great". Recommended. I continue to be very happy this series reprints short speculative fiction from North America.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted eARC!

This collection was so perfectly curated. Whether you enjoy sci-fi and fantasy “for the escape” or you want a safe way to explore themes that are very relevant to the current state of the world (terrifyingly so), I think any fan of the genre can find something in here that speaks to them! I’ve honestly been thinking about “Shorted” for days and desperately wish it didn’t actually seem like a potential glimpse into our future 😵‍💫 Overall I think these were fantastic stories and I continue to be impressed by how much a skilled author can pack into such a short amount of pages, and putting these stories in conversation with each other was just brilliant.

[Kaitlyn Cotton · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

I really enjoy getting to read a snapshot of the many fantasy & sci-fi short stories published each year with BASFF. Unfortunately, the collection this year just didn’t really hit home for me- it seems Olivia Blake (the 2026 edition editor) and I have different tastes when it comes to SF/F stories :(

That said, out of the stories included the ones I enjoyed most were “The Knight and the Butcherbird,” “Human Voices,” & “Never Eaten Vegetables.”

Thank you to Mariner Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

[Lori · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. There were none that I skipped over which I feel is both a good and bad thing. Most of these were in a very similar voice. Wither it was science fiction or fantasy, the stories kind of flowed into each other. So if you didnt like that style, you probably would not like much in the anthology. Fortunately, the stories were to my taste. I received an ARC of this work from Netgalley for my honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great and varied collection of science fiction and fantasy work. from 2026 The stories are all so different and really interesting. My favorites included, In My Country, Five Things You Can See, Human Voices, and Squid Teeth. But all of the works are well worth reading.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Andi Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story books are always a mixed bag, it is very good if you don’t have the time or want to start a long series. Otherwise overall most of the short stories included are all well written in a genre where it would be more difficult to create something meaningful and concise.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the advanced access to this book.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh! I honestly didn’t like my of these. As I am now 83 this may reflect more of where “my head’s at” than the appeal of some of these to younger readers. But, in general, I have found the field of science fiction greatly weakened by the intrusive world of fantasy,