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The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021
The best science fiction and fantasy stories of 2021, selected by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Veronica Roth.
This year’s selection of science fiction and fantasy stories, chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and bestselling author of the Divergent series Veronica Roth, showcases a crop of authors that are willing to experiment and tantalize readers with new takes on classic themes and by exchanging the ordinary for the avant-garde. Folktales and lore come alive, the dead rise, the depths of space are traversed, and magic threads itself through singular moments of love and loss, illuminating the circulatory nature of life, death, the in-between, and the hereafter. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 captures the all-too-real cataclysm of human nature, claiming its place in the series with compelling prose, lyrical composition, and curiosity’s never-ending pursuit of discovering the unknown.
This year’s selection of science fiction and fantasy stories, chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and bestselling author of the Divergent series Veronica Roth, showcases a crop of authors that are willing to experiment and tantalize readers with new takes on classic themes and by exchanging the ordinary for the avant-garde. Folktales and lore come alive, the dead rise, the depths of space are traversed, and magic threads itself through singular moments of love and loss, illuminating the circulatory nature of life, death, the in-between, and the hereafter. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 captures the all-too-real cataclysm of human nature, claiming its place in the series with compelling prose, lyrical composition, and curiosity’s never-ending pursuit of discovering the unknown.
432 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 2021
246 people are currently reading
700 people want to read
About the author
Veronica Roth
75 books462k followersVeronica Roth is the New York Times best-selling author of When Among Crows, Arch-Conspirator, Poster Girl, Chosen Ones, the Carve the Mark series, and the Divergent series. She lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
November 18, 2021
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 collects short F&SF stories published in 2020. The Foreword and Introduction describe the full selection criteria, which are quite complex, but they boil down to this: series editor John Joseph Adams tried to read every short speculative fiction published for the year (in English, in North America, anyway), and honestly did a fairly thorough job. Adams then chose the ones he most admired, and passed his long list on to this year's editor Veronica Roth, who then selected the final cut without knowing author or publication.
This process, though involved, results in some pretty strong contenders for sf which might actually be among the "best" of the year... although 2020 was a very fraught year for forward-looking fiction in general, and if I had to pick a single word to describe the overall impact of this anthology, it would be "somber."
It's not all bad news, though. Adams' summary of the year in SF is well worth reading in detail—it's very similar to the late Gardner Dozois' yearly Summations, which I always enjoyed, and Adams is visibly happy to report that no major genre periodicals ceased publication in 2020, despite the pandemic.
Let's get to the stories, though, shall we? In order (courtesy this time of Barnes & Noble—since a surprising number of online references to this book did not sort the list!):
"Let's Play Dead," by Senaa Ahmad
"Survival Guide," by Karin Lowachee
This author is not new to me, and a welcome return. Lowachee's story is ambiguous in all the right ways, touching on the inevitability and importance of change, and how sometimes we go wrong for all the right reasons (and, less often, vice versa). This one is straight science fiction, too—brain implants and artificial intelligence, used to augment education... but Lowachee injects a humanistic warmth that significantly enhances the impact.
"Tiger's Feast," by KT Bryski
A surreal and terrifying escape from some heartbreakingly mundane schoolyard bullying.
"The Pill," by Meg Elison
Would it be worth it? To be exactly as thin as everyone else, once and for all?
"Crawfather," by Mel Kassel
This one's a reread for me, having originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. A great story about how family traditions can end up being toxic. Oh, and about a monster crayfish in a Minnie-soda lake.
"How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary," by Tochi Onyebuchi
I found this one rather dry, though it's very much of the moment as well.
"Our Language," by Yohanca Delgado
"Schrödinger's Catastrophe," by Gene Doucette
We may not always like reality but at least it's, y'know, reliable.
"The Cleaners," by Ken Liu
The traces we leave behind... what sort of people could bring themselves to come behind and clean those off?
"Beyond the Dragon's Gate," by Yoon Ha Lee
There are those who believe that body and mind are separable—a dualism that baffles the meat my soul inhabits.
"And This Is How to Stay Alive," by Shingai Njeri Kagunda
Triggers swarming. How to know what one cannot know for another. An African view of time. Most of all, though, this one features hope.
"The Beast Adjoins," by Ted Kosmatka
The bitter consequences of a choice made long ago. I do not think this story's conceit can be true, but like another Ted's tales, this one feels inevitable.
"The Long Walk," by Kate Elliott
Welcome to an exotic fantasy land (here there be dragons!) where women... still serve men, in all the usual ways. But not inevitably. A long story, as well as a long walk, but worth it in the end.
"One Time, a Reluctant Traveler," by A. T. Greenblatt
A graceful and disturbing post-apocalyptic tale of a trek up a mountain to the impossible ocean at its summit.
"Glass Bottle Dancer," by Celeste Rita Baker
"Skipping Stones in the Dark," by Amman Sabet
Any parent has blind spots—even the stern and loving AI in charge of the generation ship once called The Fold. This one was also in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, although somehow I missed it there; I'm glad I had another chance to read it.
"The Plague Doctors," by Karen Lord
Too close to the bone, perhaps, to come during a pandemic—but still, press YES.
"Two Truths and a Lie," by Sarah Pinsker
"Brother Rifle," by Daryl Gregory
Pick a card; pick any card... I can see why Gregory gets talked about so much.
"The Rat," by Yohanca Delgado
*
After the stories themselves come the "Contributors' Notes"—do read them—and Adams' longlist of "Other Notable Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories of 2020," a chance to compare Roth's choices against your own impressions for the year, if you're so inclined.
*
I've recently run across some older SF anthologies, and been less than impressed with how they'd aged—which makes me wonder whether, in 35 years, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 will seem as myopic as The 1986 Annual World's Best SF does to me now?
Somehow, I don't think so. These stories—while they may not be entirely timeless—were selected with much more care, and from a much wider field that has only matured in the meantime. If they do seem archaic in another generation's time, it could only be because speculative fiction has continued to grow.
And how could that be a bad thing?
This process, though involved, results in some pretty strong contenders for sf which might actually be among the "best" of the year... although 2020 was a very fraught year for forward-looking fiction in general, and if I had to pick a single word to describe the overall impact of this anthology, it would be "somber."
It's not all bad news, though. Adams' summary of the year in SF is well worth reading in detail—it's very similar to the late Gardner Dozois' yearly Summations, which I always enjoyed, and Adams is visibly happy to report that no major genre periodicals ceased publication in 2020, despite the pandemic.
Let's get to the stories, though, shall we? In order (courtesy this time of Barnes & Noble—since a surprising number of online references to this book did not sort the list!):
"Let's Play Dead," by Senaa Ahmad
{...}she's got to believe that the universe has a long memory and a short temper and that this, this is nothing—they will still be here, in the walls, under the floors, teeming, multiplying, ravenous, devouring, surviving.This author is new to me, and a welcome novelty. The story is from The Paris Review, too—not your typical sf venue, and not a periodical I normally read. "Let's Play Dead" defiantly refuses to explain itself—and it's all the more effective for that.
—p.8
"Survival Guide," by Karin Lowachee
This author is not new to me, and a welcome return. Lowachee's story is ambiguous in all the right ways, touching on the inevitability and importance of change, and how sometimes we go wrong for all the right reasons (and, less often, vice versa). This one is straight science fiction, too—brain implants and artificial intelligence, used to augment education... but Lowachee injects a humanistic warmth that significantly enhances the impact.
"Tiger's Feast," by KT Bryski
A surreal and terrifying escape from some heartbreakingly mundane schoolyard bullying.
"The Pill," by Meg Elison
Would it be worth it? To be exactly as thin as everyone else, once and for all?
"Crawfather," by Mel Kassel
This one's a reread for me, having originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. A great story about how family traditions can end up being toxic. Oh, and about a monster crayfish in a Minnie-soda lake.
"How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary," by Tochi Onyebuchi
I found this one rather dry, though it's very much of the moment as well.
"Our Language," by Yohanca Delgado
Can you imagine a more dangerous monster than one who reads?The legend of the cigualpa, of women transformed, becoming smaller yet more powerful, invites comparison with James Tiptree, Jr..
—p.98
"Schrödinger's Catastrophe," by Gene Doucette
We may not always like reality but at least it's, y'know, reliable.
"The Cleaners," by Ken Liu
The traces we leave behind... what sort of people could bring themselves to come behind and clean those off?
"Beyond the Dragon's Gate," by Yoon Ha Lee
There are those who believe that body and mind are separable—a dualism that baffles the meat my soul inhabits.
"And This Is How to Stay Alive," by Shingai Njeri Kagunda
Triggers swarming. How to know what one cannot know for another. An African view of time. Most of all, though, this one features hope.
"The Beast Adjoins," by Ted Kosmatka
The bitter consequences of a choice made long ago. I do not think this story's conceit can be true, but like another Ted's tales, this one feels inevitable.
"The Long Walk," by Kate Elliott
Welcome to an exotic fantasy land (here there be dragons!) where women... still serve men, in all the usual ways. But not inevitably. A long story, as well as a long walk, but worth it in the end.
"One Time, a Reluctant Traveler," by A. T. Greenblatt
A graceful and disturbing post-apocalyptic tale of a trek up a mountain to the impossible ocean at its summit.
"Glass Bottle Dancer," by Celeste Rita Baker
"Once you born, safe done."A proud Black mama's Island dialect propels this story about someone old learning something new.
—p.282
"Skipping Stones in the Dark," by Amman Sabet
Any parent has blind spots—even the stern and loving AI in charge of the generation ship once called The Fold. This one was also in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, although somehow I missed it there; I'm glad I had another chance to read it.
"The Plague Doctors," by Karen Lord
Too close to the bone, perhaps, to come during a pandemic—but still, press YES.
"Two Truths and a Lie," by Sarah Pinsker
Great. Now she'd creeped herself out without his help.Pinsker's A Song for a New Day began my plague year. This one's unrelated to that novel, but no less powerful for that.
—p.334
"Brother Rifle," by Daryl Gregory
Pick a card; pick any card... I can see why Gregory gets talked about so much.
"The Rat," by Yohanca Delgado
After a few tense minutes, I finally do what I do best: I scurry across the room, yank the blinds down, and hope the problem goes away.Delgado's the only author to appear twice in this anthology—and given the blind nature of the selection process, that says a lot about the power of her stories.
—p.381
*
After the stories themselves come the "Contributors' Notes"—do read them—and Adams' longlist of "Other Notable Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories of 2020," a chance to compare Roth's choices against your own impressions for the year, if you're so inclined.
*
I've recently run across some older SF anthologies, and been less than impressed with how they'd aged—which makes me wonder whether, in 35 years, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 will seem as myopic as The 1986 Annual World's Best SF does to me now?
Somehow, I don't think so. These stories—while they may not be entirely timeless—were selected with much more care, and from a much wider field that has only matured in the meantime. If they do seem archaic in another generation's time, it could only be because speculative fiction has continued to grow.
And how could that be a bad thing?
October 18, 2021
The series editor, J.J. Adams, selects 80 stories and strips all identifying info and sends them to the guest editor, who downselects to 20 to publish. Theoretically, the guest editor doesn't know the authors or publication sources. It makes for an interesting selection, and sometimes means an author has two stories in this 'best of' collection (normally not done in most 'best of' anthologies).
It's interesting to see what each guest editor seems to prefer. In this one, Veronica Roth seems to focus on the dilemmas of young adults (not a surprise for the author of the Divergent series), especially young women. When Carmen Maria Machado was guest editor, a lot of the stories seemed to trend towards horror or dark fantasy, with many stories from Nightmare magazine.
Nevertheless, these are excellent stories for the most part. Some were published in non-SF media, which is a welcome change to most 'best of' books. Still, even though the stories are chosen blindly, some of the same authors tend to crop up, like Ken Liu, Sarah Pinsker and Daryl Gregory. Some newcomers are quite impressive, though, like Meg Elison and Yohanca Delgado (who has two stories in this volume).
It's interesting to see what each guest editor seems to prefer. In this one, Veronica Roth seems to focus on the dilemmas of young adults (not a surprise for the author of the Divergent series), especially young women. When Carmen Maria Machado was guest editor, a lot of the stories seemed to trend towards horror or dark fantasy, with many stories from Nightmare magazine.
Nevertheless, these are excellent stories for the most part. Some were published in non-SF media, which is a welcome change to most 'best of' books. Still, even though the stories are chosen blindly, some of the same authors tend to crop up, like Ken Liu, Sarah Pinsker and Daryl Gregory. Some newcomers are quite impressive, though, like Meg Elison and Yohanca Delgado (who has two stories in this volume).
January 25, 2022
A good collection of stories. Average story rating came out to 3.65, but I bumped it up a bit for the general enjoyment I got out of reading this anthology. Full reviews (with some spoilers) below.
April 12, 2022
As usual, a good mix, with the disadvantage that you'll probably dislike as many as you like. Once you get used to expecting that from a Best of the Year, it's fine. And makes us appreciate how hard it must be to be the editors who choose these, trying to give all angles a voice.
Worth reading, but most of the stories didn't stick with me afterward.
Worth reading, but most of the stories didn't stick with me afterward.
February 26, 2022
Anthologies are always a mixed bag, and this was no different. Particular favorites, in descending order of how much I enjoyed them :
* Schrodinger’s Catastrophe by Gene Doucette - This was an extremely interesting idea that was hilariously executed. Comedic science fiction has a very high bar in my head, so this one really impressed me.
* How to Pay Reparations: a Documentary by Tochi Onyebuchi - A great example of how "good intentions" are almost always never enough.
* Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker - Deliciously creepy, love me some good horror.
* Crawfather by Mel Kassel - Straight up weird, with an extremely funny ending. A good riff on the clash between family traditions and modernity.
* The Pill by Meg Elison - Sometimes the best science fiction is about things that are not too implausible, and this story is almost certainly in that category
* And This is How to Stay Alive by Shingai Njeri Kagunda - Beautiful tale that plays around with the idea of time and memory
* The Plague Doctors by Karen Lord - Nothing special, but just a simple, good 'ol pandemic story.
* Schrodinger’s Catastrophe by Gene Doucette - This was an extremely interesting idea that was hilariously executed. Comedic science fiction has a very high bar in my head, so this one really impressed me.
* How to Pay Reparations: a Documentary by Tochi Onyebuchi - A great example of how "good intentions" are almost always never enough.
* Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker - Deliciously creepy, love me some good horror.
* Crawfather by Mel Kassel - Straight up weird, with an extremely funny ending. A good riff on the clash between family traditions and modernity.
* The Pill by Meg Elison - Sometimes the best science fiction is about things that are not too implausible, and this story is almost certainly in that category
* And This is How to Stay Alive by Shingai Njeri Kagunda - Beautiful tale that plays around with the idea of time and memory
* The Plague Doctors by Karen Lord - Nothing special, but just a simple, good 'ol pandemic story.
June 7, 2022
It’s just thinner, more lightweight than a Dozois Anthology. Stories on AI non sentience and women with dragons have some heft but many of the stories are lightweight shrugs.
Reading the author’s notes just adds to the disfavor as there are many Clarion alums (are we to believe there’s no bias there), and story explanations that are so precious with a Woke message.
I doubt I’ll read another.
Reading the author’s notes just adds to the disfavor as there are many Clarion alums (are we to believe there’s no bias there), and story explanations that are so precious with a Woke message.
I doubt I’ll read another.
Read
August 20, 2025I only read three of these stories, but they were about: a pandemic (written in 2019), an algorithm for reparations, and a weight-loss pill. So, sci-fi is obsolete now.
October 2, 2022
ALL YEAR LONG, I was looking forward to October because that's when the annual Best American anthologies come out; I've been obsessed with the series for far, far, far too long and have a catastrophe backlog but have managed to stay utd with the SF&F series since it began in 2015.
This volume? Chef's kiss, and not just because I had just one DNF!
Four stories worth rereading, and rereading again:
KT Bryski's "Tiger's Feast" (sin-eating imaginary friend trasfiguration)
Mel Kassel's "Crawfather" (like a Crawdad, but really, REALLY big)
Ted Kosmatka's "The Beast Adjoins" (gnarliest NGE monsters and it broke my heart in half)
Amman Sabet's "Skipping Stones in the Dark" (sentient spaceship doesn't love you back).
WELLP. Turns out they don't come out until NOVEMBER this year and I'm terribly miffed but also happy to be back on track with 222 in 2022. No thanks to THE APOCALYPSE READER, our new totaled tallies are 159 down, 63 to go!
This volume? Chef's kiss, and not just because I had just one DNF!
Four stories worth rereading, and rereading again:
KT Bryski's "Tiger's Feast" (sin-eating imaginary friend trasfiguration)
Mel Kassel's "Crawfather" (like a Crawdad, but really, REALLY big)
Ted Kosmatka's "The Beast Adjoins" (gnarliest NGE monsters and it broke my heart in half)
Amman Sabet's "Skipping Stones in the Dark" (sentient spaceship doesn't love you back).
WELLP. Turns out they don't come out until NOVEMBER this year and I'm terribly miffed but also happy to be back on track with 222 in 2022. No thanks to THE APOCALYPSE READER, our new totaled tallies are 159 down, 63 to go!
February 14, 2023
This is a hard anthology for me to rate because most off the good stories in this I had already read before, and didn't reread them, so it felt like I mostly got the lowlights out of this book. Of the new to me stories in this I really liked Let's Play Dead by Senaa Ahmad, The Plague Doctors by Karen Lord, and Brother Rifle by Daryl Gregory. From the one's I had read before, The Pill by Meg Elison (which has lived rent free in my head for two years), How to Pay Reparations by Tochi Onyeabuchi, The Long Walk by Kate Elliot, and Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker are all great.
December 19, 2022
I never love all of the stories, but each year I find quite a few that blow my mind. Here are the top stories, the ones I taught in my workshops:
The Pill by Meg Elison—very original, quite moving, pretty dark and gruesome at times
Tiger’s Feast by KT Bryski—loved this one, good emotion, nice imagery
Crawfather by Mel Kassel—funny, dark, and original
The Long Walk by Kate Elliott—quite an epic saga, with a pretty satisfying ending
Skipping Stones in the Dark by Amman Sabet—unsettling, and nicely moving
The Cleaners by Ken Liu—my favorite story in the anthology, genuinely moving, nice structure
The Beast Adjoins by Ted Kosmatka—very original and quite compelling
The Pill by Meg Elison—very original, quite moving, pretty dark and gruesome at times
Tiger’s Feast by KT Bryski—loved this one, good emotion, nice imagery
Crawfather by Mel Kassel—funny, dark, and original
The Long Walk by Kate Elliott—quite an epic saga, with a pretty satisfying ending
Skipping Stones in the Dark by Amman Sabet—unsettling, and nicely moving
The Cleaners by Ken Liu—my favorite story in the anthology, genuinely moving, nice structure
The Beast Adjoins by Ted Kosmatka—very original and quite compelling
December 4, 2023
A few five-star stories & the rest a bit four-star (-ish).
May 13, 2023
Veronica Roth shows off her terrible taste with a collection of either boring or bad short stories. The book sets the bar high with the phenomenal "Let's Play Dead" by Senaa Ahmad, which I legitimately enjoyed and recommend to everybody; but outside this story and "The Pill" by Meg Elison, I wouldn't bother. I didn't finish the book, only got to page 175 of 440, but I got so tired of reading this that I don't want to finish it. There are so many stories here with cool ideas that just go nowhere; "The Cleaners", "How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary", and "Beyond the Dragon's Gate" could've been great if they concluded in a way that mattered. Then there's "Schrodinger's Catastrophe", which ropes you in with a suspenseful first few pages only to follow with a nonsensical, poor imitation of "A Hitchiker's Guide" and again, ends terribly. "The Crawfather" is a less-impactful "The Lottery". "Tiger's Feast" and "Our Language" weren't bad, and I would also recommend those two, but they weren't enough for me to make up for the others.
There's ten more stories I haven't read out of the twenty in this collection, and maybe I'll come back to them at some point. Otherwise, if this really is the best American science fiction and fantasy of 2021, we need to do much better.
There's ten more stories I haven't read out of the twenty in this collection, and maybe I'll come back to them at some point. Otherwise, if this really is the best American science fiction and fantasy of 2021, we need to do much better.
November 14, 2021
Veronica Roth and JJA did an amazing job as co-editors of this anthology! There was not a SINGLE bad story among them! My biggest problem with anthologies has always been that there's usually one or two stand-outs, a bunch of meh/all-right stories, and then some outright bad ones. I liked all twenty stories in here (at least to some extent), and there were a bunch I absolutely LOVED. I sat down with the intention of reading one or two stories and then coming back to the volume later, but I ended up finishing all of them. I've lived 20 grim experiences in one day! I can't review all of them, so I'm just going to list my favorite 5 stories:
1. The Pill, by Meg Elison
There was this story arc in Iron Man or Daredevil (can't remember which-- they both featured prominently in it) where Iron Man's personality got flipped and he creates this app that gives everyone Hollywood/fashion model visuals irl, but he uses the app to get people to spend more and more money on his products because the effects wear off after a while, so Daredevil confronts him about his amoral moneymaking schemes, but in the background, all these people are panicking and screaming TAKE OUR MONEY! WE MUST BE BEAUTIFUL!!! (*paraphrased).
The Pill is like the much darker version of that story, but with weight loss pills instead. Basically, you can just take this pill and shit out all your excess fat (BLEAGH!), but since that's really not a healthy or natural way to lose weight, there's a 10% chance of dying. While people are so skeptical about vaccines that they won't even risk a 1 in a million chance of death (*not exact figures), I just know they would totally risk a 1 in 10 chance of dying in order to be slim and beautiful. Is this really sci-fi?! 🤣
2. How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary, by Tochi Onyebuchi
This is so real it hurts. It's formatted like an interview transcript, but that doesn't make it any less impactful. It really gets at the heart of why social reform efforts often fail.
3. Our Language, by Yohanca Delgado
I didn't know what what La Ciguapa was until I read this. Man, folklore from other countries is always so interesting! I liked Delgado's interpretation of the ciguapa legend, framing it around colonialism and gender roles and all that.
4. The Long Walk, by Kate Elliott
WTF, THIS STORY MADE ME SO ANGRY! You know how in all the old stories, beautiful young maidens get sent off to be eaten by [insert mythical creature of choice] so that the village will be left alone or the harvest will be good or whatever? In the world of The Long Walk, young women are considered too valuable to be sacrificed like that (they can still cook and clean and be married off to wealthy men to pay off debts and bear sons and future sacrifices, after all), so instead, old women who have "outlived their use" are sent off as sacrifices to the dragons that guard this land. If your family has enough money, you can pay off the priests so they'll leave your elderly mother alone, but the priests will only accept generous and hefty sums of payment. So if you're poor or your family doesn't care enough about you to pay for you, you're fucked. I was wildly weeping inside my head because of how sad this whole premise is.
5. Two Truths and a Lie, by Sarah Pinsker
Uhhhh, was this supposed to go in a horror anthology instead? It's creepy af! Uncle Bob is the stuff of nightmares, not science fiction! 🤣 Although.... HMMMM, I can see a modern-day Twilight Zone episode featuring this plot. 🤔
**Oh, and an Honorable Mention to The Glass Bottle because that story made me laugh, even if one of the main characters was a roach. I have never joyously laughed while feeling so disgusted and scared before.
All the stories in this anthology were submitted/published during the pandemic, so a bunch of them contain themes of grief and isolation. I'm used to sci-fi not being a cheerful genre, but damn.
1. The Pill, by Meg Elison
There was this story arc in Iron Man or Daredevil (can't remember which-- they both featured prominently in it) where Iron Man's personality got flipped and he creates this app that gives everyone Hollywood/fashion model visuals irl, but he uses the app to get people to spend more and more money on his products because the effects wear off after a while, so Daredevil confronts him about his amoral moneymaking schemes, but in the background, all these people are panicking and screaming TAKE OUR MONEY! WE MUST BE BEAUTIFUL!!! (*paraphrased).
The Pill is like the much darker version of that story, but with weight loss pills instead. Basically, you can just take this pill and shit out all your excess fat (BLEAGH!), but since that's really not a healthy or natural way to lose weight, there's a 10% chance of dying. While people are so skeptical about vaccines that they won't even risk a 1 in a million chance of death (*not exact figures), I just know they would totally risk a 1 in 10 chance of dying in order to be slim and beautiful. Is this really sci-fi?! 🤣
2. How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary, by Tochi Onyebuchi
This is so real it hurts. It's formatted like an interview transcript, but that doesn't make it any less impactful. It really gets at the heart of why social reform efforts often fail.
3. Our Language, by Yohanca Delgado
I didn't know what what La Ciguapa was until I read this. Man, folklore from other countries is always so interesting! I liked Delgado's interpretation of the ciguapa legend, framing it around colonialism and gender roles and all that.
4. The Long Walk, by Kate Elliott
WTF, THIS STORY MADE ME SO ANGRY! You know how in all the old stories, beautiful young maidens get sent off to be eaten by [insert mythical creature of choice] so that the village will be left alone or the harvest will be good or whatever? In the world of The Long Walk, young women are considered too valuable to be sacrificed like that (they can still cook and clean and be married off to wealthy men to pay off debts and bear sons and future sacrifices, after all), so instead, old women who have "outlived their use" are sent off as sacrifices to the dragons that guard this land. If your family has enough money, you can pay off the priests so they'll leave your elderly mother alone, but the priests will only accept generous and hefty sums of payment. So if you're poor or your family doesn't care enough about you to pay for you, you're fucked. I was wildly weeping inside my head because of how sad this whole premise is.
5. Two Truths and a Lie, by Sarah Pinsker
Uhhhh, was this supposed to go in a horror anthology instead? It's creepy af! Uncle Bob is the stuff of nightmares, not science fiction! 🤣 Although.... HMMMM, I can see a modern-day Twilight Zone episode featuring this plot. 🤔
**Oh, and an Honorable Mention to The Glass Bottle because that story made me laugh, even if one of the main characters was a roach. I have never joyously laughed while feeling so disgusted and scared before.
All the stories in this anthology were submitted/published during the pandemic, so a bunch of them contain themes of grief and isolation. I'm used to sci-fi not being a cheerful genre, but damn.
March 17, 2022
Very interesting collection of sci fi and fantasy short stories! Some hit me more than others. I'm writing this review purely so I can remember and identify the stories later.
Let's Play Dead - Anne Boleyn won't stay dead.
Excellent start to the series - 5 stars
Survival Guide - Automated education system corrupting the minds of our youth.
It was okay - 3 stars
Tiger's Feast - Bullied girl feeds a tiger her rage.
It was okay - 3.5 stars
The Pill - Everyone wants a quick fix to thin-ness.
Disturbing, but good - 4 stars
Crawfather - Excellent title. Will never forget this story. Family legacy of fighting a monster.
5 stars
How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary - Reparations experiment and it's aftermath.
Good - 4 stars
Our Language - Girl grows up to be a Ciguapa, but is she really a monster?
Very good - 4.5 stars
Schrodinger's Catastrophe - An empty part of space that isn't quite empty, and a ship that gets too close.
Good, but predictable - 3.5 stars
The Cleaners - Gui runs the family business of cleaning memories.
Promising idea, but doesn't deliver - 2.5 stars
Beyond the Dragon's Gate - Anna Kim needs to find out why the ships are refusing to fly.
Thoughtful and interesting - 5 stars
And This is How to Stay Alive - Older sister mourns brother's death, but can she change it?
I liked it - 3.5 stars
The Beast Adjoins - Yet another AI story, but with a small, powerful twist.
I really liked it - 4.5 stars
The Long Walk - Old lady is sent away to die, but it doesn't go as planned.
I fell asleep while trying to finish this story. Feels like I should have liked it more than I did, but I found it aggravating - 2 stars
One Time, a Reluctant Traveler - girl mourning her family heads up to the mythical endless ocean at the top of the mountain.
It was okay - 3.5 stars
Glass Bottle Dancer - middle age lady takes up bottle dancing.
I had trouble with the language and didn't love it - 2 stars
Skipping Stones in the Dark - ship tells a story of it's passengers.
Reminding me of Aniara, which I just read last month. I enjoyed it - 4 stars
The Plague Doctors - Team on a small island tries to solve a pandemic.
I enjoyed it, but it could have been so much better. 3.5 stars
Two Truths and a Lie - Girl loses track of where her lies end and her truth begins.
I didn't get it. 1.5 stars
Brother Rifle - Marine goes through therapy to deal with head trauma.
It was predictable, but I still enjoyed it. 3.5 stars
The Rat - Girl tries to cut out her grief.
Ewww... 2 stars
Scores, divided by 20 = 3.5 stars, which feels about right. Five of the stories got a 2.5 or lower. That means 15 are a 3 or higher, and 8 were above a 4. That's actually pretty good - I'm a very tough grader. Since Goodreads doesn't allow half points, I will round this one up to a 4, as I'm glad I read it and definitely can recommend it.
Let's Play Dead - Anne Boleyn won't stay dead.
Excellent start to the series - 5 stars
Survival Guide - Automated education system corrupting the minds of our youth.
It was okay - 3 stars
Tiger's Feast - Bullied girl feeds a tiger her rage.
It was okay - 3.5 stars
The Pill - Everyone wants a quick fix to thin-ness.
Disturbing, but good - 4 stars
Crawfather - Excellent title. Will never forget this story. Family legacy of fighting a monster.
5 stars
How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary - Reparations experiment and it's aftermath.
Good - 4 stars
Our Language - Girl grows up to be a Ciguapa, but is she really a monster?
Very good - 4.5 stars
Schrodinger's Catastrophe - An empty part of space that isn't quite empty, and a ship that gets too close.
Good, but predictable - 3.5 stars
The Cleaners - Gui runs the family business of cleaning memories.
Promising idea, but doesn't deliver - 2.5 stars
Beyond the Dragon's Gate - Anna Kim needs to find out why the ships are refusing to fly.
Thoughtful and interesting - 5 stars
And This is How to Stay Alive - Older sister mourns brother's death, but can she change it?
I liked it - 3.5 stars
The Beast Adjoins - Yet another AI story, but with a small, powerful twist.
I really liked it - 4.5 stars
The Long Walk - Old lady is sent away to die, but it doesn't go as planned.
I fell asleep while trying to finish this story. Feels like I should have liked it more than I did, but I found it aggravating - 2 stars
One Time, a Reluctant Traveler - girl mourning her family heads up to the mythical endless ocean at the top of the mountain.
It was okay - 3.5 stars
Glass Bottle Dancer - middle age lady takes up bottle dancing.
I had trouble with the language and didn't love it - 2 stars
Skipping Stones in the Dark - ship tells a story of it's passengers.
Reminding me of Aniara, which I just read last month. I enjoyed it - 4 stars
The Plague Doctors - Team on a small island tries to solve a pandemic.
I enjoyed it, but it could have been so much better. 3.5 stars
Two Truths and a Lie - Girl loses track of where her lies end and her truth begins.
I didn't get it. 1.5 stars
Brother Rifle - Marine goes through therapy to deal with head trauma.
It was predictable, but I still enjoyed it. 3.5 stars
The Rat - Girl tries to cut out her grief.
Ewww... 2 stars
Scores, divided by 20 = 3.5 stars, which feels about right. Five of the stories got a 2.5 or lower. That means 15 are a 3 or higher, and 8 were above a 4. That's actually pretty good - I'm a very tough grader. Since Goodreads doesn't allow half points, I will round this one up to a 4, as I'm glad I read it and definitely can recommend it.
September 8, 2022
I am going to give this four stars because of a couple of standout stories.
This kind of collection inevitably is a mixed bag, but there was only one I didn't finish.
Most of these stories focus on young people and outsiders. Many deal with themes of transition and self-acceptance.
My favourite was the creepy horror story Two Truths And Lie, which, after I finished it and turned out the light, crawled out of the book into a dream that night. I awoke thinking I was just another lie.
This kind of collection inevitably is a mixed bag, but there was only one I didn't finish.
Most of these stories focus on young people and outsiders. Many deal with themes of transition and self-acceptance.
My favourite was the creepy horror story Two Truths And Lie, which, after I finished it and turned out the light, crawled out of the book into a dream that night. I awoke thinking I was just another lie.
January 4, 2022
Overall, these short stories were surprisingly average Science Fiction/Fantasy reads, but I really liked Tochi Onyebuchi's "How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary" and Yohanca Delgado's "Our Language".
November 16, 2022
This was the most uneven I've read in this series so far. My crude summary is that it feels like more stories were chosen for plot over writing quality, which honestly feels like a mean comment but accurate to my reading experience. Some great selections, too!
Read
January 23, 2022This took forever to read since it's 20 stories
But fuck it was awesome
Felt really inspired reading this
But fuck it was awesome
Felt really inspired reading this
April 3, 2022
Widely speculative collection, from mildly future to space to horror absurd. I most enjoyed The Pill (Meg Elison), Crawfather (Mel Kassel), Skipping Stones In the Dark (Amman Sabet), and Two Truths and a Lie (Sarah Pinsker).
June 21, 2022
Naturally with a collection some of the stories are going to be weaker than others, but even the weak ones in here are really good. And there are a few that are definitely going to stick with me.
May 13, 2024
Most of the stories were only ok. Was it because it was a selection of 2020 stories that most seemed to involve death?
December 8, 2021
I've read 11 of the 20 stories - I'll read the remaining 9, but this 'best of' falls into the more common trap of not really looking for the best stories, but looking for certain author identity and/or approved narrative. 2 of the 11 stories I've read so far have nothing to do with sci-fi/fantasy - one of them actually admits this in the author notes. It makes me think about all the great sci-fi/fantasy that gets left out because it doesn't check certain boxes.
As for the 11 stories I've read, they're good, some are even great. But truly, some are just so-so or clearly flawed. You can understand how it got published, but how it makes it to a top twenty list out of hundreds if not thousands of stories being read and considered - well - read my first paragraph again for that answer.
As for the 11 stories I've read, they're good, some are even great. But truly, some are just so-so or clearly flawed. You can understand how it got published, but how it makes it to a top twenty list out of hundreds if not thousands of stories being read and considered - well - read my first paragraph again for that answer.
November 17, 2022
Maybe my favorite in this series, good picks or maybe just a good year.
Let's Play Dead - 6.5/10
Don't have much to say
Tiger's Feast -6.5 or 7/10
Nice. Not usually a fan of these kind of literal metaphors but it was good
Survival Guide -6/10
The one guy being moody about his childhood friend's death like a decade later kinda ruined it, just didn't make sense, but nice world concept.
And this is how to stay alive - 5/10
I don't get what happened. Did she stay in the past or did the potion send her back in a dreamlike state? Writing was good
The Pill - 9/10 or 10/10,
My favorite story, there's nothing I'd change. World is amazing, build up of world is amazing, good plot, character is likable, interesting concept, excellent writing
the Crawfather - 6.5/10
Wasn't that invested and characters weren't filled out much. Okayish
How to Pay Reparations a Documentary - 5/10
Not particularly bad or good. Too much description, I didn't have a strong tension or a character to get invested in
Our language - 7/10
Very fun and I liked, could have had a stronger plot
Schrodinger's catastrophe - 6/10 (personally 3/10)
I can't put my finger on why I didn't like this, but I didn't. Objectively it wasn't bad at all
The Cleaner's -6.5/10
I liked but for some reason I wasn't invested
The Long Walk -9/10
Loved. Could have read this as a book. Amazing tension and frequently you didn't expect what would happen next. One of the two stories that really stuck out to me. Great worldbuilding
Beyond the Dragon's Gate - 5/10
I wish more happened, they mostly just talk
The Beast Adjoins - 8/10 or 9/10
Really really cool concept and the idea that she has made her son into a robot, and subjected him to infinity when he's not being observed, the worldbuilding and the rise of the robots, Very very good. Only reason this is an 8 and not a total 9 is because the ending doesn't hit for me
One Time a Reluctant Traveler - 6.5 or 7/10
fine
Two Truth's an a Lie - 8/10
Very cool
Skipping Stones in the Dark - 7/10
Cool, ending was a bit dissapointing. Could have been more
Glass Bottle Dancer - 9/10
Didn't totally fit sci fi or fantasy but I don't care cause it was really good. Loved it, there was something so charming about it
The Plague Doctors - 6/10
Fine enough, world wasn't built much. Ending too clean
Brother Rifle - 7/10
Mood is dark but good story overall. Interesting concept
The Rat -7.5/10
I liked the concept but I don't really know how grief connects to rats or that. Personally I like the traveling cutco salesmen a as a thing, objectively I might rate this lower
Let's Play Dead - 6.5/10
Don't have much to say
Tiger's Feast -6.5 or 7/10
Nice. Not usually a fan of these kind of literal metaphors but it was good
Survival Guide -6/10
The one guy being moody about his childhood friend's death like a decade later kinda ruined it, just didn't make sense, but nice world concept.
And this is how to stay alive - 5/10
I don't get what happened. Did she stay in the past or did the potion send her back in a dreamlike state? Writing was good
The Pill - 9/10 or 10/10,
My favorite story, there's nothing I'd change. World is amazing, build up of world is amazing, good plot, character is likable, interesting concept, excellent writing
the Crawfather - 6.5/10
Wasn't that invested and characters weren't filled out much. Okayish
How to Pay Reparations a Documentary - 5/10
Not particularly bad or good. Too much description, I didn't have a strong tension or a character to get invested in
Our language - 7/10
Very fun and I liked, could have had a stronger plot
Schrodinger's catastrophe - 6/10 (personally 3/10)
I can't put my finger on why I didn't like this, but I didn't. Objectively it wasn't bad at all
The Cleaner's -6.5/10
I liked but for some reason I wasn't invested
The Long Walk -9/10
Loved. Could have read this as a book. Amazing tension and frequently you didn't expect what would happen next. One of the two stories that really stuck out to me. Great worldbuilding
Beyond the Dragon's Gate - 5/10
I wish more happened, they mostly just talk
The Beast Adjoins - 8/10 or 9/10
Really really cool concept and the idea that she has made her son into a robot, and subjected him to infinity when he's not being observed, the worldbuilding and the rise of the robots, Very very good. Only reason this is an 8 and not a total 9 is because the ending doesn't hit for me
One Time a Reluctant Traveler - 6.5 or 7/10
fine
Two Truth's an a Lie - 8/10
Very cool
Skipping Stones in the Dark - 7/10
Cool, ending was a bit dissapointing. Could have been more
Glass Bottle Dancer - 9/10
Didn't totally fit sci fi or fantasy but I don't care cause it was really good. Loved it, there was something so charming about it
The Plague Doctors - 6/10
Fine enough, world wasn't built much. Ending too clean
Brother Rifle - 7/10
Mood is dark but good story overall. Interesting concept
The Rat -7.5/10
I liked the concept but I don't really know how grief connects to rats or that. Personally I like the traveling cutco salesmen a as a thing, objectively I might rate this lower
March 24, 2022
Solid 4 stars.
Pros
* The stories are very diverse in topics. I was afraid everything will be about pandemic this year, but there is literally just one story about it.
* The stories do not push for any political agenda. Somehow this became mainstream lately - writers don't write, but must show their political views and make sure the reader get them till the last details. I gave up on one sci-fi anthology recently, since I couldn't read pure propaganda in a story after story. This one promised in the introduction that stories will be for you to think through and unravel, and it delivered on this promise.
* Everything was very well written. Really, I enjoyed the language in each and every one, it was simply a pleasure to read. No compromises between a cool idea and "literature".
Cons
* While I liked the anthology overall, I don't think any of those stories will get Hugo or Nebula. They just didn't stick to me that much. Nice reading, nice ideas, nice language, but nothing extraordinary that I would remember as years pass by.
My two favorites - "The Pill" and "The Beast Adjoins". Why is in the spoilers
Pros
* The stories are very diverse in topics. I was afraid everything will be about pandemic this year, but there is literally just one story about it.
* The stories do not push for any political agenda. Somehow this became mainstream lately - writers don't write, but must show their political views and make sure the reader get them till the last details. I gave up on one sci-fi anthology recently, since I couldn't read pure propaganda in a story after story. This one promised in the introduction that stories will be for you to think through and unravel, and it delivered on this promise.
* Everything was very well written. Really, I enjoyed the language in each and every one, it was simply a pleasure to read. No compromises between a cool idea and "literature".
Cons
* While I liked the anthology overall, I don't think any of those stories will get Hugo or Nebula. They just didn't stick to me that much. Nice reading, nice ideas, nice language, but nothing extraordinary that I would remember as years pass by.
My two favorites - "The Pill" and "The Beast Adjoins". Why is in the spoilers
June 13, 2022
Given the worldwide events in 2020/2021, it's not unexpected that this might be an uneven anthology but this volume goes well beyond that with some head-scratchingly bad choices.
The outstanding work here is Kate Elliott's "The Long Walk" which packs not just a whole life but an entire beautifully imagined world into some forty pages. Nearly as good is Meg Elison's dark, visceral "The Pill". Elison's recent collection of short stories, Big Girl, in which 'The Pill' is included, now goes to the top of my TBR list.
I read these anthologies regularly in the hopes of finding interesting new voices in each one and here that voice was Yohanca Delgado's with two strong stories: "Our Language" and "The Rat". Mel Kassel is also new to me and her "Crawfather" added a welcome note of levity to a mostly serious group of tales. Shingai Njeri Kagunda's "And This is How to Stay Alive" is touching and and very well written but quite similar to other stories from African writers that I've read recently (I would still like to read more from Kagunda, though). Senaa Ahmad's experimental "Let's Play Dead" was amusing but more interesting in concept than successful in execution. KT Bryski's "Tiger's Feast", A. T. Greenblatt's "One Time, a Reluctant Traveler", and Amman Sabet's "Skipping Stones in the Dark" all have interesting moments and are worth reading although not fully satisfying. Of the rest, most are merely competent and a few shockingly bad.
Rebecca Roanhorse is the editor for the upcoming 2022 volume (to be released in November) and the projected table of contents looks much more promising than this group. *fingers crossed*
The outstanding work here is Kate Elliott's "The Long Walk" which packs not just a whole life but an entire beautifully imagined world into some forty pages. Nearly as good is Meg Elison's dark, visceral "The Pill". Elison's recent collection of short stories, Big Girl, in which 'The Pill' is included, now goes to the top of my TBR list.
I read these anthologies regularly in the hopes of finding interesting new voices in each one and here that voice was Yohanca Delgado's with two strong stories: "Our Language" and "The Rat". Mel Kassel is also new to me and her "Crawfather" added a welcome note of levity to a mostly serious group of tales. Shingai Njeri Kagunda's "And This is How to Stay Alive" is touching and and very well written but quite similar to other stories from African writers that I've read recently (I would still like to read more from Kagunda, though). Senaa Ahmad's experimental "Let's Play Dead" was amusing but more interesting in concept than successful in execution. KT Bryski's "Tiger's Feast", A. T. Greenblatt's "One Time, a Reluctant Traveler", and Amman Sabet's "Skipping Stones in the Dark" all have interesting moments and are worth reading although not fully satisfying. Of the rest, most are merely competent and a few shockingly bad.
Rebecca Roanhorse is the editor for the upcoming 2022 volume (to be released in November) and the projected table of contents looks much more promising than this group. *fingers crossed*
August 8, 2025
*3.5 stars*. Boy, this one is HARD for me to review. Just like any other anthology, there were some great stories, some good stories, and some not so good stories. I found all the stories interesting in their own ways with distinct themes but something was just off for me throughout the anthology. Maybe the fact that most stories seemed to have pretty unhappy/cynical/downer endings. I think part of that feeling was the time period these stories were written during-the pandemic-and that surely was a pretty depressing time. Also, it seemed like quite a few stories had a lot of ‘hard science’. I did still have some favorites: “Let’s Play Dead”-wow, powerful and on point-it will make you think; “The Pill”-man, oh man, I totally related to this one. Excellent and one of my absolute faves of the collection; “Crawfather”-humorous and fun with depth; “How to Pay Reparation: A Documentary”-this could have been an ACTUAL story in America’s history. Absolutely top notch, thought provoking, believable and a favorite; “Beyond the Dragon’s Gate”-beautiful and full of meaning; “The Beast Adjoins”-a story every person working on AI should read!; “The Long Walk”-seems appropriate for the direction women’s rights are headed right now-just read it.
Not my favorite out of this anthology series but I still recommend it. I really enjoy the contributor’s notes as I read each story-I like knowing some of why/how their idea/story came to fruition.
Not my favorite out of this anthology series but I still recommend it. I really enjoy the contributor’s notes as I read each story-I like knowing some of why/how their idea/story came to fruition.
January 22, 2022
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 is now out! The stories have been selected by series editor John Joseph Adams and a guest editor, the best-selling author Veronica Roth. Between fantasy and science fiction, there is a lot that this book covers. From a family’s grudge against a giant crawdad to AI-controlled generation spaceships. From African mysticism and indigenous views to experimental medicine to space flight, these stories cover a range of science fiction and fantasy themes. There are even lessons about how a small community deals with a plague.
The authors represented in this book reflect the diversity of the Americas, and their ideas reflect the same. Some of the stories are more whimsical while others remain serious, and many of the stories deal with grief, which after last two years some might find helpful. Short stories are a wonderful way to tell a tale, and these authors excel at the format. To be able to express a complete piece of fiction in under 18,000 words is an accomplishment. Having been selected as among the best short stories makes these tales worth reading. Fantasy and science fiction fans will all find something they like in this anthology.
This review was originally published at https://portlandbookreview.com/produc...
The authors represented in this book reflect the diversity of the Americas, and their ideas reflect the same. Some of the stories are more whimsical while others remain serious, and many of the stories deal with grief, which after last two years some might find helpful. Short stories are a wonderful way to tell a tale, and these authors excel at the format. To be able to express a complete piece of fiction in under 18,000 words is an accomplishment. Having been selected as among the best short stories makes these tales worth reading. Fantasy and science fiction fans will all find something they like in this anthology.
This review was originally published at https://portlandbookreview.com/produc...
November 24, 2022
An above-average anthology.
I don’t usually like anthologies because, as readers of anthologies know, the quality usually varies quite a bit between stories. This one is actually pretty strong.
Highlights:
“Let’s Play Dead,” which starts the anthology, is the right one to start with. It’s very good, not the best of the stories, but strong and it made me want to read more. It’s kind of alternate fiction, but not, about the violence men visit on women.
“The Pill,” is actually pretty great and one of the strongest in the anthology. It does what the best sci-fi does, which is introduce big concepts and ask hard questions. It also does what good short stories do, which is make me want to read more from the author.
“How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary,” is speculative fiction, but a bit of a disappointment, not because it’s not well written. Tochi Onyebuchi is an excellent writer, I enjoyed the exploration of reparations, and the story is well thought out. I just wanted a stronger emotional impact and I think the narrative device kind of blunts that.
“The Cleaners,” is simple but impactful. It suffers a little in comparison to some of the strongest efforts, but it moved me.
“The Beast Adjoins,” is more hardcore sci-fi. I liked everything about this one. The ending is also really, really good.
I don’t usually like anthologies because, as readers of anthologies know, the quality usually varies quite a bit between stories. This one is actually pretty strong.
Highlights:
“Let’s Play Dead,” which starts the anthology, is the right one to start with. It’s very good, not the best of the stories, but strong and it made me want to read more. It’s kind of alternate fiction, but not, about the violence men visit on women.
“The Pill,” is actually pretty great and one of the strongest in the anthology. It does what the best sci-fi does, which is introduce big concepts and ask hard questions. It also does what good short stories do, which is make me want to read more from the author.
“How to Pay Reparations: A Documentary,” is speculative fiction, but a bit of a disappointment, not because it’s not well written. Tochi Onyebuchi is an excellent writer, I enjoyed the exploration of reparations, and the story is well thought out. I just wanted a stronger emotional impact and I think the narrative device kind of blunts that.
“The Cleaners,” is simple but impactful. It suffers a little in comparison to some of the strongest efforts, but it moved me.
“The Beast Adjoins,” is more hardcore sci-fi. I liked everything about this one. The ending is also really, really good.
September 15, 2022
In order of what I liked - even if the values don’t wholly reflect such):
the pill ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2 truths and a lie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Schrodinger‘s catastrophe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
skipping stones in the dark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brother rifle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the rat ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
tiger’s feast ⭐️⭐️⭐️
survival guide ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One time, a reluctant traveler ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the plague doctors ⭐️⭐️⭐️
and this is how to stay alive ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our language ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
the cleaners⭐️⭐️
glass bottle dancer ⭐️⭐️.5
the long walk ⭐️.5
the beast adjoins ⭐️
how to pay reparations: a documentary ⭐️.5
Crawfather ⭐️
beyond the dragons gate ⭐️
let’s play dead ⭐️
In order of appearance:
let’s play dead ⭐️
survival guide ⭐️⭐️⭐️
tiger’s feast ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the pill ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Crawfather ⭐️
how to pay reparations: a documentary ⭐️.5
Our language ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Schrodinger‘s catastrophe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the cleaners⭐️⭐️
beyond the dragons gate ⭐️
and this is how to stay alive ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the beast adjoins ⭐️
the long walk ⭐️.5
One time, a reluctant traveler ⭐️⭐️⭐️
glass bottle dancer ⭐️⭐️.5
skipping stones in the dark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the plague doctors ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2 truths and a lie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brother rifle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the rat ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the pill ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2 truths and a lie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Schrodinger‘s catastrophe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
skipping stones in the dark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brother rifle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the rat ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
tiger’s feast ⭐️⭐️⭐️
survival guide ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One time, a reluctant traveler ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the plague doctors ⭐️⭐️⭐️
and this is how to stay alive ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our language ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
the cleaners⭐️⭐️
glass bottle dancer ⭐️⭐️.5
the long walk ⭐️.5
the beast adjoins ⭐️
how to pay reparations: a documentary ⭐️.5
Crawfather ⭐️
beyond the dragons gate ⭐️
let’s play dead ⭐️
In order of appearance:
let’s play dead ⭐️
survival guide ⭐️⭐️⭐️
tiger’s feast ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the pill ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Crawfather ⭐️
how to pay reparations: a documentary ⭐️.5
Our language ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Schrodinger‘s catastrophe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the cleaners⭐️⭐️
beyond the dragons gate ⭐️
and this is how to stay alive ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the beast adjoins ⭐️
the long walk ⭐️.5
One time, a reluctant traveler ⭐️⭐️⭐️
glass bottle dancer ⭐️⭐️.5
skipping stones in the dark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the plague doctors ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2 truths and a lie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brother rifle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the rat ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 8, 2022
I really enjoy JJA's anthologies, but of course, this has the twist of a second filter, the guest editor for the year selecting for inclusion 20 stories from his longer list of the best works. It then means that any given year's success is how well the guest editor aligns with your tastes. It turns out Veronica Roth is a pretty good match for me. I didn't have as strong reaction to some of them as she did, but I felt they were mostly good choices.
I'd read three of them previously--"Two Truths and a Lie" by Sarah Pinsker, "The Long Walk" by Kate Elliott, and "The Pill" by Meg Elison. I skipped the first two and reread the last, which tells you which one has haunted me the most since I first read it. Out of the new to me stories, I liked "Skipping Stones in the Dark" by Amman Sabet and "The Plague Doctors" by Karen Lord the best. "The Beast Adjoins" by Ted Kosmatka is the one most likely to give me nightmares. "Let's Play Dead" by Senaa Ahmad is one I'll probably be thinking about for a while.
All around, a solid collection.
I'd read three of them previously--"Two Truths and a Lie" by Sarah Pinsker, "The Long Walk" by Kate Elliott, and "The Pill" by Meg Elison. I skipped the first two and reread the last, which tells you which one has haunted me the most since I first read it. Out of the new to me stories, I liked "Skipping Stones in the Dark" by Amman Sabet and "The Plague Doctors" by Karen Lord the best. "The Beast Adjoins" by Ted Kosmatka is the one most likely to give me nightmares. "Let's Play Dead" by Senaa Ahmad is one I'll probably be thinking about for a while.
All around, a solid collection.
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