Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018
edited by N.K. Jemisin & John Joseph Adams
BASFF #4
The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor—a leading writer in the field—then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected—and most popular—of its kind.
Today’s readers of science fiction and fantasy have an appetite for stories that address a wide variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. There is an openness to experiment and pushing boundaries, combined with the classic desire to read about space ships and dragons, future technology and ancient magic, and the places where they intersect. Contemporary science fiction and fantasy looks to accomplish the same goal as ever—to illuminate what it means to be human. With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor N. K. Jemisin, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of SFF today, with Jemisin bringing her lyrical, endlessly curious point of view to the series’ latest edition.
The 2018 volume collects the best material published in 2017, selected by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor N.K. Jemisin.
Cover Artist: Julie Dillon
ISBN: 9781328834560
Format: Trade Paperback / Ebook
Publicity Contact: Sammy Brown <SamanthaRuth.Brown@hmhco.com>
Praise for Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018
An almost unheard-of diversity of tales absolutely sing in this superlative anthology of short speculative stories.
These tales are the year’s most innovative and interesting, prime examples of artists seeking to push the boundaries of their art. […] These are stories to take your breath away, to make you laugh, to bring you to despair, to give you hope, to creep you out, and even to break your heart. [A]ll are interesting, vibrant, and worthy.
Jemisin, the latest guest editor for this series, has chosen stories with themes similar to the ones that appear in her own short story collection, How Long ’til Black Future Month? (2018).[…] These are stories of accepting one’s true self and rejecting what others would make of you. Sometimes one must transform to escape, but the essence remains. The stories in this collection will leave the reader mournful, angry, and inspired.
This fourth book in the series preserves an overall sense of aesthetic continuity with those that came before, while also being emblazoned with Jemisin’s bold editorial stamp. The result is an excellent array of work that wonderfully celebrates diverse voices and styles, ranging far and wide in ideas and approaches but consistently delivering on quality. .[…] There is no doubt that if you want to get a sense of how far contemporary science fiction and fantasy can stretch, reading the annual The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy has become de rigueur.