Table of Contents

• Introduction, Jonathan Strahan
• Some Desperado, Joe Abercrombie
• Zero for Conduct, Greg Egan
• Effigy Nights, Yoon Ha Lee
• Rosary and Goldenstar, Geoff Ryman
• The Sleeper and the Spindle, Neil Gaiman
• Cave and Julia, M. John Harrison
• The Herons of Mer de l’Ouest, M. Bennardo
• Water, Ramez Naam
• The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling, Ted Chiang
• The Ink Readers of Doi Saket, Thomas Olde Heuvelt
• Cherry Blossoms on the River of Souls, Richard Parks
• Rag and Bone, Priya Sharma
• The Book Seller, Lavie Tidhar
• The Sun and I, K. J. Parker
• The Promise of Space, James Patrick Kelly
• The Master Conjurer, Charlie Jane Anders
• The Pilgrim and the Angel, E. Lily Yu
• Entangled, Ian R Macleod
• Fade to Gold, Benjanun Sriduangkaew
• Selkie Stories Are for Losers, Sofia Samatar
• In Metal, In Bone, An Owomoyela
• Kormak the Lucky, Eleanor Arnason
• Sing, Karin Tidbeck
• Social Services, Madeline Ashby
• The Road of Needles, Caitlín R Kiernan
• Mystic Falls, Robert Reed
• The Queen of Night’s Aria, Ian McDonald
• The Irish Astronaut, Val Nolan

About the Author

Jonathan Strahan is a World Fantasy Award award-winning editor, anthologist, and podcaster. He has edited more than 70 books, is reviews editor for Locus, a consulting editor for Tor.com, and co-host and producer of the Hugo-nominated Coode Street Podcast.

Reviews

'"Best" in this context is more than its constituent parts, it's a demonstration of all that can be found: diversity of voice, subject and form; balance between new and established voices; work from a good range of original sources... Books as good as this should be of interest to any admirer of short fiction, regardless of genre.' The Guardian