8 Outstanding Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Collections
In 1973 celebrated writer Harlan Ellison announced the third and final volume of his unprecedented anthology series, but for reasons undisclosed, it was never completed. Now, six years after Ellison’s passing, science fiction’s most famous unpublished book is here. Provocative and controversial, wildly imaginative yet deeply grounded, these thirty-two never-before-published stories, essays, and poems stand as a testament to Ellison’s lifelong pursuit of art, uniting a diverse range of science fiction writers including Max Brooks, Edward Bryant, Cecil Castellucci, James S. A. Corey, Cory Doctorow, and many more.
What blooded me as a really feral reader in college was the discovery of short story collections. I’d always loved short stories, but this was next level. My freshman English composition teacher suggested I might like The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender, both of which play and upend genre. When I read through those books the first time, it was like my heart and mind caught fire. I learned how ambitious stories can be, and I immediately searched for more. Both books are weathered and beloved now, and I have spent over the last ten years trying to get my hand on as many genre and genre-bending collections as I can.
A Great Year For Short Story Collections
I’ve written many a time about my love of short stories, and in particular, I love to highlight those published by small presses and magazines. And oh my goodness, I think we’re in a golden age of collections. It’s amazing to me, as a writer, to hear that many agents and editors (not all! but a lot!) hesitate to take on such amazing books, when I firmly believe they are the backbone and conjuring place of the ground-breaking books we see today.
In this list of outstanding science fiction and fantasy collections, I am focusing on works that play under the speculative fiction umbrella, leaning more genre than literary. There are a couple of favorites that I will reiterate from previous posts, but I really wanted to make a list of as many new titles — as well as debut authors — as possible.
8 Outstanding Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Collections
Different Kinds of Defiance by Renan Bernardo
Nebula finalist and Ignyte nominee Renan Bernardo put together a stellar collection of solarpunk and climate change stories. During a time when we’re witnessing the effects of climate change first hand, Bernardo’s stories resonate with survival, tenderness, and ultimately, hope.
Limelight and Other Stories by Lyndsey Croal
If you’re interested in exploring science fiction stories about the mysteries of the universe and alternate futures, Lyndsey Croal’s collection from Shortwave Publishing is for you. Croal weaves together marvelous stories of human connections and relationships amidst epic science fiction scales.
Kindling: Stories by Kathleen Jennings
I have been a fan of Small Beer Press’s collections for years, so Kindling went on my TBR as soon as I heard about it. I really enjoyed Jennings’s novella Flyaway, so this 2024 collection was a real treat. There is a kindling in each character’s heart throughout this collection of fantastical stories, as well as throughout Jennings’s whole oeuvre. You should definitely check out her illustrations, too!
One Eye Opened in That Other Place by Christi Nogle
Shirley Jackson award-nominated and Bram Stoker-winner Christi Nogle is a titan in tales of horror and dread. In her latest collection with Flame Tree Press, Nogle adds fantasy, slipstream, and fabulism to the list of genres she artfully explores.
Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic by Tobi Ogundiran
From Undertow — one of my favorite presses — is an astonishing debut collection of immersive, dark stories. Last year was truly amazing for stellar short story collections. Shirley Jackson Award-nominated, Ogundiran’s imagination and genius use of dark fabulism is on full display here. And if you want to hear it in audio form, the story, “The Lady of the Yellow-Painted Library,” can be enjoyed on LeVar Burton Reads.
This is My Body, Given For You by Heather Parry
Oh my gosh, the title of this collection is so freaking good. Shortlisted for the 2024 Rubery Book Award, this collection of haunting stories from Haunt Publishing (an apt name for a press, indeed!) is full of dark tales of and about the body. With blood, tentacles, and bruised skin, this debut is sure to capture interest for the spooky season ahead.
Skin Thief: Stories by Suzan Palumbo
Skin Thief was my favorite read of 2023, and on the heels of its one-year anniversary in the world, I wanted to show this beautiful collection more love. This collection is raw, visceral, and bursting with ingenuity. From ghost stories to a heartbreaking mermaid tale, this collection will check all of your boxes for SFF genre brilliance. Additionally, Palumbo just had her latest book, Countess, released, and you should absolutely pick that up.
Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology edited by Wole Talabi
I am bending the definition of collections by highlighting an anthology (a collection is by one author whereas an anthology is a book of short stories by various authors), but I think this book deserves to be on this list nonetheless. Released in 2023, this anthology is a first of its kind, in which all stories are set in the same fictional world and utilize various African cultural worldviews. Because of that, it all feels even more like one grand experience, but with various styles. As such, this anthology is a fun, necessary, and inspiring read.
Read More Short Story Collections
I’m a huge fan of collections that explore any and every genre, yet I always find myself coming back to ones that specialize in science fiction, fantasy, and all the subgenres therein. And, as many of us short story writers will tell you: if you want to see more collections out in the world, you need to read them, support them, and ask for them. Celebrate collections! Share them with your fellow reading buddies. Because a good short story is just as sharp, just as powerful, and as full of depth, as its longer counterparts.
If you want to explore more short story collections or anthology inspiration, check out these posts:
