More than in any other genres, anthologies—whether all-new material, reprints of older stories, or a combination of the two—have been central to the writing and reading of science fiction, fantasy, and horror for nearly a century. Anthologies have long been where speculative fiction experiments, tests boundaries, preserves its history, and inspires new generations of readers and writers.
So here are seven anthologies—some old, some new—that have inspired me as both a writer and an editor. I think they will do the same for you.
– Stephen Kotowych
Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41, edited by Jody Lynn Nye (Galaxy Press, 2025)
As a past winner of the Writers of the Future contest, I have to admit my bias here, but I always look forward to the latest volume in the WOTF series. Why? Because not only is the contest a huge accomplishment for the winning writers, but the contest has an unmatched track record of identifying the next generation of SFF stars—more than Clarion, more than any MFA program. Winners of the Writers of the Future contest this year will be the names appearing on the Hugo and Nebula ballots in a few years. Just watch.
Check out this year’s Grand Prize-winning story, “Ascii” by Randyn C. J. Bartholomew, as well as the stories of all the other winners, alongside fantastic illustrations by the winners of the Illustrators of the Future contest.
Dangerous Visions, [B0CKTYLJTJ] edited by Harlan Ellison (Doubleday, 1967)
It would be hard to make a list like this that doesn’t include what is probably the most influential (and controversial) single anthology of science fiction in the 20th Century.
Dangerous Visions is an anthology of 33 science fiction short stories that helped define what became known as the “New Wave” of science fiction. It broke from many of the tropes and cliches of SFF in the first half of the 20th Century and almost single-handedly redefined how readers (and writers) thought about the possibilities of science fiction.
After the King: Stories In Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien, [0765302071] edited by Martin H. Greenberg (Tor, 1991)
I picked this up as a Tolkien-obsessed 12-year-old, and it might be the first anthology of all-new SFF that I ever read. The book celebrates the centenary of J.R.R. Tolkien’s birth, and though not set in Middle-earth, the stories are all wonderful. Terry Pratchett’s story “Troll Bridge” in particular has stuck with me all these years.
Other contributors include an incredible lineup of SFF authors like Peter S. Beagle, John Brunner, Stephen R. Donaldson, Andre Norton, Harry Turtledove, and Jane Yolen, amongst others.
New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color, [B07MQFYDDF] edited by Nisi Shawl (Solaris, 2019)
Winner of the 2020 Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Ignyte, and Brave New Words Awards, New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color dazzles with the range of genres and tones included, which you don’t always find in a themed anthology of new work.
You’ll find hard science fiction, posthuman dystopias, as well as riffs on folklore and fairy tales, and stories that verge more on horror. Check out stories by Steven Barnes, Tobias Buckell, Hiromi Goto, Karin Lowachee, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Rebecca Roanhorse, amongst others. Plus, an introduction by LeVar Burton!
Derelict, [B094K2852K] edited by David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier (Zombies Need Brains, 2021)
I’m a sucker for stories about abandoned ships, be they starships adrift between the stars, or wave-tossed sailing ships found with their crew missing… Imagine my delight when I found a whole anthology of such tales!
Derelict is an independent press anthology featuring ghost ships, abandoned spaceships, and everything in between. Stand-out stories for me include those from Alex Bledsoe, Julie E. Czerneda, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, and Jana Paniccia, but all the stories in this excellent volume are worth your time.
Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Two, edited by Stephen Kotowych (Ansible Press, 2024)
Okay, so this isn’t some self-serving recommendation…well, it’s not entirely self-serving. Because this is legitimately a really good anthology! It recently won the 2025 Aurora Award (Volume One won the same award last year), and the series was previously a finalist for the World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology. Plus, Amazing Stories said that the book “belongs on every Canadian reader’s bookshelf,” so, like the man said, you don’t have to take my word for it.
Per capita, more world-class SFF writers hail from Canada than from any other nation, and Canadian authors routinely win or are nominated for the highest awards in the field. So, enjoy works from Cory Doctorow, Amal El-Mohtar, James Alan Gardner, Nalo Hopkinson, Ai Jiang, Premee Mohamed, and Kelly Robson (amongst others) and you’ll soon understand why.
Intergalactic Rejects, edited by Storm Humbert (Calendar of Fools, 2025)
This is such a great theme for an anthology: a collection of exciting, powerful science fiction and fantasy stories…that had all been rejected (sometimes a lot) before finally seeing publication. It’s proof for writers that just because the story you believe in gets rejected doesn’t mean it’s a bad story or poorly written. Sometimes, it just hasn’t found the right editor yet.
Each story includes an author’s note about its rejection history, and notable rejectees include Science Fiction Grand Masters and New York Times bestsellers like Samuel R. Delany, Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, and award-winning SFF authors like Robert J. Sawyer and Rich Larson, amongst others.
Stephen Kotowych is a World Fantasy Award finalist and winner of Canada’s Aurora Award, Spain’s Premi Ictineu, and the Writers of the Future Grand Prize. His stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies in Canada, the UK, and the US and have been translated into a dozen languages.
He is the series editor for Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction and SFWA’s Nebula Awards Showcase. His first collection of short stories, Seven Against Tomorrow, is available now. Visit his website, www.kotowych.com.
Resources and other links of interest:
Free Online Writers Workshop
Enter Writers of the Future
Year’s Best Canadian SFF
