
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021
The Best American Series
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About this listen
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.
©2021 HarperCollins Publishers, LLC; Introduction © 2021 by Veronica Roth; audio production © 2020 by HarperCollins Publishers, LLC (P)2021 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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The Best American Short Stories 2019
- By: Anthony Doerr, Heidi Pitlor
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Heidi Pitlor, Scott Shepherd, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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#1 New York Times best-selling, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anthony Doerr brings his“stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) to selecting The Best American Short Stories 2019. Doerr and the series editor, Heidi Pitlor, winnow down twenty stories out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.
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Another great year of Shorts
- By Michael on 01-19-24
By: Anthony Doerr, and others
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The Very Best of the Best
- 35 Years of The Year's Best Science Fiction
- By: Gardner Dozois - editor
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny, Will Damron
- Length: 39 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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For decades, The Year's Best Science Fiction has been the most widely read short science fiction anthology of its kind. Now, after 35 annual collections comes the ultimate in science fiction anthologies. In The Very Best of the Best, legendary editor Gardner Dozois selects the finest short stories for this landmark collection, including short fiction from authors such as Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Greg Egan, Stephen Baxter, Pat Cadigan, and any many more.
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Would be amazing if not for spoiler prefaces
- By Amazon Customer on 08-28-19
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Virgins
- An Outlander Short
- By: Diana Gabaldon
- Narrated by: Allan Scott-Douglas
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Mourning the death of his father and gravely injured at the hands of the English, Jamie Fraser finds himself running with a band of mercenaries in the French countryside, where he reconnects with his old friend, Ian Murray. Both are nursing wounds, both have good reason to stay out of Scotland, and both are still virgins despite several opportunities to remedy that deplorable situation with ladies of easy virtue.
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Don't expect an in depth story
- By ELZIE B HICKERSON on 10-30-16
By: Diana Gabaldon
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The End and Other Beginnings
- Stories from the Future
- By: Veronica Roth
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin, MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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No world is like the other. Within this masterful collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems. In these six stories, Veronica Roth reaches into the unknown and draws forth something startlingly familiar and profoundly beautiful.
By: Veronica Roth
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The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One
- By: Neil Clarke - editor
- Narrated by: Amy Tallmadge, Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 28 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Neil Clarke has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.
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Hit and Miss; Many more misses than hits
- By Terrence Feenstra on 09-15-16
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A People's Future of the United States
- Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers
- By: Victor LaValle - editor, John Joseph Adams - editor
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam, Darrell Dennis, William DeMeritt, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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A glittering landscape of twenty-five speculative stories that challenge oppression and envision new futures for America - from N. K. Jemisin, Charles Yu, Jamie Ford, G. Willow Wilson, Charlie Jane Anders, Hugh Howey, and more.
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A bit brilliant, a little reactionary.
- By Thomas J Lee on 04-16-23
By: Victor LaValle - editor, and others
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The Best American Short Stories 2019
- By: Anthony Doerr, Heidi Pitlor
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Heidi Pitlor, Scott Shepherd, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
#1 New York Times best-selling, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anthony Doerr brings his“stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) to selecting The Best American Short Stories 2019. Doerr and the series editor, Heidi Pitlor, winnow down twenty stories out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.
-
-
Another great year of Shorts
- By Michael on 01-19-24
By: Anthony Doerr, and others
-
The Very Best of the Best
- 35 Years of The Year's Best Science Fiction
- By: Gardner Dozois - editor
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny, Will Damron
- Length: 39 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For decades, The Year's Best Science Fiction has been the most widely read short science fiction anthology of its kind. Now, after 35 annual collections comes the ultimate in science fiction anthologies. In The Very Best of the Best, legendary editor Gardner Dozois selects the finest short stories for this landmark collection, including short fiction from authors such as Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Nancy Kress, Greg Egan, Stephen Baxter, Pat Cadigan, and any many more.
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Would be amazing if not for spoiler prefaces
- By Amazon Customer on 08-28-19
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Virgins
- An Outlander Short
- By: Diana Gabaldon
- Narrated by: Allan Scott-Douglas
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mourning the death of his father and gravely injured at the hands of the English, Jamie Fraser finds himself running with a band of mercenaries in the French countryside, where he reconnects with his old friend, Ian Murray. Both are nursing wounds, both have good reason to stay out of Scotland, and both are still virgins despite several opportunities to remedy that deplorable situation with ladies of easy virtue.
-
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Don't expect an in depth story
- By ELZIE B HICKERSON on 10-30-16
By: Diana Gabaldon
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The End and Other Beginnings
- Stories from the Future
- By: Veronica Roth
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin, MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No world is like the other. Within this masterful collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems. In these six stories, Veronica Roth reaches into the unknown and draws forth something startlingly familiar and profoundly beautiful.
By: Veronica Roth
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The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One
- By: Neil Clarke - editor
- Narrated by: Amy Tallmadge, Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 28 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Neil Clarke has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.
-
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Hit and Miss; Many more misses than hits
- By Terrence Feenstra on 09-15-16
-
A People's Future of the United States
- Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers
- By: Victor LaValle - editor, John Joseph Adams - editor
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam, Darrell Dennis, William DeMeritt, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
A glittering landscape of twenty-five speculative stories that challenge oppression and envision new futures for America - from N. K. Jemisin, Charles Yu, Jamie Ford, G. Willow Wilson, Charlie Jane Anders, Hugh Howey, and more.
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A bit brilliant, a little reactionary.
- By Thomas J Lee on 04-16-23
By: Victor LaValle - editor, and others
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Ignorance Is Strength
- By: John Joseph Adams - editor, Hugh Howey - editor and contributor, Christie Yant - editor
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer, Gabrielle de Cuir, Susan Hanfield, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. George Orwell once wrote of a world where abuse of power begins with an abuse of language and a bastardization of truth. Some of today's most exciting voices in speculative fiction explore the ramifications of those ideas in Ignorance Is Strength.
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Decent stories, seemingly unaware of its own ironies
- By Amazon Customer on 06-14-21
By: John Joseph Adams - editor, and others
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The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
- By: Ken Liu
- Narrated by: Ramón de Ocampo, Cindy Kay, Michael Kramer, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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From stories about time-traveling assassins, to Black Mirror-esque tales of cryptocurrency and internet trolling, to heartbreaking narratives of parent-child relationships, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories is a far-reaching work that explores topical themes from the present and a visionary look at humanity’s future. This collection includes a selection of Ken Liu’s speculative-fiction stories over the past five years - 17 of his best - plus a new novelette.
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Best portrayal of mind-uploading I've ever read
- By Dante K. on 06-14-20
By: Ken Liu
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Wastelands 2
- More Stories of the Apocalypse
- By: John Joseph Adams - editor, Junot Díaz, Hugh Howey, and others
- Narrated by: J. Paul Boehmer, Cassandra Campbell, Orson Scott Card, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse is a new anthology of postapocalyptic literature from some of the most renowned authors in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres today, including George R. R. Martin, Hugh Howey, Junot Díaz, David Brin, and many more. This eclectic mix of tales explores famine, death, war, pestilence, and harbingers of the biblical apocalypse.
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Better than the first anthology.
- By @CHESSNUT on 05-29-16
By: John Joseph Adams - editor, and others
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The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022
- By: Jess Walter - editor, Steph Cha - series editor
- Narrated by: Desean Terry, Lindsey Dorcus, Max Meyers, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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A collection of the year’s best mystery and suspense short fiction selected by #1 New York Times bestselling author and guest editor Jess Walter and series editor Steph Cha.
By: Jess Walter - editor, and others
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The Final Frontier
- Stories of Exploring Space, Colonizing the Universe, and First Contact
- By: Neil Clarke - editor
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell, James Anderson Foster, Mary Robinette Kowal, and others
- Length: 28 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The urge to explore and discover is a natural and universal one, and the edge of the unknown is expanded with each passing year as scientific advancements inch us closer and closer to the outer reaches of our solar system and the galaxies beyond them. Generations of writers have explored these new frontiers and the endless possibilities they present in great detail. The Final Frontier delivers stories from across this literary spectrum, a reminder that the universe is far large and brimming with possibilities than we could ever imagine, as hard as we may try.
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Nothing New Here!
- By Lisa Davidson on 09-11-18
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The World Gives Way
- A Novel
- By: Marissa Levien
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In fifty years, Myrra will be free. Until then, she's a contract worker. Ever since she was five, her life and labor have belonged to the highest bidder on her contract—butchers, laundries, and now the powerful, secretive Carlyles.
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Unique story very well written
- By SKDEB on 06-19-21
By: Marissa Levien
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The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story
- By: John Freeman - editor
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett, Scott Brick, Cassandra Campbell, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In the past 50 years, the American short story has changed dramatically. New voices, forms, and mixtures of genres have brought this unique US genre a thrilling burst of energy. This rich anthology celebrates this avalanche of talent. Beginning in 1970, it culls together a half century of powerful American short stories from all genres, including - for the first time in a literary anthology - science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
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Too dark for my taste
- By Lazy Chicken on 10-03-22
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Gateways
- Original New Stories Inspired by Frederik Pohl
- By: Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Ben Bova, and others
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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It isn’t easy to get a group of bestselling SF authors to write new stories for an anthology, but that’s what Elizabeth Anne Hull has done in this powerhouse book. With original, captivating tales by Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Ben Bova, David Brin, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Joe Haldeman, Harry Harrison, Larry Niven, Vernor Vinge, Gene Wolfe, and others, Gateways is a SF event that will be a must-buy for SF readers of all tastes, from the traditional to the cutting edge; from the darkly serious to the laugh-out-loud funny.
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Spectacular.
- By Steve Reid on 08-21-15
By: Greg Bear, and others
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Tru Lockhart
- Secrets Don't Stay Buried
- By: Derek Clark, Michael Laemmle
- Narrated by: Brandon Francis
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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One evening, Tru Lockhart gets a bizarre visit from his father Argus, who has escaped from an institution for the criminally insane. Tru is certain that murder is on his father's mind. Instead, Argus performs a bizarre ceremony that will trigger a startling chain of events, plunging Tru into many oddball worlds, and into the hands of many outlandish villains.
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A Tale of Redemption and Mystery
- By Wilson J. Mayo on 08-12-23
By: Derek Clark, and others
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The Book of Two Ways
- A Novel
- By: Jodi Picoult
- Narrated by: Patti Murin
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw 15 years ago: Wyatt Armstrong. Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised.
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✫✫ 5 Stars ✫✫
- By ❤️Cyndi Marie❤️🎧Audiobook Addicts🎧 on 09-23-20
By: Jodi Picoult
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Bewilderment
- A Novel
- By: Richard Powers
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Theo Byrne is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away. He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old. His son, Robin, is funny, loving, and filled with plans. He thinks and feels deeply, adores animals, and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures. He is also on the verge of being expelled from third grade for smashing his friend's face with a metal thermos.
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Not Usually a Richard Powers Fan
- By Billy on 09-28-21
By: Richard Powers
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Stories
- All-New Tales
- By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, and others
- Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.
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Something for Everyone
- By Nicole on 05-24-17
By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, and others
What listeners say about The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-12-22
a review
90% of all the stories are great and I love most of the voice actors. I consider myself pretty well read in many genres and some of the new ideas being presented here are super refreshing. I am not sure who narrates the a t Greenblatt story.... but it came across hardly palatable not sure if if the story was good or not because of the narration
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- Rsmit8
- 04-24-23
Not the Best American Science Fiction,
I listened expecting science fiction and it was mostly fantasy. It wasn't very good as the story lines were weak and not engaging. If you're looking for captivating listening then find something else.
The narrator was good and pleasant to listen too.
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- sue rock
- 08-19-24
WHY ARE THESE STORIES SO DEPRESSING - AUGGGH
Oh my - sigh.
I had hoped for more lively, creative, interesting, compassionate, challenging stories - but there is death, death and more death. A breakthrough story is The Pill an almost "Black Mirror" style story around the realities of living while fat. Or the cleverly read Glass Bottle Dancer which gives us all a story read with a rich Caribbean lilt with captivating characters! Or the hilarious Schroedingers Catastrophe.
But over and over again, a story begins with death, expounds on death, contemplates hoarding, dramatic catastrophes, a death impacted environment. I found this years edition of The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy really depressing.
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