Search Worlds Without End

Welcome to the weird! Acclaimed author and editor Laird Barron, one of weird fiction's brightest exponents, brings his expert eye and editorial sense to the inaugural volume of the Year's Best Weird Fiction. No longer the purview of esoteric readers, weird fiction is enjoying wide popularity. Chiefly derived from early 20th-century pulp fiction, its remit includes ghost stories, the strange and macabre, the supernatural, fantasy, myth, philosophical ontology, ambiguity, and a healthy helping of the outre. At its best, weird fiction is an intersecting of themes and ideas that explore and subvert the Laws of Nature. It is not confined to one genre, but is the most diverse and welcoming of all genres. Hence, in this initial showcase of weird fiction you will discover tales of horror, fantasy, science fiction, the supernatural, and the macabre. Contributing authors include Jeffrey Ford, Sofia Samatar, Joseph S. Pulver Sr, John Langan, Richard Gavin, and W. H. Pugmire.

Table of Contents:

• "Success" by Michael Blumlein, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nov./Dec.
• "Like Feather, Like Bone" by Kristi DeMeester, Shimmer #17
• "A Terror" by Jeffrey Ford, Tor.com, July.
• "The Key to Your Heart Is Made of Brass" by John R. Fultz, Fungi #21
• "A Cavern of Redbrick" by Richard Gavin, Shadows & Tall Trees #5
• "The Krakatoan" by Maria Dahvana Headley, Nightmare Magazine/The Lowest Heaven, July.
• "Bor Urus" by John Langan, Shadow's Edge
• "Furnace" by Livia Llewellyn, The Grimscribe's Puppets
• "Eyes Exchange Bank" by Scott Nicolay, The Grimscribe's Puppets
• "A Quest of Dream" by W.H. Pugmire, Bohemians of Sesqua Valley
• "(he) Dreams of Lovecraftian Horror" by Joseph S. Pulver Sr., Lovecraft eZine #28
• "Dr. Blood and the Ultra Fabulous Glitter Squadron" by A.C. Wise, Ideomancer Vol. 12 Issue 2
• "The Year of the Rat" by Chen Quifan, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August.
• "Fox into Lady" by Anne-Sylvie Salzman, Darkscapes
• "Olimpia's Ghost" by Sofia Samatar, Phantom Drift #3
• "The Nineteenth Step" by Simon Strantzas, Shadows Edge
• "The Girl in the Blue Coat" by Anna Taborska, Exotic Gothic 5 Vol. 1
• "In Limbo" by Jeffrey Thomas, Worship the Night
• "Moonstruck" by Karin Tidbeck, Shadows & Tall Trees #5
• "Swim Wants to Know If It's as Bad as Swim Thinks" by Paul Tremblay, Bourbon Penn #8
• "No Breather in the World But Thee" by Jeff VanderMeer, Nightmare Magazine, March.
• "Shall I Whisper to You of Moonlight, of Sorrow, of Pieces of Us?" by Damien Angelica Walters, Shock Totem #7.

Acclaimed author Kathe Koja brings her expert eye and editorial sense to the second volume of the Year's Best Weird Fiction. Contributing authors include Julio Cortazar, Jean Muno, Karen Joy Fowler, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Nick Mamatas, Carmen Maria Machado, Nathan Ballingrud, and more. No longer the purview of esoteric readers, weird fiction is enjoying wide popularity. Chiefly derived from early 20th-century pulp fiction, its remit includes ghost stories, the strange and macabre, the supernatural, fantasy, myth, philosophical ontology, ambiguity, and a healthy helping of the outre. At its best, weird fiction is an intersecting of themes and ideas that explore and subvert the Laws of Nature. It is not confined to one genre, but is the most diverse and welcoming of all genres.

Table of Contents:

• Forward - essay by Michael Kelly
• At Home With the Weird - essay by Kathe Koja
• The Atlas of Hell - (2014) - shortfiction by Nathan Ballingrud
• Wendigo Nights - (2014) - shortfiction by Siobhan Carroll
• Headache - (2014) - shortstory by Julio Cortázar (trans. of Cefalea 1951)
• Loving Armageddon - shortfiction by Amanda C. Davis
• The Earth and Everything Under - (2014) - shortfiction by K. M. Ferebee
• Nanny Anne and the Christmas Story - (2013) - shortstory by Karen Joy Fowler
• The Girls Who Go Below - (2014) - shortstory by Cat Hellisen
• Nine - (2014) - shortfiction by Kima Jones
• Bus Fare - (2014) - shortstory by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• The Air We Breathe Is Stormy, Stormy - (2014) - shortstory by Rich Larson
• The Husband Stitch - (2014) - novelette by Carmen Maria Machado
• Observations About Eggs from the Man Sitting Next to Me on a Flight from Chicago, Illinois to Cedar Rapids, Iowa - (2014) - shortstory by Carmen Maria Machado
• Resurrection Points - (2014) - shortstory by Usman T. Malik
• Exit Through the Gift Shop - (2014) - shortstory by Nick Mamatas
• So Sharp That Blood Must Flow - (2014) - shortstory by Sunny Moraine
• The Ghoul - shortfiction by Jean Muno
• A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide - (2014) - shortstory by Sarah Pinsker
• Migration - (2014) - shortstory by Karin Tidbeck
• Hidden in the Alphabet - (2014) - shortfiction by Charles Wilkinson
• A Cup of Salt Tears - (2014) - shortstory by Isabel Yap

Showcasing the finest weird fiction from 2015, volume 3 of the Year's Best Weird Fiction is our biggest and most ambitious volume to date.

Acclaimed editors Simon Strantzas and Michael Kelly bring their keen editorial sensibilities to the third volume of the Year's Best Weird Fiction. The best weird stories of 2015 features work from Robert Aickman, Matthew M. Bartlett, Sadie Bruce, Nadia Bulkin, Ramsey Campbell, Brian Conn, Brian Evenson, L.S. Johnson, Rebecca Kuder, Tim Lebbon, Reggie Oliver, Lynda E. Rucker, Robert Shearman, Christopher Slatsky, D.P. Watt, Michael Wehunt, Marian Womack, Genevieve Valentine

No longer the purview of esoteric readers, weird fiction is enjoying wide popularity. Chiefly derived from early 20th-century pulp fiction, its remit includes ghost stories, the strange and macabre, the supernatural, fantasy, myth, philosophical ontology, ambiguity, and a healthy helping of the outre. At its best, weird fiction is an intersecting of themes and ideas that explore and subvert the Laws of Nature. It is not confined to one genre, but is the most diverse and welcoming of all genres.

Table of Contents:

• Forward - essay by Michael Kelly
• Introduction - essay by Simon Strantzas
• Rabbit, Cat, Girl - (2015) - short story by Rebecca Kuder
• Violet Is the Color of Your Energy - (2015) - short fiction by Nadia Bulkin
• Blood - (2015) - short fiction by Robert Shearman
• Loveliness Like a Shadow - (2015) - novelette by Christopher Slatsky
• Orange Dogs - (2015) - short story by Marian Womack
• Seaside Town - (2015) - short story by Brian Evenson
• Honey Moon - (2015) - short story by D. P. Watt
• The Marking - (2015) - short story by Kristi DeMeester
• The Strangers - (2015) - novella by Robert Aickman
• Guest - (2015) - short story by Brian Conn
• Julie - (2015) - novelette by L. S. Johnson
• The Devil Under the Maison Blue - (2015) - short story by Michael Wehunt
• Fetched - (2015) - short fiction by Ramsey Campbell
• The Seventh Wave - (2015) - short fiction by Lynda E. Rucker
• Rangel - (2015) - novelette by Matthew M. Bartlett
• Visit Lovely Cornwall on the Western Railway Line - (2015) - short fiction by Genevieve Valentine
• The Rooms Are High - (2015) - short story by Reggie Oliver
• Strange Currents - (2015) - short fiction by Tim Lebbon
• Little Girls in Bone Museums - (2015) - short story by Sadie Bruce

Showcasing the finest weird fiction published 2016, volume 4 of the Year's Best Weird Fiction is our biggest and most ambitious volume to date.

Acclaimed editors Helen Marshall and Michael Kelly bring their editorial acumen to the fourth volume of the Year's Best Weird Fiction. The best weird stories of 2016 features work from Dale Bailey, Gary Budden, Octavia Cade, Indrapramit Das, Malcolm Devlin, Jeffrey Ford, Camilla Grudova, Daisy Johnson, Katie Knoll, Usman T. Malik, Sam J. Miller, Irenosen Okojie, Aki Schilz, Johanna Sinisalo, and Sarah Tolmie.

No longer the purview of esoteric readers, weird fiction is enjoying wide popularity. Chiefly derived from early 20th-century pulp fiction, its remit includes ghost stories, the strange and macabre, the supernatural, fantasy, myth, philosophical ontology, ambiguity, and a healthy helping of the outre. At its best, weird fiction is an intersecting of themes and ideas that explore and subvert the Laws of Nature. It is not confined to one genre, but is the most diverse and welcoming of all genres.

Table of Contents:

• "I Was A Teenage Werewolf," by Dale Bailey. First published in Nightmare Magazine #51.
• "Breakdown," by Gary Budden. First published in 'The Short Anthology: The Second Issue'.
• "The Signal Birds," by Octavia Cade. First published in Liminal Stories #2.
• "Breaking Water," by Indrapramit Das. First published at Tor.com.
• "The End Of Hope Street," by Malcolm Devlin. First published in Interzone #266.
• "The Blameless," by Jeffrey Ford. First published in 'A Natural History of Hell'.
• "Waxy," by Camilla Grudova. First published at Granta Online.
• "A Heavy Devotion," by Daisy Johnson. First publishd in 'Fen'.
• "Red," by Katie Knoll. First published at The Masters Review Online.
• "In The Ruins Of Mohenjo-Daro," by Usman T. Malik. First published in 'The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu'.
• "Angel, Monster, Man," by Sam J. Miller. First published in Nightmare Magazine #40.
• "Outtakes," by Irenosen Okojie. First published in 'Speak, Gigantular'.
• "Beating The Bounds," by Aki Schilz. First published in 'The Unreliable Guide To London'.
• "The Kings With No Hands," by Johanna Sinisalo. Translated by J. Robert Tupasela. First published in 'Finnish Weird 3'.
• "The Dancer On The Stairs," by Sarah Tolmie. First published in 'Two Travelers'.

Showcasing the finest weird fiction published in 2017, volume 5 of the Year's Best Weird Fiction is the final, triumphant volume in the acclaimed series. Editors Robert Shearman and Michael Kelly bring their knowledge and skill to this fifth and final volume of the Year's Best Weird Fiction.

Table of Contents

• Foreword - essay by Michael Kelly
• Introduction - essay by Robert Shearman
• The Convexity of Our Youth - (2017) - short story by Kurt Fawver
• The Rock Eater - (2017) - short story by Ben Loory
• Corzo - (2017) - short story by Brenna Gomez
• You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych - (2017) - novelette by Kathleen Kayembe
• Flotsam - (2017) - short story by Daniel Carpenter
• The Possession - (1973) - short story by Michael Mirolla
• Skins Smooth as Plantain, Hearts Soft as Mango - (2017) - short story by Ian Muneshwar
• The Unwish - (2017) - short story by Claire Massey
• Worship Only What She Bleeds - (2017) - short story by Kristi DeMeester
• House of Abjection - (2017) - short story by David Peak
• The Way She Is with Strangers - (2017) - short story by Helen Marshall
• The Anteater - (2017) - short story by Joshua King
• When Words Change the Molecular Composition of Water - short story by Jenni Fagan
• The Entertainment Arrives - (2017) - short story by Alison Littlewood
• Take the Way Home That Leads Back to Sullivan Street - (2017) - novelette by Chavisa Woods
• Eight Bites - (2017) - short story by Carmen Maria Machado
• Red Hood - (2017) - short story by Eric Schaller
• Curb Day - (2017) - short story by Rebecca Kuder
• The Narrow Escape of Zipper-Girl - (2017) - short story by Adam-Troy Castro
• Disappearer - (2017) - short story by K. L. Pereira
• The Mouse Queen - (2017) - short story by Camilla Grudova
• The Second Door - (2017) - short story by Brian Evenson
• Live Through This - (2017) - short story by Nadia Bulkin
• Something About Birds - (2017) - novelette by Paul Tremblay