Lyndsie Manusos’s fiction has appeared in PANK, SmokeLong Quarterly, and other publications. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked in web production and content management. When she’s not nesting among her books and rough drafts, she’s chasing the baby while the dog watches in confused amusement. She lives with her family in a suburb of Indianapolis.
Any time I get the opportunity to showcase short fiction, short fiction collections, and/or fiction anthologies, I go for it. Speculative short story collections are truly my favorite form. When I was a freshman in college, an English professor recommended Aimee Bender’s The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber. After devouring these collections, something in my psyche clicked into place: This was the work I wanted to read. This was the work I wanted to write.
Collections & Anthologies Vs. Novels
Collections, unfortunately, get a bad rap on the business end of publishing. Compared to novels, they don’t sell as well, and I get that. However, collections are also a beautiful exploration of an author’s range and imagination. Short fiction can lend itself to more experimentation and creative audacity than novels. I’d like to think that every time I give collections some spotlight in a wider reading space (i.e., here among you lovely Book Riot readers), a collection gets its wings—perhaps by earning out its advance or by dropping in a reader’s online shopping cart or bookbag for the first time. And don’t even get me started on my love of flash fiction and chapbooks.
Science fiction and fantasy collections in particular, with stories ranging from dark fantasy to space opera, are beautiful adventures. If you’re unsure what you want to read but know it’s in the SFF realm, collections and anthologies are for you. Single-author collections are a great introduction to an author’s range of artistry, and anthologies—a collection of stories featuring multiple authors—are a great way to find new authors to discover and explore. Anthologies often focus on a theme, and I’ll list some examples below.
2025 is another fabulous year for short fiction collections and anthologies. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I encourage readers to share their favorites on social media. Give the short form the love it deserves!
Some of the below listed titles aren’t out until later this year, so get your pre-orders in and your TBRs ready!
6 SFF Short Story Collections and Anthologies to Read in 2025
Green Frog by Gina Chung
Okay, first, let’s talk about how hard this cover goes, and I am here for it. Chung weaves 15 brilliant short stories that range from a praying mantis taking in the New York dating scene to a fox demon seeking revenge for her murdered sister. These tales explore womanhood, using inspiration from Korean fairy tales and modern technology.
Haunted Ecologies by Corey Farrenkopf
For those seeking a collection of dark fantasy and horror, Haunted Ecologies is the collection for you. Farrenkopf gives us a feast for the senses in this collection of 15 stories, with a particular focus on cursed ecosystems, ancient forests, the mysterious depths of the ocean, and the environmental decay happening around us. These poignant stories—especially during a time when we’re fighting to keep Earth from succumbing to climate catastrophe—will follow you long after you finish reading.
Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity, edited by Lee Mandelo
I’m so excited about this anthology edited by the masterful Lee Mandelo, a Lambda, Hugo, and Nebula finalist.
In this book of 22 stories by multiple talented authors, Mandelo explores the vast potentialities of trans and queer futures. There’s unfettered joy, honesty, raw emotion, and so much more. In a time of growing oppression and persecution of the LGBTQIA+ community, this is an anthology that is relevant and necessary.
One Message Remains: Stories by Premee Mohamed
I’ve raved about Premee Mohamed’s short stories before, so it’s no surprise that I am delighted by her latest collection. This is the first collection published by the press Psychopomp (who also published my debut novella), and I hope it’s not the last. This book is technically a “mini collection” of three short stories, and they are all set in the same world as Mohamed’s story “The General’s Turn” originally published in The Deadlands.
These stories are set in a world with magic that is consumed by war, from a deserter seeking sanctuary, to bone gallows, and soldiers attempting to exhume dead enemy soldiers’ souls for repatriation.
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025, edited by Nnedi Okorafor (October 2025])
This anthology won’t be released until October, but you can read the recently announced table of contents to preview what’s to come. This year’s collection is stacked with authors and stories I loved reading in 2024.
I love reading the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy series each year. It’s a fantastic overview of the range of work being published, though it is by no means exhaustive. I always find new authors to love and new stories that haunt me. If you want to start reading a new genre, the Best American series is a great place to start.
Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine by Kristina Ten (October 2025)
I’ve covered Kristina Ten’s short fiction in previous Book Riot short story roundups; her work is mindbendingly haunting and beautiful. When I saw that Ten’s debut short fiction collection is due out later this year from Stillhouse Press, I jumped for joy. These are stories that take place in mundane spaces as well as the fantastic and beyond.
This title isn’t available for pre-order yet, but I promise you’ll want to make note of this. It has already received advanced praise from big hitters across genres, such as Stephen Graham Jones and Gwen E. Kirby. Keep your eyes peeled for updates!
These titles should get you started on your collection and anthology journey. I hope you find an SFF collection and/or anthology that captures your interest. If you’re looking for more recommendations, check out these other Book Riot articles:
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