The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023
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About this listen
“Short stories have to accomplish a nearly impossible magic trick: to introduce a world often much stranger than our own and make you care about it in a matter of pages,” writes R. F. Kuang in her introduction. “The most important part of this magic trick is just a willingness to get weird.” The stories in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 are brimming with bizarre and otherworldly premises. Women can’t lie or fall in love. Fathers feed their children ghost preserves. Souls chase one another through animal incarnations. Yet these stories are grounded deeply in our reality. Out of these stories’ weirdness emerges the cruelty of border enforcement, the horror of legislation restricting reproductive freedom, the frightening pace of AI. The result is a stunning, immersive, intensely felt experience, showing us less of what the world is, and more of what it could be.
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 includes Nathan Ballingrud • KT Bryski • Isabel Cañas • Maria Dong • Kim Fu • Theodora Goss • Alix E. Harrow • S. L. Huang • Stephen Graham Jones • Shingai Njeri Kagunda • Isabel J. Kim • Samantha Mills • MKRNYILGLD • Malka Older • Susan Palwick • Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez • Sofia Samatar • Kristina Ten • Catherynne M. Valente • Chris Willrich
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In the not-too-distant future, a 21-member crew launches from Earth. Their mission: to establish a temporary colony on Mars. Little do they know that colony will become permanent–and the last stand of the human race. Because, without warning, every single person left on Earth simply...vanishes. Now, a thousand years later, the resources needed to sustain life are running out, and the very existence of the Mars colony is threatened. Humankind has only one option–to return to its home planet.
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It was ok.
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The Best American Essays 2023
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Loved It
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Out There Screaming
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The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.
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Huge Disappointment 😢
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What listeners say about The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023
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- The Gal
- 06-08-24
By Far Not The Best
An intentional railroading of political views. Worst collection I have every come across. A couple of good stories strangled by their neighboring dribble, If I had paid for it. I would have demanded a refund. Burned a credit.
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- Pie S.
- 10-28-23
Strange mixed bag
I enjoy sci-fi, and to a lesser extent, horror and fantasy, and while the annual anthology has impressed me in years past, this year was such an odd mix of stories which hardly had any narrative. The audio sample was not useful to assess whether I’d like it before purchase, only featuring the intro from the editor.
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- Michael
- 02-25-24
Another Great Year of SF & F Shorts
I love short stories and the “Best American” selections seem to be the best curated collections.
This year I really liked Pre-Simulation Consultation, Six Deaths of the Saint, Three Mothers Mountain, The Odyssey Problem, and The Difference Between Love and Time. There were twelve other very good stories and a few more that varied between good and OK.
I REALLY like a new feature of the Best American series for 2023 – at the end they have a brief narrative from each author about their story. This is a GREAT addition which I hope is continued!
The narration varies but overall good to excellent.
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