17 Anthologies I Want to Read

I’m not usually one for short stories. If I like a story, I want more of it (at least a novella’s worth but probably more). If I don’t, then it doesn’t matter how long it is. That said, I really got into novellas a couple years ago which was a surprise to me because it’s shorter fiction, and this year I want to dive into anthologies. Both because it’s another way of storytelling, but I also want to write more short fiction and it helps to be well read.

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Most of these books are somewhere on my shelves, with a few I haven’t grabbed yet in the mix. I better get reading!

Anthologies I Want to Read

Young Adult Anthologies

I feel like the YA section of this list is a lot longer because I just don’t know of as many adult anthologies, so that’ll be something to look into more once I get through these books. And on that note…

It should be no surprise that Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy edited by Amerie is on this list because VILLAINS! It also happens to feature word from some of my favorite authors. The same for Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales edited by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt. I love speculative fiction that puts a twist on classic stories (re-tellings are some of my favorite stories to read)! And while we’re on the speculative train, going to add Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edited by Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood into the mix because… witches! In all forms!

Staying in the vein of science fiction and fantasy, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, which promises such things as star-crossed lovers, battles of wits, meddling immortals, and more! In that same vein, we have A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell that’s specifically focused on the Black experience in SFF. To round out this batch, what list is complete without vampires? Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker which released this past year is the perfect addition to a TBR.

Back to my re-telling loving self, we have two anthologies both edited by Dahlia Adler ― His Hideous Heart which gives a fresh take on Edgar Allan Poe’s works, and That Way Madness Lies that just released and puts modern spins on Shakespeare! Both venture away from my SFF trend a bit and sound fantastic!

Rounding out the YA section are three final anthologies is a horror and thriller book that I never expected to include on this list until I saw the author line-up ― Slasher Girls & Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke. Following is a collection of historical fiction and fantasy focused on heroines in A Tyranny of Petticoats edited by Jessica Spotswood. Finally, last but certainly not least for the YA titles, A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology edited by Dhonielle Clayton released late last year and features an amazing collection of contributing own-voices authors.

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Adult Fiction Anthologies

On the much shorter list of adult anthologies I’m kicking things off with Robots vs. Fairies edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe. This one has probably been on my shelves the longest and features a few authors who have become recent favorites of mine so definitely need to get around to it. Then we have Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering because, again, WITCHES. Also included for its topic of choice (DRAGONS!) is The Book of Dragons edited by Jonathan Strahan, a release from this past year. And likely to the surprise of no one, I’ve added Unnatural Creatures edited by Neil Gaiman to the list to cover all things fantastical.

I wanted to end on a fairy tale note so two anthologies for your consideration. Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane covers all sorts of tales with a “cursed” edge to them. And to end this list, The Starlit Wood edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe (the same editors of Robots vs. Fairies) features fairy tale re-tellings that cross genres in ways you may never have thought of.

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Definitely need to up my adult fiction anthology game but this is a solid place to start reading! Really looking forward to diving in further with these.

What are some of your favorite anthologies?

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