Best American Fantasy Anthology of the Year: 2003

Author: Hartwell
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The anthology of original works has been gaining momentum recently. Some of the best include Green edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, Monsters of the Deep 3 edited by Jeff VanderMeer and Forrest Ackerman, The 39th Meeting edited by Peter Straub, Embracing the Change edited by Bill Sheehan, Dark Delight 6 edited by Stephen R. Jones, and DAW 35th Anniversary Fantasy Anthology co-edited by Bethany Whitney and Sheila Gilbert. Among these anthologies, a prominent trend is the shift toward non-traditional, hybrid, or mainstream-divergent fantasy fiction. There are many excellent original work anthologies and small magazines dedicated to short stories outside familiar genre boundaries, but they are more closely associated with the familiar genre than with contemporary mainstream fiction—and primarily marketed to readers of that genre. This year has also been a banner year for fantasy novelettes, but unfortunately, we could only include two in this book and did not have enough space for more. In reality, there are many good works, and we truly wish we could include more. For new readers of this series, we want to repeat what is usually unsaid: this fantasy story anthology represents the best fantasy short stories published in 2002. However, to include all the best short stories would likely require two or three anthologies of this scale—even then, it would still not include all the best novelettes. We strive to showcase diverse voices and attitudes, for it is precisely these that keep the fantasy genre vibrant and allow it to respond to the ever-changing realities of fantasy creation. This is an anthology about the current state of fantasy fiction. The stories and short reviews that follow demonstrate the immense power of this ever-evolving genre in 2002.