Introduction

As the editor of Best of British Science Fiction, I’m luckier than most in that I get to pick what is essentially a personal anthology each year. After all, reviewers often write, what is best? This is just one person’s best after all (and then they often go on to agree with me).

Anyway, I am a voracious reader of short stories. My routine with my own anthology series is to keep an eye out throughout the year for any stories I think might be a good fit. Are they well written? Am I still thinking about those stories a day later? A week? Longer? Then, in September, we open up for general submissions until January. After the closing date I check to see if there is anything missing from my subs pile. Are there other anthologies or new collections featuring British authors that I have not been sent? It is becoming a running joke with one or two authors that I seem to always end up chasing them. Some editors, too, double-check with me to make sure their favourite stories of the year have been sent in. I’m very grateful for that!

I tend to favour stories with a great sense of place, a compelling narrative voice, a coherent plot and great characterisation – believe me, having been published already is sometimes no indicator of this. I dislike stories where basic scientific principles or literal definitions have been misunderstood. I am suspicious of stories that open with numerous lines of dialogue, especially if that dialogue goes on to do the heavy-exposition-lifting. In other words, I can be very exacting in my editorial efforts. I’m picky. Luckily, my tastes are also quite eclectic.

I look for stories that resonate with me in the same way that some of my all-time favourite stories do. Is there a tug at the heart, a sweet spot? Will I be obsessing about the story, or telling anyone who’ll listen that they really need to read it?

As I said, I am quite lucky that I get to choose stories for my anthologies already, but if I could pick from the chaotic shelves of my memories and nostalgia, what short fictions would I like to pick? I’ve limited myself to twelve of them. I hope you get to read some of these. Enjoy!