Outstanding SF/F by People of Color 2021

In the spirit of Lightspeed Magazine's famous People of Color Destroy Science Fiction series, here are 42 stories by 40 people of color that had scores of 3 or higher from RSR's 2021 Best SF/F list. That list contains the 272 most-recommended stories out of 600+ covered, so the 42 stories by people of color make up around 15% of the best of 2021.

Some stories not reviewed by RSR are in the Best SF/F list because they were award finalists 🏆, included in year's best anthologies 📙, or recommended by other prolific reviewers 👍 (see Q&A for SF/F awards, year's best anthologies, and prolific reviewers followed).

Readers asked us to make it easy for them to find good stories written by authors with diverse racial backgrounds, and that’s what this list is meant to accomplish (author identity plays no role in our ratings). This is the sixth year we've done this list (2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015-2016).

Outstanding High Fantasy of 2021

Here are 19 outstanding high fantasy stories from 2021 that were finalists for major SF/F 🏆awards, included in "year's best" SF/F 📙anthologies, or recommended by prolific 👍reviewers in short fiction (see Q&A). That's 19 out of 250+ best SF/F stories from 2021. A story's score is the sum of the +n points in it's "Recommended By" list (click the Details link to see the awards, year's best, and reviewers and the points).

For our purposes, we define "high fantasy" as a fantasy story that takes place in a secondary world. That is, something like Lord of the Rings, where Middle Earth is clearly not in the past or future of our world.

We've included portal fantasies, provided the destination is a secondary world.

Outstanding SF/F Horror of 2021

Although horror isn't our focus, we do review horror stories that turn up in our regular magazines, so in honor of Halloween, here are 38 outstanding SF/F horror stories from 2021 that were finalists for major SF/F 🏆awards, included in "year's best" SF/F 📙anthologies, or recommended by prolific 👍reviewers in short fiction (see Q&A). That's 38 out of 270+ best SF/F stories from 2021. A story's score is the sum of the +n points in it's "Recommended By" list (click the Details link to see the awards, year's best, and reviewers and the points).

Outstanding Hard Science Fiction of 2021

Here are 21 outstanding hard science fiction stories from 2021 that were finalists for major SF/F 🏆awards, included in "year's best" SF/F 📙anthologies, or recommended by prolific 👍reviewers in short fiction (see Q&A). That's 21 out of 270+ best SF/F stories from 2021. A story's score is the sum of the +n points in it's "Recommended By" list (click the Details link to see the awards, year's best, and reviewers and the points).

Outstanding LGBT Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021

June is Pride Month, and here are 41 outstanding stories with LGBT characters from 2021 reviewed by RSR that were either finalists for major SF/F awards 🏆, included in "year's best" SF/F anthologies 📙, or recommended by prolific reviewers 👍 in short fiction (see Q&A). For earlier outstanding stories, click this link.

This list of stories and the recommendations for each story will be updated as award finalists/winners and the table of contents for year's best anthologies are announced. As long as an LGBT story scores 2 or more (even if it was not recommended by RSR), it will be included here.

As always, our focus is on the stories, not the authors. These are stories with memorable LGBT characters—not necessarily stories by noted LGBT authors. These include stories in which a key character merely happens to be an LGBT person as well as stories where the LGBT angle is crucial to the plot.

Annotated 2021 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 11/9/23: Tagged 31 TOC/46 HM stories from 📙Neil Clarke's year's best science fiction anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 11/9/22: Tagged 2 🏆World Fantasy Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 10/30/22: Tagged 2 🏆Shirley Jackson Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 10/19/22: Tagged 3 🏆Asimov's Readers' Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 9/30/22: Tagged 4 (out of 15) 🏆Shirley Jackson Award finalists (click link to highlight).
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Update 9/30/22: Tagged 1 🏆Sturgeon Award winner (click link to highlight).
Update 9/20/22: Tagged 2 🏆British Fantasy Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 9/5/22: Tagged 1 🏆Eugie Award winner (click link to highlight).
Update 9/5/22: Tagged 3 🏆Hugo Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 8/14/22: Tagged 5 🏆British Fantasy Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 7/21/22: Tagged 9 🏆World Fantasy Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 6/30/22: Tagged 5 🏆Eugie Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 6/26/22: Tagged 3 🏆Locus Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 6/25/22: Tagged 3 🏆Analog Readers' Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 6/9/22: Tagged 40 stories from the 📙Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 5/36/22: Tagged 10 (of 12) stories from 📙Alan Kaster's year's top hard science fiction anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 5/22/22: Tagged 3 🏆Nebula Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 5/13/22: Tagged 10 🏆Sturgeon Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 5/11/22: Tagged 30 🏆Locus Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 4/19/22: Tagged 1 🏆BSFA Award (short fiction) winner (click link to highlight).
Update 4/7/22: Tagged 18 🏆Hugo Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/30/22: Tagged 8 stories from 📙Paula Guran's year's best dark fantasy and horror anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 3/30/22: Tagged 3 stories from 📙Ellen Datlow's year's horror anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 3/8/22: Tagged 18 🏆Nebula Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/1/22: Tagged 1 🏆Clarkesworld Reader's Poll winner (click link to highlight).
Update 2/28/22: Tagged 2 of 4 🏆BSFA Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/18/22: Tagged 14 🏆Analog Readers' Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/18/22: Tagged 16 🏆Asimov's Readers' Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/16/22: Tagged 7 🏆Uncanny Reader's Poll winners and finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/1/22: Tagged 8 🏆Clarkesworld Reader's Poll finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 1/24/22: Tagged 20 stories from 📙Paula Guran's year's best fantasy anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 1/23/22: Tagged 1 🏆Reading List: Best Adult Genre Fiction winner (click link to highlight).
Update 1/20/22: Tagged 1 🏆Apex Story of the Year winner (click link to highlight).
Update 12/9/21: Tagged 4 🏆Choice Award finalists (click link to highlight).

Here is the annotated 2021 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2021 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories from 2021 that score 2 or more based on 👍reviewers, 🏆awards, and year's best 📙anthologies). All the stories are grouped by length and score, with stories from the Locus list highlighted in red.

The merge lets us analyze the Locus list to see which stories that were broadly recognized as outstanding were left out, which publications stood out, which authors did particularly well (or not), how many were eligible for the Astounding Award, and how RSR's own recommendations stack up with Locus reviewers in general.

As with every RSR annotated list, there are links galore to the stories, their authors, the magazines, any award nominations/wins or "year's best" anthology inclusions, and search-links to find other reviews.

Anyone can vote for the Locus Awards at this link. Due date is Thursday April 15, 2022.

If you want to skip the analysis and just start reading, click here (free stories highlighted).

December 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 4; Time & Words: [1h:21m] 💬24K
Total Stories: 34; Time & Words: [9h:26m] 💬170K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

November 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 23; Time & Words: [10h] 💬194K
Total Stories: 81; Time & Words: [25h] 💬458K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

October 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 11; Time & Words: [3h:35m] 💬65K
Total Stories: 38; Time & Words: [10h] 💬191K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

September 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 30; Time & Words: [14h] 💬262K
Total Stories: 75; Time & Words: [27h] 💬490K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

August 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 8; Time & Words: [3h:23m] 💬61K
Total Stories: 29; Time & Words: [10h] 💬192K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

July 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 28; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 81; Time & Words: [27h] 💬495K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

June 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 11; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 38; Time & Words: [9h:30m] 💬171K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

May 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 23; Time & Words: [9h:45m] 💬176K
Total Stories: 77; Time & Words: [26h] 💬482K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

April 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 13; Time & Words: [4h:17m] 💬77K
Total Stories: 27; Time & Words: [8h:19m] 💬150K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

March 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 30; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 78; Time & Words: [27h] 💬493K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

February 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 7; Time & Words: [2h:09m] 💬39K
Total Stories: 29; Time & Words: [8h:05m] 💬146K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

SF/F Ballots For Stories From 2020

Here are links to ballots for various SF/F awards, 5 that are open to all, and 4 that are open to members of a convention or association. Highlighted awards are currently open for voting.

The magazine-specific awards come with a longlist link to all stories published by each magazine, with blurbs to help you remember the ones you've read and scores to guide further reading.

For the general awards, see the outstanding stories at the 2020 YTD page, grouped by length (novella, novelette, short story), by publication, by new writer (year 1, year 2), or by author.

January 2021 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 37; Time & Words: [15h] 💬272K
Total Stories: 81; Time & Words: [26h] 💬483K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.