Annotated 2025 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 9/8/26: Tagged 1 🏆Eugie Award winner (click link to highlight).
Update 8/31/26: Tagged 3 🏆Hugo Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 8/25/26: Tagged 30 stories from 📙Neil Clarke's year's best science fiction anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 8/18/26: Tagged 5 of 21 stories from 📙Michael Kelly's year's best weird fiction anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 8/4/26: Tagged 9 of 12 🏆World Fantasy Award finalists for short fiction (click link to highlight).
(More)

Update 7/11/26: Tagged 1 of 3 🏆Shirley Jackson Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 6/22/26: Tagged 5 🏆Eugie Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 6/19/26: Tagged 9 of 11 stories from 📙Allan Kaster's Year's Top Hard Hard Science Fiction anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 6/9/26: Tagged 3 of 18 stories from 📙Ellen Datlow's year's best horror anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 6/9/26: Tagged 10 🏆Sturgeon Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 6/8/26: Tagged 2 of 3 🏆Bram Stoker Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 6/6/26: Tagged 3 🏆Nebula Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 5/30/26: Tagged 3 🏆Locus Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 5/28/26: Tagged 3 of 15 🏆Shirley Jackson Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 5/23/26: Tagged 3 of 8 🏆British Fantasy Award finalists for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 5/5/26: Tagged 15 🏆Asimov's Readers' Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 5/5/26: Tagged 15 🏆Analog Readers' Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 4/21/26: Tagged 18 🏆Hugo Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 4/13/26: Tagged 30 🏆Locus Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 4/6/26: Tagged 1 of 2 🏆BSFA Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 3/18/26: Tagged 1 of 5 🏆Lambda Award Speculative Fiction finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/15/26: Tagged 18 🏆Nebula Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/5/26: Tagged 4 of 10 🏆BSFA Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/1/26: Tagged 2 🏆Clarkesworld Reader's Poll winners (click link to highlight).
Update 2/23/26: Tagged 5 of 10 🏆Bram Stoker Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/20/26: Tagged 2 🏆Apex Reader's Choice winners (click link to highlight).
Update 2/16/26: Tagged 8 🏆Uncanny Reader's Poll winners and finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/1/25: Tagged 14 🏆Clarkesworld Reader's Poll finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 1/27/26: Tagged 2 🏆RUSA Reading List winners and finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 12/4/25: Tagged 2 🏆Goodreads Choice Award winners and finalists (click link to highlight).

Here is the annotated 2025 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2025 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories from 2025 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 1, 2026.

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

Annotated 2024 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 11/2/25: Tagged 1 of 2 🏆World Fantasy Award winners for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 11/1/25: Tagged 1 of 2 🏆British Fantasy Award winners for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 11/1/25: Tagged 3 🏆Asimov's Readers' Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 10/3/25: Tagged 1 🏆Sturgeon Award winner (click link to highlight).
Update 9/2/25: Tagged 1 🏆Eugie Award winner (click link to highlight).
(More)

Update 8/16/25: Tagged 3 🏆Hugo Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 7/27/25: Tagged 6 of 25 stories from 📙Michael Kelly's year's best weird fiction anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 7/21/25: Tagged 1 of 3 🏆Shirley Jackson Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 7/7/25: Tagged 7 of 10 🏆World Fantasy Award finalists for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 7/1/25: Tagged 3 🏆Analog Readers' Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 6/24/25: Tagged 3 of 9 🏆British Fantasy Award finalists for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 6/23/25: Tagged 5 🏆Eugie Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 6/21/25: Tagged 3 🏆Locus Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 6/9/25: Tagged 2 of 16 🏆Shirley Jackson Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 6/7/25: Tagged 3 🏆Nebula Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 5/21/25: Tagged 10 🏆Sturgeon Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 5/15/25: Tagged 20 TOC and 60 notable stories from 📙John Joseph Adam's Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 5/6/25: Tagged 1 of 9 🏆Otherwise Award finalists and winners (click link to highlight).
Update 5/2/25: Tagged 30 🏆Locus Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 4/21/25: Tagged 1 of 2 🏆BSFA Award (short fiction) winners (click link to highlight).
Update 4/9/25: Tagged 2 of 23 stories from 📙Ellen Datlow's year's best horror anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 4/6/25: Tagged 18 🏆Hugo Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/29/25: Tagged 15 🏆Asimov's Readers' Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/29/25: Tagged 14 🏆Analog Readers' Award finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/18/25: Tagged 2 of 8 🏆BSFA Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/12/25: Tagged 19 🏆Nebula Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 3/1/25: Tagged 2 🏆Clarkesworld Reader's Poll winners (click link to highlight).
Update 2/24/25: Tagged 5 🏆Uncanny Reader's Poll winners and finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/23/25: Tagged 1 of 10 🏆Bram Stoker Award (short fiction) finalists (click link to highlight).
Update 2/17/25: Tagged 2 🏆Apex Reader's Choice winners (click link to highlight).
Update 2/1/25: Tagged 12 🏆Clarkesworld Reader's Poll finalists (click link to highlight).

Here is the annotated 2024 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2024 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories from 2024 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, 2025.

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

December 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 10; Time & Words: [2h:50m] 💬51K
Total Stories: 24; Time & Words: [6h:46m] 💬122K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

November 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 21; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 69; Time & Words: [24h] 💬442K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

October 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 10; Time & Words: [4h:18m] 💬78K
Total Stories: 28; Time & Words: [10h] 💬194K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

September 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 32; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 90; Time & Words: [26h] 💬478K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

August 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 4; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 32; Time & Words: [8h:23m] 💬151K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

July 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 16; Time & Words: [9h:48m] 💬177K
Total Stories: 65; Time & Words: [22h] 💬397K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

June 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 10; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 31; Time & Words: [8h:54m] 💬160K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

May 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 21; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 73; Time & Words: [22h] 💬401K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

April 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 7; Time & Words: [2h:18m] 💬41K
Total Stories: 27; Time & Words: [9h:12m] 💬166K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

March 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 16; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 89; Time & Words: [28h] 💬518K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

February 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 10; Time & Words: [3h:40m] 💬66K
Total Stories: 31; Time & Words: [8h:17m] 💬149K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.

SF/F Ballots For Stories From 2023

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 2023 YTD page, grouped by length (novella, novelette, short story), by publication, by new writer (year 1, year 2), or by author.

January 2024 Ratings

5★ & 4★ Stories: 0; Time & Words: 💬0
Recommended By Stories: 19; Time & Words: 💬NaNM
Total Stories: 68; Time & Words: [20h] 💬363K
Read How to Use RSR on the sidebar or this link to use this post.