Rocket Stack Rank Annotated

Showing posts with label Annotated. Show all posts

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Annotated 2025 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 8/4/26: Tagged 9 of 12 🏆World Fantasy Award finalists for short fiction (click link to highlight).
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 6/9/26: 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).
(More)

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)

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).

Annotated 2023 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 10/20/24: Tagged 1 of 2 🏆World Fantasy Award winners for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 10/14/24: Tagged 1 of 2 🏆British Fantasy Award winners for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 9/5/24: Tagged 1 🏆Sturgeon Award winner (click link to highlight).
Update 9/3/24: Tagged 1 🏆Eugie Award winner (click link to highlight).
Update 8/15/24: Tagged 3 of 11 🏆British Fantasy Award finalists for short fiction (click link to highlight).
(More)

Here is the annotated 2023 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2023 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories from 2023 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, 2024.

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

Annotated 2022 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 9/18/24: Tagged 31 stories from 📙Neil Clarke's Best Science Fiction of the Year (click link to highlight).
Update 10/31/23: Tagged 2 🏆World Fantasy Award winners for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 10/22/23: Tagged 3 🏆Hugo Award winners for short fiction (click link to highlight).
Update 9/6/23: Tagged 1 🏆Eugie Award winner (click link to highlight).
Update 8/25/23: Tagged 1 🏆Sturgeon Award winner (click link to highlight).
(More)

Here is the annotated 2022 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2022 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories from 2022 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, 2023.

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

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).
(More)

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).

Annotated 2020 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 11/9/23: Tagged 30 honorable mentions from 📙Neil Clarke's year's best science fiction anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 4/19/22: Tagged 34 stories from 📙Rich Horton's year's best science fiction and fantasy anthology (click link to highlight).
Update 12/19/21: Tagged 3 🏆Hugo Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 11/7/21: Tagged 2 🏆World Fantasy Award winners (click link to highlight).
Update 10/18/21: Tagged 3 🏆Sturgeon Award winners (click link to highlight).
(More)

Here is the annotated 2020 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2020 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories from 2020 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, 2021.

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

Annotated 2019 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 11/9/23: Tagged 37 honorable mentions in 📙Neil Clarke's year's best anthology (click to highlight them).
Update 2/22/21: Tagged 1 🏆British Fantasy Award winner for Novella (click to highlight it).
Update 11/1/20: Tagged 2 🏆World Fantasy Award winners (click to highlight them).
Update 10/25/20: Tagged 6 🏆British Fantasy Award finalists (click to highlight them).
Update 10/22/20: Tagged 3 🏆Sturgeon Award winners (click to highlight them).
(More)

Here is the annotated 2019 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2019 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories from 2019 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 Monday April 15, 2020.

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

Annotated 2019 Hugo Award Finalists

Update 11/3/19: Tagged 3 🏆World Fantasy Award winners (click link to highlight). (More)

Here is the annotated 2019 Hugo Award finalists list, merged with RSR's 2018 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories) for the first time, with the finalists highlighted in red, and sorted by score.

Observations

In the six sections below, the links support the claims in the text by jumping to a view of the table that highlights the stories and data being discussed.

Annotated 2018 Sturgeon Award Finalists

Update 11/3/19: Tagged 3 🏆World Fantasy Award winners (click link to highlight). (More)

Here is the annotated 2018 Sturgeon Award finalists list, merged with RSR's 2018 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories) for the first time, with the finalists highlighted in red, and sorted by score.

The combination lets us analyze the Sturgeon finalists to see which stories that were broadly recognized as outstanding were left out, which magazines were over- or under-represented, how many were Campbell-eligible, and how RSR's own recommendations stack up with the Sturgeon Award jurors 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.

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

Annotated 2018 Locus Reading List for Short Fiction

Update 11/3/19: Tagged 3 🏆World Fantasy Award winners (click link to highlight). (More)

Here is the annotated 2018 Locus Recommended Reading List for short fiction, merged with RSR's 2018 Best SF/F list (aka our aggregated list of "outstanding" stories) for the first time, with stories from the Locus list highlighted in red, and sorted by score.

The combination lets us analyze the Locus list to see which stories that were broadly recognized as outstanding were left out, which magazines were over- or under-represented, which authors did particularly well (or not), how many were Campbell-eligible, 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 Monday April 15, 2019.

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