The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: A Complete Collection History
For enthusiasts of speculative fiction, annual anthologies serve as vital archives, capturing the evolution of imagination and style over decades. One of the most enduring series in this genre is The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, a curated sequence of volumes that documented the finest short works of its time.
The series began as a focused look at fantasy before expanding its scope to include the darker elements of the macabre, providing a comprehensive overview of the year's most impactful storytelling in these genres.
Key Facts
- The series spanned 21 annual collections.
- The first volume was published as the First Annual Collection in 1988.
- The scope expanded from "Fantasy" to "Fantasy and Horror" starting with the third volume in 1990.
- The final volume in the sequence was the Twenty-First Annual Collection, published in 2008.
Evolution of the Annual Collections
The series underwent a notable shift in its early years. The first two volumes, released in 1988 and 1989, were titled The Year's Best Fantasy. These initial editions focused exclusively on the fantasy genre, which typically involves magical elements or supernatural phenomena that do not exist in the real world.
Starting in 1990 with the Third Annual Collection, the series rebranded to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. This change allowed the editors to include horror—fiction intended to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle the reader—alongside traditional fantasy, creating a broader spectrum of speculative fiction.
Chronological Volume List
The series maintained a consistent annual release schedule for over two decades, as detailed in the following table:
| Volume Number | Collection Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | The Year's Best Fantasy | 1988 |
| 2nd | The Year's Best Fantasy | 1989 |
| 3rd | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1990 |
| 4th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1991 |
| 5th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1992 |
| 6th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1993 |
| 7th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1994 |
| 8th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1995 |
| 9th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1996 |
| 10th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1997 |
| 11th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1998 |
| 12th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 1999 |
| 13th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2000 |
| 14th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2001 |
| 15th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2002 |
| 16th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2003 |
| 17th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2004 |
| 18th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2005 |
| 19th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2006 |
| 20th | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2007 |
| 21st | The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror | 2008 |
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the series begin?
The series began in 1988 with the publication of the First Annual Collection.
When was the title changed to include horror?
The title was expanded to include horror starting with the Third Annual Collection in 1990.
How many volumes were published in total?
A total of 21 annual collections were published.
What was the final year of publication for the series?
The final volume, the Twenty-First Annual Collection, was published in 2008.
Were the first two volumes different from the rest?
Yes, the first two volumes (1988 and 1989) were titled "The Year's Best Fantasy," whereas subsequent volumes included "and Horror" in the title.