Of science fiction and fantasy, guest editor Nnedi Okorafor writes, “There are times when it feels like a box, but within it, technically, you can expect anything.” The twenty stories in this collection simultaneously fulfill and defy expectations of genre, showcasing boundary-pushing authors at their best.

In this year’s Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, a robot will struggle to make friends, a team of auditors determines the financial value of a lifetime, an alien species will teach you how to read, and maybe, just maybe, someone will finally do something about the kid in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Omelas hole. From the joyous to the terrifying, to the heart wrenching and the absurd, these stories encourage you to open your mind and, as Okorafor promises: “Watch your world expand.”

THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY 2025 INCLUDES: 'PEMI AGUDA • KIJ JOHNSON • TANANARIVE DUE • S.L. HUANG • JOE HILL • ISABEL J. KIM • T.J. KLUNE • OLIVIE BLAKE • CAROLINE M. YOACHIM • AND OTHERS