Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume One | 2009 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 2 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Two | 2010 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 3 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Nine | 2017 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 4 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Four | 2012 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 5 | The Best Horror of the Year Volume Five | 2013 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 6 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Six | 2014 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 7 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Seven | 2015 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 8 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Twelve | 2020 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 9 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Eight | 2016 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 10 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Ten | 2018 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 11 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Three | 2011 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 12 | The Best of the Best Horror of the Year: 10 Years of Essential Short Horror Fiction | 2018 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 13 | The Best Horror of the Year Volume Thirteen | 2021 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 14 | The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Eleven | 2019 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 15 | The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Fourteen | 2022 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 16 | The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Fifteen | 2024 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 17 | The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen | 2024 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 18 | The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Seventeen | 2025 | Laird Barron | Buy |
The Best Horror of the Year is an annual anthology series edited by Ellen Datlow, published by Night Shade Books. Since the first volume in 2009, Datlow has assembled yearly collections of what she considers the strongest horror short fiction published during the preceding year. The series has run for seventeen numbered volumes plus a tenth-anniversary best-of compilation, The Best of the Best Horror of the Year (2018).
Laird Barron has been a frequent contributor to the series, which reflects his consistent presence at the top of the horror short fiction field. The anthologies draw from a wide range of sources, including magazines, original anthologies, single-author collections, and online publications. Other regular contributors include Stephen King, Paul Tremblay, Carmen Maria Machado, and Joe Hill. For horror readers, the series is one of the most reliable annual guides to what is worth reading in the genre.