Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2015 Edition | 2015 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 2 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2010 Edition | 2010 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 3 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2011 Edition | 2011 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 4 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, 2012 Edition | 2012 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 5 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2016 Edition | 2016 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 6 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2017 Edition | 2017 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 7 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2014 Edition | 2014 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 8 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2018 Edition | 2018 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 9 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2013 Edition | 2013 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 10 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2019 Edition | 2020 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 11 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Volume 1 | 2020 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 12 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Volume 2 | 2021 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 13 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Volume 3 | 2022 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 14 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Volume 4 | 2023 | Laird Barron | Buy |
| 15 | The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Volume 5 | 2024 | Laird Barron | Buy |
The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror is an annual anthology series that ran from 2010 to 2024 under the editorship of Paula Guran. Each volume collected what Guran considered the strongest dark fantasy and horror short fiction published during the previous year. The first ten volumes were titled by year (the 2010 Edition, the 2011 Edition, and so on), while the final five switched to numbered volumes.
Laird Barron’s stories appeared regularly throughout the series, which is not surprising given his standing in the horror short fiction world. The anthologies drew from magazines, online publications, and other collections to assemble a yearly snapshot of the genre. Guran announced that Volume 5 (2024) would be the final installment, bringing the series to a close after fifteen years. For readers looking to sample the best horror and dark fantasy published in any given year, these volumes are a reliable guide.