Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xanadu | 1993 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | N/A |
| 2 | Starlight 1 | 1996 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 3 | Alternate Skiffy | 1997 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 4 | Starlight 2 | 1998 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 5 | Starlight 3 | 2001 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 6 | New Skies: An Anthology of Today’s Science Fiction | 2003 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 7 | New Magics | 2004 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 8 | The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens | 2005 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 9 | Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2011 edition | 2012 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 10 | Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2012 Edition | 2013 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 11 | Twenty-First Century Science Fiction | 2013 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 12 | Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2013 Edition | 2013 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
| 13 | Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2014 Edition | 2015 | Patrick Nielsen Hayden | Buy |
Patrick Nielsen Hayden’s anthologies span more than two decades and reflect his position at the center of science fiction and fantasy publishing. The Starlight series, running from 1996 to 2001, is the highlight. These three volumes collected original short fiction from top writers and won major awards including the Hugo and World Fantasy Award. They are widely regarded as some of the best original anthologies the field has produced.
Beyond Starlight, Hayden edited themed collections like Alternate Skiffy and New Magics, as well as the annual “Some of the Best from Tor.com” volumes that collected standout online fiction for print publication. His co-edited Twenty-First Century Science Fiction offered a survey of where the genre stood in the early 2010s. Across all these books, Hayden’s editorial selections show a consistent preference for ambitious, well-crafted stories that reward close reading.