Best of the Year anthologies and a special plea to Hugo voters

The editors of three of the Best of the Year anthologies have announced the tables of contents for their upcoming volumes, which will arrive in book form over the next few months.

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Six, edited by Jonathan Strahan

The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2012, edited by Rich Horton

The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois

A special plea to Hugo nominations voters

Last year I said that the short story and novelette categories for the Hugo Awards did a poor job of representing the best of the short fiction that was available and that people who want to find the best fiction would be better served by reading the various Best of the Year anthologies.

This year, I urge everyone who is considering nominating work in the short fiction categories of the Hugo Award to read the stories listed on these tables of contents first. These stories should be the starting point, the minimum requirement for reading for Hugo nominators. Sure, read plenty of other stories, too. Read widely and enjoy. Nominate the best by March 11.