Best Stories: Vol. 4 - Paperback

by Joel Schanke (Editor), Wayne Harris (Editor)

Attention passengers and crew, these are your captains' heads speaking.

According to our farscaper the planet Earth has completed another orbit of its sun. Yes, I know we should have been there by now, but we'll get you there. It's just that the Earth has completed its orbit a little sooner than expected.

But to keep you occupied, we're due to deliver the best compilation of stories from all our issues in 2019. Every year, our editors painstakingly curate collections of stories with themes and ideas that tie in to one another and present a beautifully constructed and cohesive arc over the course of an issue. We then throw them into an epic battle royale, where they fight it out to the death-the stories, that is, not the editors. Finally, we take whichever ones survive for a special, print edition of the magazine. Gone be the themes, the cohesion, the thoughtfulness of a curated issue. These works don't need an entourage.

Inside you'll find magic, gods, strange technologies, and creatures that don't bear dwelling on. Take a stroll through The Orchard, open doors that are best left locked, and learn with a robot who is only doing its best to raise a child. And when it all gets to be a little too much, sit down and enjoy the best food and finest dining Mythique has to offer. This one's on us. So in the interest of ignoring our editors' careful planning, here are our best stories of 2019.

*No editors were harmed in the making of this issue.