John Joseph Adams Reading Order

95 books (1998–2026)

John Joseph Adams has edited 86 anthology collections spanning fantasy, science fiction, and nonfiction from 1998 through 2026, with the series remaining ongoing. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Lightspeed Magazine from April 2011 and continuing through numerous themed collections and magazine issues. Notable entries include The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Living Dead series, Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, Federations, and Brave New Worlds, alongside regular Lightspeed Magazine publications that form part of the larger anthology catalog.

Start with Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011, the first of 86 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Living Dead 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Federations 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Brave New Worlds 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Epic 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Living Dead 2 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Way of the Wizard 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Fantasy Magazine, July 2011 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Lightspeed Magazine, June 2011 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Lightspeed: Year One 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Armored 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Lightspeed Magazine, April 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Lightspeed Magazine, December 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Lightspeed Magazine, January 2015 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Lightspeed Magazine, November 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Lightspeed Magazine, October 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Other Worlds Than These 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Under the Moons of Mars 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Lightspeed Magazine, August 2013 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 35, April 2013 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Nightmare Magazine 13: October 2013 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Nightmare Magazine, January 2014 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Oz Reimagined 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy #76-78 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy #82-84 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Dead Man's Hand 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Help Fund my Robot Army!!! & Other Improbable Crowdfunding Projects 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Lightspeed Magazine, December 2014 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Lightspeed Magazine, February 2014 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Lightspeed Magazine, July 2014 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	Lightspeed Magazine, October 2014 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Robot Uprisings 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	The End is Nigh 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	The End is Now 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	Lightspeed Magazine, December 2015 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	Lightspeed Magazine, July 2015 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Lightspeed Magazine, October 2015 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	Loosed Upon the World 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	Operation Arcana 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
43	Press Start to Play 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
44	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
45	The End Has Come 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
46	Wastelands - Stories of the Apocalypse 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
47	Lightspeed Magazine, July 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
48	Lightspeed Magazine, May 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
49	Nightmare Magazine 44: May 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
50	Nightmare Magazine 48: September 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
51	People of Color Destroy Science Fiction! 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
52	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
53	What the #@&% Is That? 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
54	Lightspeed Magazine, February 2017 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
55	Futures & Fantasies 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
56	Lightspeed Magazine, September 2018 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
57	Nightmare Magazine 67: April 2018 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
58	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 73 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
59	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 74 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
60	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 75 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
61	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 77 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
62	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
63	A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
64	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 105, February 2019 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
65	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 80 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
66	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 83 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
67	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 86 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
68	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
69	Burn the Ashes 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
70	Ignorance Is Strength 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
71	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 127 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
72	Nightmare Magazine, Issue 98 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
73	Or Else the Light 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
74	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
75	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 132, May 2021 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
76	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 139, December 2021 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
77	One Stormy Night 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
78	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
79	Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding, Volume 2 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
80	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 143, April 2022 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
81	Lost Worlds & Mythological Kingdoms 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
82	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
83	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 153, February 2023 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
84	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 155, April 2023 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
85	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 161 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
86	Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
87	Kobold Guide to Roleplaying 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
88	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 169 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
89	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 185 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
90	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
91	Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2026 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
92	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 189 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
93	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 192 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
94	Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 193 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
95	The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2026 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2020–2020)

The Dystopia Triptych is a complete three-book series by John Joseph Adams published in 2020. These interconnected science fiction and fantasy novels should be read in publication order, beginning with Burn the Ashes, followed by Ignorance Is Strength, and concluding with Or Else the Light. The trilogy explores dark, speculative futures through its interconnected narrative structure.

Start with Burn the Ashes and read in order.

1 book (2010–2010)

#	Title
1	The Living Dead 2(By: Paul McAuley) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2007–2019)

The Wastelands series is a complete anthology collection edited by John Joseph Adams comprising three volumes published between 2007 and 2019. Each book collects science fiction and fantasy short stories centered on post-apocalyptic themes and should be read in publication order: Wastelands, Wastelands 2, and Wastelands: The New Apocalypse. These anthologies feature work from multiple authors exploring visions of catastrophe and survival in worlds after civilization's collapse.

Start with Wastelands and read in order.