Michael Swanwick Reading Order

92 books (1980–2023)

This is a collection of 87 anthology appearances by science fiction and fantasy author Michael Swanwick, spanning from 1980 to 2023. The series encompasses contributions to prestigious publications including Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Omni, and various annual best-of collections, along with themed anthologies dedicated to specific subjects or authors. These entries should be read in publication order to follow the chronological development of Swanwick's short fiction across four decades. The series appears to be complete as of 2023.

Start with TriQuarterly 49: Science Fiction, the first of 87 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	TriQuarterly 49: Science Fiction 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Universe 11 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Magicats! 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Sixth Omni Book of Science Fiction 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Terry's Universe: Science fiction's finest writers join in honoring the memory of Terry Carr 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, June 1989 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Seventh Omni Book of Science Fiction 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Third Annual Collection 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Third Annual Collection 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Christmas on Ganymede and Other Stories 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Slow Dancing Through Time 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Best Fantasy Stories of the Year, 1989 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventh Annual Collection 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Isaac Asimov's Earth 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Asimov's Science Fiction, November 1994 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Omni Visions Two 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, February 1995 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Spirits Of Christmas: Twenty Other-Worldly Tales 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Starlight 1 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Year's Best Fantasy & Horror: Tenth Annual Collection 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Modern Classics of Fantasy 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Asimov's Science Fiction, May 1998 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, July 1999 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Asimov's Science Fiction, February 1999 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The Good New Stuff 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Year's Best SF 4 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Asimov's Science Fiction, April 2000 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Explorers 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Infinity Plus One 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Meditations on Middle-Earth 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Nebula Awards 35 (2001) 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Analog Science Fiction and Fact, March 2002 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	Supermen 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	The Mammoth Book Of Science Fiction 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 15 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	I premi Hugo 2002 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	The Hard SF Renaissance 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 16 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Year's Best SF 8 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	The Year's Best Science Fiction: 21 Annual Edition 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-First Annual Edition 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
43	Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
44	The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Best Short Science Fiction Novels 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
45	The Fiction Factory 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
46	Futures Past 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
47	Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2006 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
48	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
49	Year's Best SF 11 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
50	Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
51	Rewired 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
52	The Best of the Best, Vol 2 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
53	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fourth Annual Collection 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
54	Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, February 2008 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
55	From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
56	Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2008 Edition 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
57	The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 21 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
58	The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 22 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
59	The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
60	The Mammoth Book of Mindblowing SF 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
61	Asimov's Science Fiction, December 2010 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
62	Alien Contact 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
63	Unfit for Eden: A Postscripts Anthology 26/27 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
64	Rock On: The Greatest Hits of Science Fiction & Fantasy 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
65	Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2011 edition 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
66	The Mammoth Book of Steampunk 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
67	The Palencar Project 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
68	The Sword & Sorcery Anthology 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
69	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
70	The Year's Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction 4 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
71	Timeless Time Travel Tales 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
72	Shadows of the New Sun 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
73	Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2012 Edition 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
74	Steampunk Specs 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
75	The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
76	The Time Traveler's Almanac 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
77	Far Voyager: A Postcripts Anthology 32/33 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
78	Rogues 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
79	The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Nine 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
80	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
81	The Year's Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction 6 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
82	Letters to Tiptree 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
83	The Year's Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction 7 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
84	Clarkesworld: Year Eight 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
85	Once Upon a Time Machine Volume 2 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
86	The Final Frontier 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
87	The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2018 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
88	Devil's Ways 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
89	The 2020 Look at Space Opera Book 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
90	Love, Death and Robots: The Official Anthology: Volume One 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
91	The Year's Top Robot and AI Stories: Fourth Annual Collection 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
92	The Year's Top Tales of Space and Time 3 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2011–2020)

The Darger and Surplus series by Michael Swanwick comprises three complete novels published between 2011 and 2020. These fantastical adventures should be read in publication order, beginning with Dancing with Bears, followed by Chasing the Phoenix, and concluding with The Postutopian Adventures of Darger and Surplus. The series follows the exploits of two con artists navigating strange and wondrous worlds across an imaginative landscape.

Start with Dancing with Bears and read in order.

#	Title
1	Dancing with Bears 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Chasing the Phoenix 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Postutopian Adventures of Darger and Surplus 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1993–2019)

Michael Swanwick's Iron Dragon's Daughter trilogy spans three decades, with the first novel arriving in 1993 and the final installment in 2019. This complete fantasy science fiction series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Iron Dragon's Daughter, followed by The Dragons of Babel, and concluding with The Iron Dragon's Mother. The trilogy weaves together richly imagined worlds and interconnected narratives across its three books.

Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Iron Dragon's Daughter 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Dragons of Babel 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Iron Dragon's Mother 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (2012–2024)

Michael Swanwick's Mongolian Wizard series spans eleven fantasy and science fiction novels published between 2012 and 2024, with the series still ongoing. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Day of the Kraken and continuing through the most recent entry, Halcyon Afternoon. This interconnected sequence of adventure-filled installments follows a consistent narrative progression that unfolds across the full span of the series.

Start with Day of the Kraken, the first of 11 books in the Mongolian Wizard series.

3 books (1997–2009)

This three-book non-fiction series by Michael Swanwick spans from 1997 to 2009 and is now complete. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Postmodern Archipelago, followed by Being Gardner Dozois (co-written with Gardner Dozois), and concluding with Hope-in-the-Mist. Each entry builds on the previous work within this finished collection.

Start with The Postmodern Archipelago and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Postmodern Archipelago 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Being Gardner Dozois(With: Gardner Dozois) 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Hope-in-the-Mist 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

26 books (1982–2023)

Michael Swanwick's Short Stories and Novellas series spans four decades from 1982 to 2023, collecting 26 works of fantasy and science fiction across various publications. These standalone and interconnected tales appear in anthologies, magazines like Omni and Asimov's Science Fiction, and best-of collections, showcasing Swanwick's range across speculative fiction genres. Reading in publication order from The Man Who Met Picasso provides the best sense of the author's evolution as a writer. The series appears to be complete, though individual stories can be enjoyed independently of publication sequence.

Start with The Man Who Met Picasso, the first of 26 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	The Man Who Met Picasso 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Dogfight (in Omni)(With: William Gibson) 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Edge of the World 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Griffin's Egg 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Changeling\'s Tale 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Radio Waves 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Walking Out (in Asimov's) 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Dead (in Starlight 1) 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Radiant Doors (in The Best of...) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Very Pulse of the Machine (in The Best of...) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Wild Minds (in The Best of...) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Ancient Engines (in Asimov's) 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Scherzo with Tyrannosaur (in Asimov's) 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Raggle Taggle Gypsy-O 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	'Hello,' Said the Stick 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Slow Life 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Little Cat Laughed to See Such Sport 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Legions in Time 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Lord Weary’s Empire 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	A Small Room in Koboldtown 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	From Babel’s Fall’n Glory We Fled 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	The Trains That Climb the Winter Tree 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Zeppelin City 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	The Dala Horse 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Annie Without Crow 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The Star-Bear 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (1991–2026)

Michael Swanwick's Short Story Collections series comprises eleven volumes of fantasy and science fiction short fiction published between 1991 and 2026, with the series still ongoing. These collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures and continuing through the most recent entry, The Universe Box. The series showcases Swanwick's versatility across multiple genres and themes, from tales of old Earth to explorations of scientific concepts.

Start with Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures, the first of 11 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Gravity's Angels 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Tales of Old Earth 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	A Geography of Unknown Lands 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Moon Dogs 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Michael Swanwick's Field Guide to Mesozoic Megafauna 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Periodic Table of Science Fiction 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Dog Said Bow-Wow 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Best of Michael Swanwick 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Not So Much, Said the Cat 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Universe Box 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1984–2002)

Michael Swanwick's five standalone novels, published between 1984 and 2002, showcase the author's range across fantasy and science fiction. Each book stands alone as a complete story and can be read independently, though reading them in publication order allows you to follow Swanwick's evolving style and themes. The series is now complete and includes In the Drift, Vacuum Flowers, Stations of the Tide, Jack Faust, and Bones of the Earth.

Start with In the Drift, the first of 5 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	In the Drift 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Vacuum Flowers 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Stations of the Tide 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Jack Faust 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Bones of the Earth 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2012–2012)

The Palencar Project is a five-book fantasy and science fiction series completed in 2012, with each installment written by a different author. The series features contributions from notable writers including Gene Wolfe, L.E. Modesitt Jr., James K. Morrow, and Gregory Benford, alongside Michael Swanwick. Readers should approach the books in publication order, beginning with Dormanna and concluding with The Woman Who Shook the World-Tree.

Start with Dormanna(By: Gene Wolfe), the first of 5 books in the The Palencar Project series.

2 books (2016–2023)

The Witch Who Came In From The Cold is a collaborative fantasy and science fiction series featuring multiple authors working together on interconnected narratives. The series consists of two season-length installments published between 2016 and 2023, with Season One released first and Season Two following seven years later. This appears to be a complete series that should be read in publication order, beginning with Season One before progressing to The Complete Season 2. Each season brings together different combinations of writers including Michael Swanwick, Ian Tregillis, Max Gladstone, Lindsay Smith, Cassandra Rose Clarke, and Fran Wilde.

Start with The Witch Who Came In From The Cold: Season One(With: Ian Tregillis,Max Gladstone,Lindsay Smith,Cassandra Rose Clarke) and read in order.

17 books (1971–1987)

The Universe series is a collection of 17 science fiction and fantasy anthologies edited primarily by Terry Carr, with contributions from numerous authors including Michael Swanwick, Kim Stanley Robinson, William Gibson, and Ian Watson. Published between 1971 and 1987, the series presents a complete run of original fiction and should be read in publication order to experience how the anthology evolved across its run. This foundational series showcases speculative fiction from both established and emerging writers of the era.

Start with Universe 1(By: Terry Carr), the first of 17 books in the Universe series.

#	Title
1	Universe 1(By: Terry Carr) 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Universe 2(By: Terry Carr) 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Universe 3(By: Terry Carr) 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Universe 4(By: Terry Carr) 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Universe 5(By: Terry Carr) 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Universe 6(By: John Shirley,Terry Carr) 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Universe 7(By: Terry Carr) 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Universe 8(By: Terry Carr) 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Universe 9(By: John Shirley,Terry Carr) 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Universe 10(By: Terry Carr) 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Universe 11(With: Kim Stanley Robinson,William Gibson,Carter Scholz,Michael Bishop,Ian Watson,Nancy Kress,Carol Emshwiller,Josephine Saxton,Terry Carr) 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Universe 12(By: Terry Carr) 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Universe 13(By: Kim Stanley Robinson,Lucius Shepard,Michael Bishop,Ian Watson,Terry Carr,Bruce Sterling,Leanne Frahm,Bill Bickel) 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Universe 14(By: Terry Carr) 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Universe 15(By: Terry Carr) 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Universe 16(By: Terry Carr) 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Universe 17(By: Terry Carr) 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1985–1986)

This two-book collection of short fiction by William Gibson spans 1985 to 1986 and is now complete. The works should be read in publication order, beginning with "Dogfight," which appeared in Omni magazine as a collaboration with Michael Swanwick, followed by "The Winter Market." These science fiction and fantasy pieces represent Gibson's shorter works from the mid-1980s.

Start with Dogfight (in Omni)(With: William Gibson) and read in order.

9 books (2001–2009)

The Year's Best Fantasy series is a nine-book anthology collection edited by Michael Swanwick, published between 2001 and 2009 and now complete. Each volume presents curated selections of fantasy stories from the previous year, making them ideal for readers seeking diverse short fiction in the genre. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with the first volume and continuing through the ninth to experience the chronological progression of fantasy literature during this period.

Start with Year's Best Fantasy, the first of 9 books in the Year's Best Fantasy series.

#	Title
1	Year's Best Fantasy 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Year's Best Fantasy 2 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Year's Best Fantasy 3 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Year's Best Fantasy 4 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Year's Best Fantasy 5 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Year's Best Fantasy 6 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Year's Best Fantasy 7 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Year's Best Fantasy 8 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Year's Best Fantasy 9 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

18 books (1996–2013)

The Year's Best SF Anthology is a complete eighteen-book series of science fiction collections edited by Michael Swanwick, spanning from 1996 to 2013. Each volume features a curated selection of the year's most notable science fiction stories from various authors. The series should be read in publication order, starting with Year's Best SF and continuing through Year's Best SF 15 and three additional volumes. These anthologies serve as an annual showcase of outstanding short fiction in the science fiction genre.

Start with Year's Best SF, the first of 18 books in the Year's Best SF Anthology series.

#	Title
1	Year's Best SF 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Year's Best SF 2 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Year's Best SF 3 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Year's Best SF 4 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Year's Best SF 5 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Year's Best SF 6 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Year's Best SF 7 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Year's Best SF 8 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Year's Best SF 9 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Year's Best SF 10 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Year's Best SF 11 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Year's Best SF 12 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Year's Best SF 13 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Year's Best SF 14 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Year's Best SF 15 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Year's Best SF 16 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Year's Best SF 17 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Year's Best SF 18 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible