Patrick Nielsen Hayden has posted the table of contents for his new anthology, The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens, over on his website. As far as I know, it’s the first book of its kind specifically aimed at a teen audience, so I’ve been very eager to see what he and co-editor Jane Yolen have selected for their book.

Looking at the list, I have several immediate reactions. First, I think it looks like a good, strong selection of stories. The Bradley Denton and Kelly Link stories alone, make the book more than worth the price of admission. I also loved Delia Sherman’s “CATNYP” and Theodora Goss’s “The Wings of Meister Wilhelm”, and it’s an interesting idea to include a century-old piece in the book too. Second, I’ve held the belief for a while now that we needed a year’s best that blends science fiction and fantasy in a single volume. I think Jane and Patrick have done a very creditable job, especially given the length of their book. It’s very tightly edited.

Probably the only caveat I have about the book is a personal one. I read pretty much everything published in the adult market, so I’ve already read every story in the book. I had been hoping that Jane and Patrick might have been able to highlight stuff published in sources I haven’t seen, stuff from young adult collections, anthologies, magazines and so on. I know they exist, but I’ve only see a handfull of them. That said, it’s a very personal caveat. The intended audience, I suspect, won’t have seen many of these stories, and they should love them. Definitely something to buy for a teen near you, or for someone who perhaps doesn’t read enough short fiction. Oh, and the cover (by Donata, I think) is terrific.