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johnjosephadams.com
John Joseph Adams
@johnjosephadams.com
4.4K followers 630 following 470 posts
Series Editor of BASFF. Publisher of @lightspeedmagazine.com (+ Editor) and NIGHTMARE. Editor of 40+ anthologies. Co-editor (with Jordan Peele) of OUT THERE SCREAMING.

Newsletter Signup: https://robotwizardzombiecrit.com
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johnjosephadams.com
A pros/cons list of cats vs. donkeys, designed to look like it's handwritten on a two-page notepad. Cats: charming, gets what they want, curious, beloved, independent thinkers, adaptable. Donkeys: braying, slow moving, stubborn, not so smart, beast of burden, is literally an ass.
November 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
johnjosephadams.com
In the wake of the Democrats' feckless capitulation re: the shutdown, it's clear that it's far past time we have a change in Democratic leadership. That's right: We need to primary the donkey and elect a cat instead. Who loves donkeys? No one! Who loves cats? Everyone! I've already got the logo.
Drake Hotline Bling meme with Drake holding his hand up to protest the top option (Donkeys) but then pointing and smiling at the bottom option (Cats). Proposed new democratic imagery, using a cat silhouette as the symbol instead of a donkey. The cat is half blue, half red, with a white line separating the two halves, with four white stars at the bottom of the blue half. The word DEMOCRAT appears above the cat, and the cat is reaching one paw up to pull the R down so that it reads like "Democat."
November 10, 2025 at 3:27 PM
johnjosephadams.com
But look, I fixed it
Photo of my screen with MailerLite open, with a piece of cardboard covering the upper right corner of the screen in order to hide the annoying button situation mentioned in the previous post in this thread.
November 9, 2025 at 4:19 PM
johnjosephadams.com
I use MailerLite for my newsletter, and recently they made this UI change that is maddening. See attached image. The DONE EDITING button changes to PLEASE WAIT every time you make a change (as it saves progress). The buttons also resize slightly. It's SO DISTRACTING. Whyyyyyyyyyyy.
Screenshot of MailerLite newsletter service's nav bar while editing a newsletter. Top row shows the default view; bottom row shows what happens every time you make a change (as it saves progress).
November 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
johnjosephadams.com
If you wrote an SF/F/H story that was published in 2025 (or read a story that you thought was great), tell me about it in this thread!

Authors, also send your story to me here: johnjosephadams.com/basff-submis... (Please read the guidelines before submitting.)
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy stylized as cover text.
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
johnjosephadams.com
THE TIME TRAVELER'S PASSPORT is now available, a new collection from Amazon Original Stories. 99¢ each or free w/ Prime/KU membership. Stories by: John Scalzi, RF Kuang, Peng Shepherd, Kaliane Bradley, P. Djèlí Clark, & Olivie Blake.

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN8CHTQD
A multicolored mobius strip with folds and angles to it, with the silhouette of a person walking on one side of it.
November 3, 2025 at 10:32 PM
johnjosephadams.com
"Origin Story" by Tochi Onyebuchi, from OUT THERE SCREAMING (2023) www.johnjosephadams.com/projects/out...
RECKLESS EYEBALLING N.K. Jemisin EYE & TOOTH Rebecca Roanhorse WANDERING DEVIL Cadwell Turnbull INVASION OF THE BABY SNATCHERS Lesley Nneka Arimah THE OTHER ONE Violet Allen LASIRÈN Erin E. Adams THE RIDER Tananarive Due THE AESTHETE Justin C. Key PRESSURE Ezra Claytan Daniels DARK HOME Nnedi Okorafor FLICKER L.D. Lewis THE MOST STRONGEST OBEAH WOMAN OF THE WORLD Nalo Hopkinson THE NORWOOD TROUBLE Maurice Broaddus A GRIEF OF THE DEAD Rion Amilcar Scott A BIRD SINGS BY THE ETCHING TREE Nicole D. Sconiers AN AMERICAN FABLE Chesya Burke YOUR HAPPY PLACE Terence Taylor HIDE & SEEK P. Djèlí Clark ORIGIN STORY Tochi Onyebuchi
October 22, 2025 at 12:25 PM
johnjosephadams.com
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY 2025, edited by me and guest editor @nnedi.bsky.social is now available! See the cover and full TOC in the attached image. This is volume 11 (!!!) of BASFF.

www.harpercollins.com/products/the...
@marinerbooks.bsky.social
2025 Table of Contents Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 contains the following stories. FANTASY Look at the Moon by Dominique Dickey from Lightspeed The Witch Trap by Jennifer Hudak from Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet Ushers by Joe Hill from Amazon Original Stories Country Birds by Kij Johnson from Sunday Morning Transport The Wonders of the World by ‘Pemi Aguda from Ghostroots: Stories Also, the Cat by Rachel Swirsky from Reactor What Happened to the Crooners by Russell Nichols from Nightmare The River Judge by S.L. Huang from Reactor A Stranger Knocks by Tananarive Due from Uncanny An Ode to the Minor Arcana in a Triplet Flow by Xavier Garcia from Death in the Mouth, Vol. 2 SCIENCE FICTION The Three Thousand, Four Hundred Twenty-Third Law of Robotics by Adam-Troy Castro from Lightspeed The Weight of Your Own Ashes by Carlie St. George from Clarkesworld We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read by Caroline M. Yoachim from Lightspeed Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole by Isabel J. Kim from Clarkesworld The Forgetting Room by Kathryn H. Ross from FIYAH The Audit by Olivie Blake from Januaries Yarns by Susan Palwick from Asimov’s Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! by T.J. Klune from In the Lives of Puppets Fuck Them Kids by Tatiana Obey from FIYAH The Sort by Thomas Ha from Clarkesworld
October 21, 2025 at 1:55 PM
johnjosephadams.com
Since DUNGEONS DEEP just came out, I wanted to post again about my indie-published adventure, ASCENDANCY OF NUR'RY'ZA. It's about missing wizards-in-training, a cursed game, and monks who worship a dark entity.

PDF: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Roll20: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
Cover of ASCENDANCY OF NUR'RY'ZA, a 5e Adventure for PCs of 5th or 6th level by Ennie and Hugo Award winner John Joseph Adams. Cover image depicts a female monk standing in a powerful martial arts pose, with the earth shattering around her as if from the force of her feet striking the ground. TEXT: PLAY THE GAME. LOSE CONTROL. FEED THE GOD. What begins as a simple missing persons case quickly spirals into a descent through obsession, curses, and cult sacrifices. Ascendancy of Nur’Ry’Za is a one-shot adventure easy to slip into any campaign. Set in a monastery high atop a remote mountain, a cursed game is dominating minds and feeding the bottomless hunger of a dark eldritch entity. This 50+ page adventure includes: A narrative-rich mystery adventure with elements of horror and psychological tension A Go/Chess-like game called Ascendancy that curses its players and enthralls them to a dark eldritch entity A climactic ritual encounter where timing and choices matter A monastery dungeon with tactical encounters and dramatic set-pieces Three original full-color, highly-detailed hi-res maps (including player versions, GM versions, and a GM versions with creature placement) 3 original monk statblocks, inspired by Brazilian jiu-jitsu: Monk, Grappler Monk, and Grappling Master Monk 4 original “disciple” statblocks, designed to be warlock-monk cultists: Disciple Initiate, Zealous Disciple, Dark Disciple Priest, and Ardent Disciple Tokens for all creatures and NPCs Adventure text that uses special formatting conventions and hyperlinks to help GMs easily navigate the text while running the adventure Four player handouts An original monk subclass, The Way of Control, inspired by Brazilian jiu-jitsu Designed for 5 PCs of 5th level (Hard-Deadly) or 6th level (Medium-Hard), this adventure is perfect for groups who enjoy a mix of intrigue, combat, and unraveling ancient secrets.
October 10, 2025 at 2:16 PM
johnjosephadams.com
FBI director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi stand in front of an American Flag. Kash has his arms folded across his chest and is making weird eyes at someone off camera; a thought balloon beside him says "Can't wait for Valhalla." Pam is looking longingly offscreen, with a thought balloon that says "Can't wait to end rule of law."
October 8, 2025 at 9:15 PM
johnjosephadams.com
My article series about Downtime Activities in 5e/Tales of the Valiant concludes with Performing. My favorite part is the result you get if you roll a 1-10 on your Performance check (i.e., the worst you can roll).

koboldpress.com/your-bard-ca...
Whole Series: www.johnjosephadams.com/projects/dow...
Text Screenshot: Your performances are somewhere between middling and dreadful. There are either some hecklers or someone falls asleep during the show and begins snoring loudly—or both. You lose the money you spent on setting up and promoting your show. In addition, you lose a number of fans equal to 20 minus your check result (the minimum number of fans you can have is 0). Here’s the good news: No one who saw your act will ever come to another one of your shows, and anyone else almost certainly won’t have heard of you, so when you do your next show it’ll be like it’s your first, which is just as well, really.
October 2, 2025 at 3:37 PM
johnjosephadams.com
Hey! I've got two adventures in this book that just came out from @koboldpress.com. They're both co-written with dope author @bryancamp.bsky.social. Our adventures are “Clockwork Phylactery” and “The Dark God’s Ziggurat.”

koboldpress.com/kpstore/prod...
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
DUNGEONS DEEP: 16 Classic Ready-to-Play Drop-in Dungeons. A young female wizard with long black hair holds a lantern in one hand and a crystal in the other, side by side with a male warrior in splint armor holding a sword and shield. Both face a grick—a large serpent-like creature with a head opens like tentacles, with a large beak in the center.
October 1, 2025 at 9:50 PM
johnjosephadams.com
After being missing since June 3, my cat Bender finally came home last night! We saw him in our driveway on July 23 and have been seeing him around now and then since, but he wouldn't come inside. Last night he finally did. And boy did he want pets.
August 14, 2025 at 12:58 PM
johnjosephadams.com
Ever since druids could easily get a familiar I wanted to live out this fantasy in game. In 2024 if you're a moon druid you could be the weasel not just riding the bird but the weasel blasting enemies with starry wisp from afar. Now you can also talk in WS so you could be a weasel almost full-time.
Photo of a weasel riding on the back of a woodpecker.
July 26, 2025 at 10:22 PM
johnjosephadams.com
Some of the 2024 changes are hilarious in how much of a 180 they are. Like: 2014 True Strike=absolute dogshit; 2024 True Strike=maybe the best cantrip in the game. 2014 Witchbolt=terrible; 2024 Witchbolt=super good! (My lvl 5 sorc upcast WB at 3rd level, crit, and did 69 points of damage!)
July 25, 2025 at 8:36 PM
johnjosephadams.com
Here's a picture of the inside of my dusty-ass computer, showing the RAM.
July 12, 2025 at 3:34 PM
johnjosephadams.com
LitHub is showcasing this year's class of Best American anthologies, including Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy (for which I'm series editor). lithub.com/here-are-the...

If you visit my website, you can see the full TOC and list of Notable Stories.
www.johnjosephadams.com/projects/bes...
May 14, 2025 at 4:23 PM
johnjosephadams.com
To sign up and get your free ebook anthology, visit johnjosephadams.com/newsletter
May 14, 2025 at 3:43 PM
johnjosephadams.com
So! There's a taste of what you get by subscribing to the newsletter. I also share my thoughts on movies/tv and talk about TTRPGs, short fiction, my anthologies and magazines, and other fun stuff. PLUS frequent dog pics like this one of our Blue Heeler/Aussie Shepherd, Lore.
A blue heeler//aussie shepherd mix, white with black markings. His head is on his dad's leg looking up at him balefully, desperately in hopes that it might possibly please please please be dinner time now.
May 14, 2025 at 3:43 PM
johnjosephadams.com
DEATH OF THE AUTHOR. 8/10 A landmark achievement for Okorafor. I tore through it, loved it. I have no doubt it will be one of the most discussed books of the year. Everyone should read it! (You may be wondering if it really is a genre book, even once you're reading it; I promise that it is.)
May 14, 2025 at 3:42 PM
johnjosephadams.com
EXHALATION. 10/10 This is a re-read for me, but I had never listened to the audiobook, and I'm on an audiobook kick lately, so I decided to revisit. Ted Chiang is amazing—there's pretty universal agreement on that. But I'll just say that for me to give 10/10 to ANYTHING is extremely rare.
May 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
johnjosephadams.com
A DROP OF CORRUPTION. 9/10 I read the first in this series, The Tainted Cup, and loved it, so I was really excited to dive right into book 2, which just came out as I finished that. And Robert Jackson Bennett did not disappoint. I was just as enthralled with this one as I was with the first.
May 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
johnjosephadams.com
TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW. 9/10 Firstly, I'll note this book is not SF/F/H in any way, though as noted above it is about video game designers. I didn't even know what to classify this as, but I see online it is called "Friendship Fiction"—and yeah, that's totally what it is.
May 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
johnjosephadams.com
YELLOWFACE. 9/10 This book sounded like fire when I first heard about it, but despite that I wasn't prepared for how incredibly unflinching and incisive it would be. The prose is electric, and Kuang gets every single aspect of the story right—
May 14, 2025 at 3:36 PM
johnjosephadams.com
SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN. 7/10 Having not read the cover copy at all, this book was not at all what I was thinking it would be based on the title. I thought it would be kind of urban fantasyish, but nope it's a secondary world fantasy, with a protagonist who is an actual monster.
May 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM