Book Summary and Reviews of ECO24 by Marissa van Uden

ECO24 by Marissa van Uden

ECO24

The Year's Best Speculative Ecofiction

by Marissa van Uden

  • Published:
  • Nov 2025, 312 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A must-read annual showcase of the best nature-based science fiction and fantasy short stories published around the world every year.

Featuring works by rising stars and established names, this anthology is an exploration of humanity's deep relationships with other species and of our communal fears, grief, and passion as we try to protect our natural world—all told through the lens of the fantastic. Ranging from literary science fiction and magical realism to dark fantasy and climate fiction, the stories form a unique snapshot of how some of the most brilliant and imaginative authors writing today are engaging with this extraordinary time in Earth's natural history.

The inaugural edition, selected by award-winning editor and anthologist Marissa van Uden and a team of passionate ecofiction judges, features works by Eugen Bacon, E. Catherine Tobler, Hiron Ennes, K-Ming Chang, Kay Vaindal, Kelsea Yu, Renan Bernardo, and many other brilliant authors.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"This first of a series exploring humanity's 'communal fears, grief, and passion as we try to protect our natural world' is a triumph. 23 stellar tales...Every entry is equal parts thought-provoking, insightful, and impactful." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"These stories are personal and lyrical, and the breadth of imagination and styles make this anthology dazzling. Every story is a gem." —Sue Burke, author of Semiosis

"I did not realize that there is enough sci-fi and horror on the theme of ecology to fill a year's best anthology, but it is better than that. ECO24 is filled to the brim with powerful and entertaining stories. A must read." ―David Agranoff, Author of The Last Night to Kill Nazis and cohost of The (Philip K. Dick) Dickheads Podcast

This information about ECO24 was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Marissa van Uden

Marissa van Uden is a writer, editor, and nature-lover originally from Aotearoa New Zealand but now based in Vermont, where she lives in a little cabin in the woods overlooking a beaver pond. As an anthologist, her credits include the award-winning The Off-Season: An Anthology of Coastal New Weird and the Apex Strange Microfiction anthologies (Strange Libations, Strange Machines, and Strange Locations). Her short stories have been published in Vastarien Literary Journal, Dark Matter Magazine, and Small Wonders, among others.

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