The idea behind The Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera was to put in front of readers stories of the sort that used to be easy to find. Stories that challenged and provoked, but that also thrilled and entertained. Stories with strong characters and a sense of fun, however you define it. The stories in Year’s Best take readers from the battlefields of Earth, to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Selected from the premier markets in the genre, both online and in print, the fifteen tales that make up the table of contents are truly the year’s best.

But what about the best of the best? Everyone has a favorite, and Baen Books wanted to hear yours. So, Baen created the Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera Award. Selected from the contents of Year’s Best, through proctored online voting by fans, the award honors the short story that best exemplifies the genres.

The first Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera Award was handed out at DragonCon 2015, to Michael Z. Williamson for his story “Soft Casualty.”

You can read this award winning story for free at Baen.com by clicking here. Or check out all the stories, including Williamson’s, by purchasing The Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera here.

—David Afsharirad, editor

Watch for The Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera 2015
to be published in June 2016.