John Joseph Adams

@johnjosephadams

Series Editor of BASFF. Publisher of @lightspeedmagazine.com (+ Editor) and NIGHTMARE. Editor of 50+ anthologies. Co-editor (with Jordan Peele) of OUT THERE SCREAMING. Newsletter Signup:

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John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· 26d

Excuse me, but where my motherfuckin cookies at

Yasso cookies and cream wrapper next to a Yasso with no cookies in the cream

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

"The Carindale Orphan" by J.M. Miro: A stout man wearing a bowler hat and overcoat walks beside a young boy down a dark Victorian-era cobblestone alley.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

"The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious" by Scott Lynch: A wizard with a long white beard stands waist-deep in water. He's holding a wooden staff and wearing a pointed wizard hat; on the had are several small trees as if his hat is an island, and some waterfalls cascade off the brim of it.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

"A Labyrinth of Honeybees" by Heather Fawcett: A large honeybee with maze-like markings on its abdomen hovers above a garden.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

"The Wednesday Witches Book Club" by Sarah Beth Durst: A white teapot with flowers and a cat etched onto it pours tea into a similarly-decorated teacup. In the background are shelves filled with books.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

"Battle of the Round House" by Tananarive Due: A figure in a wide-brimmed hat stands beneath a wooden gate at sunset, facing an enormous cloud in the sky in the shape of a bull's head.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

"The Lion's Tusk" by Robert Jackson Bennett: A stained-glass window depicts two finely dressed medieval nobles clasping hands, one holding a bouquet.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

"Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk" by Travis Baldree: A figure in armor with a full closed helmet stands in the foreground, with a tall stone bell tower behind it. Purple magical energy swirls around a collection of trinkets hanging from the figure's neck.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 6

I curated a new Amazon Original Stories Collection called MAGIC & MYSTERY, with stories by: @robertjbennett.bsky.social @travisbaldree.bsky.social @sarahbethdurst.bsky.social @scottlynch78.bsky.social @tananarivedue.bsky.social, Heather Fawcett & J.M. Miro Out July 28! amzn.to/4gjGIDF

Magic & Mystery: an Amazon Original Stories Collection. A cat's face with eyes glowing with pink and white magic. Below it are seven book covers, described below.

"Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk" by Travis Baldree: A figure in armor with a full closed helmet stands in the foreground, with a tall stone bell tower behind it. Purple magical energy swirls around a collection of trinkets hanging from the figure's neck.

"The Lion's Tusk" by Robert Jackson Bennett: A stained-glass window depicts two finely dressed medieval nobles clasping hands, one holding a bouquet.

"Battle of the Round House" by Tananarive Due: A figure in a wide-brimmed hat stands beneath a wooden gate at sunset, facing an enormous cloud in the sky in the shape of a bull's head.

"The Wednesday Witches Book Club" by Sarah Beth Durst: A white teapot with flowers and a cat etched onto it pours tea into a similarly-decorated teacup. In the background are shelves filled with books.

"A Labyrinth of Honeybees" by Heather Fawcett: A large honeybee with maze-like markings on its abdomen hovers above a garden.

"The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious" by Scott Lynch: A wizard with a long white beard stands waist-deep in water. He's holding a wooden staff and wearing a pointed wizard hat; on the had are several small trees as if his hat is an island, and some waterfalls cascade off the brim of it.

"The Carindale Orphan" by J.M. Miro: A stout man wearing a bowler hat and overcoat walks beside a young boy down a dark Victorian-era cobblestone alley.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· May 11

For those who don't read my newsletter: I've become a baker! These are my second attempt at "Halfling Oatmeal Sweet Nibbles" from the HEROES' FEAST cbook (also in DECK OF MANY MORSELS). Naturally, a DM screen is protecting them from enemies (i.e., my dogs). Main flavors: Butterscotch/Choc Chips.

A batch of oatmeal cookies cooling on a wire rack, surrounded on all four sides by a Dungeon Master Screen

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Mar 19

Look at this extremely upsetting way Disney+ has the Star Wars movies organized. Episode 4, then 2, then 6, then 3, then The Clone Wars tv show (?!), then 5, then 7, then 8, then 1. Then I realized... they're alphabetical, but it doesn't look like it because they don't ignore the initial articles.

Screenshot of Disney+'s carousel showing the Star Wars movies, in this order Episode 4, then 2, then 6, then 3, then The Clone Wars tv show (?!), then 5, then 7, then 8, then 1.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jan 16

I made this one too, but it's very basic. Still, use it if you want it!

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jan 16

I just made this protest gif. Feel free to share and/or repost. [bsky forced me to put it in a certain aspect ratio to attach it to the post (thus the black bars). You can grab the bar-less version here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/wp-content/u... ]

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Nov 10

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Nov 10

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."

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Nov 9

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Nov 9

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Nov 7

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Nov 3

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Oct 22

"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

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Oct 21

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

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Oct 10

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Oct 8

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."

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Oct 2

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Oct 1

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Aug 14

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 26

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.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 25

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!)

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· Jul 12

Here's a picture of the inside of my dusty-ass computer, showing the RAM.

John Joseph Adams@johnjosephadams· May 14

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...