Bewildering Stories’
First Quarterly Review, 2026

Bewildering Stories ends the astronomical season — northern winter or southern summer, according to your hemisphere — with the Review Editors’ selection of their favorites from the First Quarter of 2026. New readers will have easy access to the recent best of Bewildering Stories, and veteran readers will have a chance to catch up on anything they may have missed.

The Quarterly Reviews are not a contest or competition; they are a special poll. And there are no quotas: anything — from everything to nothing — may qualify in any genre. They answer a practical question: if a friend asked you to recommend something outstanding from the past quarter of Bewildering Stories, which would you choose? The Quarterly and Annual Reviews bring you the editors’ answers.

The Reviews also make a public statement: Bewildering Stories takes itself very seriously. And they answer a general question: What is a “truly Bewildering story”? Our webzine’s semi-humorous title refers to writing that provokes thought and raises questions; in that sense, the title is an example of itself. Stories that merely raise questions about their coherence are more properly known as “befuddling stories.”

As always, the Review Board’s discussions have been extensive and lively. A big Thank You to Edward Ahern, Bill Bowler, Gary Clifton, Charles C. Cole, Jeffrey Greene, Gary Inbinder, Bill Kowaleski, Alison McBain, John Stocks and Lewayne L. White.

At Bewildering Stories, nothing is the proverbial tree falling unheard in a forest. Every week, we receive thank-you notes from contributors who are grateful that real people have given their works a thoughtful reading, regardless whether the authors agreed with the readers. Those notes are appreciated all the more because they tell us we’re fulfilling our mission.

The Review Editors and Associate Editors — our review readers — have functions that are entirely different but equally important. The Review Editors determine how Bewildering Stories shall carry its flag; the Associate Editors determine what Bewildering Stories shall be. Their insightful critiques of submissions help us set what we like to think is an Internet standard for editorial practice and for service to our contributors and readers.

Our special editors also deserve a vote of thanks: Coordinating Editor Jeff Greene, Flash Fiction Editor Charlie Cole and Poetry Editor John Stocks. They provide the kind of personal touch Bewildering Stories takes pride in, and they make the administrative work not only easier but possible. Our special gratitude goes to Michael E. Lloyd, the designer and manager of the indispensable Titles, Authors, Genres Index master index of all of Bewildering Stories. As an index, it’s a work of art, and the Managing Editor, who consults it every day, recommends it to everyone.