Any anthology that bills itself as a 'The Best of British Fantasy 2013', especially when we're only halfway through the year, needs to do a lot to live up to its own billing, and while the moniker of 'best' is open to argument, this particular anthology does corral together a clutch of eighteen different stories that, at the very least, have a claim to the name. However, the essential thing to bear in mind while reading this collection is that notions of what constitutes 'fantasy' these days are changing and moving at pace. There are no 'traditional' swords and sorcery-type stories in these pages at all, no magic wands, no Elves or Orcs, so it doesn't compare to something like the Swords & Dark Magic anthology that came out a couple years ago or to the Legends series or the Warriors anthology series, each of which contain what might be termed more 'traditional' fantasy short stories. Rather this collection contains a mashup of fantasy, science fiction, horror, ghost stories and the just plain weird designed to challenge your notions of what fantasy writing is and give you a taste of the big wide world of fantasy that you may otherwise pas by.

The anthology opens with 'Lips & Teeth' by Jon Wallace and a story that reads a lot more like science-fiction with a dash of fantasy thrown in. Inspired by events surrounding the death of Kim Jong Il it's a terrific opener that sets out the stall for what else is to come and a high standard for those that follow. Next up is 'The Last Osama' by multiple award winner Lavie Tidhar, a story about a bounty hunter that reads like a western but sidesteps into something much more akin to Heart of Darkness and leaves you with a lot ponder about perception. This is followed by one of my favourites in 'Armageddon Fish Pie' by Joseph D’Lacey a wonderful short about a man preparing for a very British apocalypse. Next up is 'The Complex' by E.J. Swift another fabulous slice of science fiction centred around one woman's attempts to cope with incarceration light years away from all she knows and loves and her impending release to… what? This is followed by 'God of the Gaps' by Carole Johnstone a lovely little sci-fi piece that cautions why children should stick to the prescribed route when wandering around a museum.

'Corset Wings' by Cheryl Moore is a slightly steampunk offering that opens a whole new world to a young woman ready to take flight and 'The Wheel of Fortune' by Steph Swainston is the closest to what I would term a fantasy story with a wonderfully evocative short about a young woman apothecary battling drug gangs in an oppressive city in order to save her addicted friend. 'The Island of Peter Pandora' by Kim Lakin-Smith is a very cool take on the Peter Pan classic featuring steam men and lost boys while 'Too Delicate for Human Form' by Cate Gardner is a very 'fishy' tale around a young woman's dual identity. 'Imogen' by Sam Stone about a brother sister relationship is the kind of ghost story that lives long in the mind and 'In the Quiet and in the Dark' by Alison Littlewood is the type of dark fantasy story with a twist in the tail that we don't see too often.

'The Scariest Place in the World' by Mark Morris is another classic british ghost story while 'Qiqirn' by Simon Kurt Unsworth is a really neat little fantasy about a man experiencing terrifying visions that are more real than his psychiatrist will believe. 'The Third Person' by Lisa Tuttle is a tale of two friends where one is using the other's flat to conduct an elicit affair until it all goes horribly wrong.'Dermot' by Simon Bestwick is another of my favourites that ponders "What small things are we prepared to sacrifice for the greater good?". 'Fearful Symmetry' by Tyler Keevil, one of the longer stories, features the hunt for something unknown but not unusual in frozen Russia and could easily be translated to a feature film, so cinematic is it's style. Finally we have 'Pig Thing' by Adam L.G. Nevill a very cool story set in the Australian outback with weird creatures on the prowl and home truths about how we regard strangers.

All in all this is a great little collection of short stories by some of the best fantasy writers around, some you will have heard of and some that may be new to you but all of whom have earned their place in this anthology by being good writers. Whether or not it's the 'best' and whether or not every writer is actually 'British' is open to debate, but one thing's for sure, it will make a great addition to anyone's fantasy library.

The Best of British Fantasy 2013 is published by Salt Publishing, and is available with free delivery from The Book Depository and on the high street from Blackwell and all good book stores.