John Joseph Adams (born July 31, 1976) is an American science fiction and fantasy editor, critic, and publisher.
Career Editor
Adams worked as Assistant Editor at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction from May 2001 to December 2009. In January 2010 he left F&SF to edit Lightspeed Magazine, an online science fiction magazine which launched June 1, 2010. In March 2011, he took charge of its sister magazine, Fantasy Magazine. In June 2012, Adams and Creeping Hemlock Press successfully closed a $7,500 Kickstarter campaign for funding Nightmare Magazine, the first issue of which released October 2012. Originally the co-publisher and editor-in-chief, Adams now serves as publisher.
Publisher In November 2011, Adams purchased Lightspeed and Fantasy Magazine from Sean Wallace of Prime Books.Locus Online. John Joseph Adams Buys Lightspeed and Fantasy Nov. 2011. With the January 2012 issue, the first published under Adams's ownership, the content of both magazines was combined under the Lightspeed masthead, and Fantasy Magazine was discontinued as an entity.Locus Online. Lightspeed and Fantasy Merge Dec. 2011 The Fantasy Magazine staff was also absorbed into Lightspeed.
In 2015, Adams became the editor-at-large of John Joseph Adams Books in partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Podcaster
Since January 2010 Adams and science fiction author David Barr Kirtley have produced and hosted Geek's Guide to the Galaxy.
Accolades His anthology The Living Dead was named one of the "Best Books of the Year" by Publishers Weekly. He has been called "The reigning king of the anthology world" by Barnes & Noble.com, and in 2011 he was named one of "100+ Geeks to Follow on Twitter" by TechRepublic.
WorkYear & AwardCategoryResultRef.Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse2009 Locus AwardAnthologyLocus Awards 2009 Retrieved February 15, 2026.2010 FantLab's Book of the Year AwardAnthologyThe Living Dead2009 World Fantasy AwardAnthology2009 FantLab's Book of the Year AwardAnthologyThe Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes2010 Locus AwardAnthologyLocus Awards 2010 Retrieved February 15, 2026.Federations2010 Locus AwardAnthologyThe Way of the Wizard2011 Locus AwardAnthologyLocus Awards 2011 Retrieved February 15, 2026.2011 World Fantasy AwardAnthologyLightspeed2011 Hugo AwardProfessional Editor (Short Form)2012 Hugo AwardProfessional Editor (Short Form)2013 Hugo AwardProfessional Editor (Short Form)2014 Hugo AwardProfessional Editor (Short Form)2014 Hugo AwardSemiprozine2015 Hugo AwardSemiprozine2016 Hugo AwardProfessional Editor (Short Form)2017 Hugo AwardProfessional Editor (Short Form)2018 Hugo AwardProfessional Editor (Short Form)2015 British Fantasy AwardMagazine/PeriodicalEpic: Legends of Fantasy2013 Locus AwardAnthologyLocus Awards 2013 Retrieved February 15, 2026.2013 World Fantasy AwardAnthologyThe Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 (with Karen Joy Fowler)2017 World Fantasy AwardAnthologyCosmic Powers2018 Locus AwardAnthologyLocus Awards 2018 Retrieved February 15, 2026.A People's Future of the United States2020 Locus AwardAnthologyLocus Awards 2020 Retrieved February 15, 2026.2020 Ignyte AwardsAnthology/Collected WorksOut There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (with Jordan Peele)2023 Bram Stoker AwardAnthology Retrieved 12 April 2026 2024 British Fantasy AwardAnthology Retrieved 12 April 20262024 Locus AwardAnthologyLocus Awards 2024 Retrieved February 15, 2026.2024 World Fantasy AwardAnthology2024 Ignyte AwardsAnthology/Collected Works2024 KitschiesInky Tentacle (Best Cover Art)
Bibliography
Short fiction Anthologies edited Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (Night Shade Books, January 2008) Seeds of Change (Prime Books, August 2008) The Living Dead (Night Shade Books, September 2008) Federations (Prime Books, May 2009) By Blood We Live (Night Shade Books, August 2009) The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Night Shade Books, September 2009) The Living Dead 2 (Night Shade Books, September 2010) The Way of the Wizard (Prime Books, November 2010) Lightspeed: Year One (Prime Books, November 2011) Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom (Simon & Schuster, February 2012) Armored (Baen Books, March 2012) Other Worlds Than These (Night Shade Books, July 2012) Epic: Legends of Fantasy (Tachyon Publications, November 2012). Brave New Worlds (Night Shade Books, 2nd edition December 2012) Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond (47North, February 2013) The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination (Tor Books, February 19, 2013) Robot Uprisings (April 2014) (with Daniel H. Wilson) Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West (Titan Books, May 2014) Help Fund My Robot Army!!! and Other Improbable Crowdfunding Projects (June 2014) The Apocalypse Triptych (2014 - 2015, with Hugh Howey) Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse (Titan Books, February 2015) Operation Arcana (Baen Books, March 2015) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 (Mariner Books, 2015) (with Joe Hill) Retrieved 2026-05-10. Loosed Upon the World: The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction (2015) Press Start to Play (Vintage Books, August 2015) (with Daniel H. Wilson) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 (Mariner Books, 2016) (with Karen Joy Fowler) Retrieved 2026-05-10. Cosmic Powers (Saga Press, April 2017) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 (Mariner Books, 2017) (with Charles Yu) Retrieved 2026-05-10. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 (Mariner Books, 2018) (with N.K. Jemisin) Retrieved 2026-05-10. A People's Future of the United States (One World, February 2019) (with Victor LaValle) Wastelands: The New Apocalypse (Titan Books, June 2019) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 (Mariner Books, 2019) (with Carmen Maria Machado) Retrieved 12 April 2026 The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020 (Mariner Books, 2020) (with Diana Gabaldon) Retrieved 2026-05-10. The Dystopia Triptych (Broad Reach Publishing, 2020) (with Hugh Howey & Christie Yant) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021 (Mariner Books, 2021) (with Veronica Roth) Retrieved 2026-05-10. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 (Mariner Books, 2022) (with Rebecca Roanhorse) Retrieved 2026-05-10. Lost Worlds & Mythological Kingdoms (Grim Oak Press, March 2022) Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (Random House, October 2023) (with Jordan Peele) Retrieved 12 April 2026 The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 (Mariner Books, 2023) (with R.F. Kuang) Retrieved 2026-05-10. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 (Mariner Books, 2024) (with Hugh Howey) Retrieved 2026-05-10. Retrieved 2026-05-10. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 (Mariner Books, 2025) (with Nnedi Okorafor) Retrieved 2026-05-10. Retrieved 2026-05-10. Robot Wizard Zombie Crit! Stories: Volume One (Adamant Press, 2025) The Time Traveler’s Passport (Amazon Original Stories, November 2025)The Time Traveler’s Passport Retrieved March 12, 2026.
Critical studies and reviews of Adams' work Press Start to play
References
External links John Joseph Adams: Official Site