In a time defined by uncertainty, change and inequality, speculative fiction is fast-becoming the genre of the 21st century. Straddling genres such as fantasy, science fiction, dystopia, alternative history, and horror, this book is a comprehensive introduction to the art of writing in this imaginative, fluid, and inclusive mode. An all-in-one textbook combining a craft guide with an extensive, diverse anthology, Speculative Fiction explores the multiplicity of influences that the genre has consumed and incorporated, digs into techniques specific to speculative writing, and gives writers exercises and prompts to begin their own works.

In addition, Speculative Fiction features:
- Annotated stories to showcase speculative techniques in practice
- Interviews with authors about the use of craft in their speculative work
- Detailed exploration of techniques from world-building to creating characters to plots and conflict in a specifically speculative mode
- Exercises engineered to allow readers to master a broad range of techniques
- 'Reader response' sections from speculative writing students with critical feedback
- Chapters on finding a speculative writing community and workshopping writing within the genre
-“Notes for the novelist” in every chapter

Featuring the works of such authors as George Saunders, Joyce Carol Oates, Rebecca Roanhorse, Carmen Maria Machado, Sofia Samatar, and many more, this book gives writers the resources to write boldly, differently, and freely as they embrace stories that defy, undermine, and subvert traditional visions and points of view.