I think this is one of the strongest issues of F&SF that I've ever read. It was packed with goodness from front to back. As much as I enjoyed them all, there were a few stand-outs:

TO THE BEAUTIFUL SHINING TWILIGHT - Carrie Vaughn: a fantastic contemporary take on how humans mature and grow after their time questing in lands of fairies and lore. I appreciated the deep sense of realism to this story.

THE RIGHT NUMBER OF CATS - Jenn Reese: the title alone hooked me. What IS the right number of cats? As a cat person, this is a vital question. This story went in pleasantly unexpected directions as it explored the evolution of grief over time.

SURVEY - Adam-Troy Castro: THIS STORY. It's my favorite of the bunch because it's so horrific. I mean, I don't usually go for horror at all, and this delves into the deep psychological side of the genre and does it entirely through dialogue. On a technical level, that makes this masterful, but on a story level it works and is hella disturbing.

THE WASHER FROM THE FORD - Sean McMullen: I do love fresh takes on the fae and how they work, and this one was especially delightful as it utilized an oft-forgotten being, the washer from the ford, along with a realistic and smart human protagonist. ( )