A Delighful Mix...
...of shorter fiction.
Here’s a selection of shorter works you might want to look into!
Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris
Is this magical realism? Horror? Both? It’s also yet another dead father story, which seem to be chasing me this year.
The protagonist is grieving her father, suicidal, and in a relationship she doesn’t know she needs to get out of. Thankfully, I’m only the first of those things. But the entire thing is about the same acceptance of death my father raised me in.
I think maybe I needed this one, and because of that I can’t fairly judge it…you’ll have to read it for yourself.
You Are My Sunshine by Octavia Cade (You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories)
I prefer my climate fiction more hopeful than…this. It’s full of grief and guilt and darkness and shows no hint of the possibility of a better way forward. But it is very well written and if you like dark climate horror…ish…it’s a good one to read.
I Promise I’ll Visit Ma by Kanishk Tantia (Monstrous Futures)
Imagine a dystopia where you can get lifetime basic income…in return for your brain to use as computer parts when you die.
This is an intriguing idea that the author uses to explore parenthood and identity (this one is at least a dead *mother* story).
Celeronian Natives by Kanishk Tantia (The Dread Machine)
I’ve been to Ellis Island. This just ramps it up to infinity with an immigration process that…well, that’s a spoiler. Nicely written, very short.
Imagine: Purple-Haired Girl Shooting Down The Moon by Angela Liu (Clarkesworld)
Classic cyberpunk. In a world where people can be simply…reprogrammed…what is the meaning of identity, art, and sex work?
The Mub by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld)
Not sure what a mub is. Read it. Still not sure what a mub is. It seems to be about people being replaced by AI?
Very interesting, but I still don’t know what a mub is.
The Words From The Mountain by Wen Wen Yang (Fit For The Gods)
What if the written word could bring about…what if writing fire lit a fire? Is that too much power? This short explores the power of language (and interestingly mixes cultures).
Apocalypse Park by John Walters (Silent Interviews and Other Tales of the Telepathic Guild)
Another telepathic murder mystery, with a side plot about a Christian theme park. That might just be the main point.
I’m still not a fan of this entire series of stories, unfortunately, although Agnes is the most interesting character by far.
The Dizzy Room by Kristina Ten (Nightmare Magazine)
Evil video games have been a trope for a while. This story takes the concept all Lovecraftian. Seriously creepy and might make you think twice about extra screen time.
Last Letter First by Kristina Ten (Luna Station Quarterly)
Talk about slow burn. Passengers on an “airbus” are going to get illegal body modifications. Or think they are.
Let’s just say that this is about Dobbs, anger, and dystopia.
The Curing by Kristina Ten (Uncanny Magazine)
Ever done that thing where you spread kid-safe glue on your hands then peel it off? Yeah, A lot of kids have.
This slow burn horror story takes it a step further and is also about destroying who you are to fit in.
Don’t do it, kids.
Collaboration by Ken Liu & Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny Magazine)
There are apparently anti-muses. And people have reflections. It’s surreal, and probably warrants more than one reading to make full sense of.
The anti-muse embodies as a cat. Somebody’s cat wouldn’t let them write.
Cold Equations by Mary Robinette Kowal (Uncanny Magazine)
Kowal did a lot of worldbuilding work here and I kinda hope she did more with it. A young woman runs a business capturing ghosts and then using the residual energy to cast spells. Her brother…
Let’s just say there’s a bit of a moral argument here, not to mention highly regulated magic. I enjoyed the worldbuilding more than the story, but the story was solid too.
(No, it has nothing to do with any other similarly named stories. I went there too).
How To Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub by P. Djeli Clark (Uncanny Magazine)
I think this story may have been written for a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea homage anthology. There have been more than one. I also think the anthologist made a mistake…although perhaps they found it too far away from the theme?
A much more aggressive Nemo seeks to destroy the British Empire with the help of mermen…and a poor desperate guy duped into raising a kraken in his bathtub. Fun.
Waystation City by A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny Magazine)
A wide variety of people find themselves in a city between time and worlds. Eventually, you get to go home.
But some people can’t wait.
And some people want to stay. It’s about changing, growing, etc…with a nod to trans issues (a small one).
Horsewoman by A.M. Dellamonica (Uncanny Magazine)
Imagine a pandemic of hallucinations. Combine with cyberpunk and lockdown trauma. Maybe a bit too much lockdown trauma. I did, however, appreciate the bus driver centaur.
Flower, Daughter, Soil, Seed by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine)
The author is Greek and is playing with the idea of nymphs and flowers. Narcissus is turned into a flower. And this story starts with a daffodil, which is a kind of narcissus. It’s pretty and myth-styled.
One Man’s Treasure by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine)
Who takes out the trash in a high magic society?
Who ends up in the trash?
It’s labor fiction and it’s very good indeed. I got a chuckle out of the true lunch spell.
The Father Provincial of Mare Imbrium by E. Lily Yu (Uncanny Magazine)
Jesuits on the moon is cool.
Jesuits on the moon who suppress their research because it might have theological implications, less so…because pretty much the entire point of the Society of Jesus is that they don’t do that!
Well written, but I couldn’t quite get past that part.
Silver Necklace, Golden Ring by Marie Brennan (Uncanny Magazine)
A take on the entire “Mysterious deity-like being takes young women to serve him” tale. How she outwits him is reminiscent of the Green Knight. Quite enjoyable if you are into twisted fairy tales.
Miz Boudreaux’s Last Ride by Christopher Caldwell (Uncanny Magazine)
Rootwork stories are always fun, and this one has the air of an old American folk story…even down to nicknaming somebody “Jack.” Because all of those stories are about Jack. Just plain fun.
Prospect Heights by Maureen McHugh (Uncanny Magazine)
Just a flash piece about not fitting in, trying to find somewhere better…and of course failing to do so. Slightly creepy.
Unless available free online, I received copies of all these stories for review and award consideration purposes.