In "Staying Behind," by Ken Liu, the majority of the Earth's population has uploaded their minds to a higher digital plane, leaving a bloody, battered body. The Uploaded, the dead, keep trying to steal the children of those who chose to stay behind. This was one of the eeriest and most unsettling stories I've ever... Continue Reading →
After the Apocalypse by Maureen F. McHugh, by Carole Moleti
This collection by Maureen F. McHugh tours the world, with stops in a variety of settings that have been subjected to or are in the middle of some of cataclysmic event of a supernatural, natural, or manmade kind. Six of the nine stories are reprints, the remaining three make their first appearance in this compendium... Continue Reading →
tor.com, August 2011 by Thomas Hardman
Tor's offerings for August include three pieces, one long and two short, which lean more towards science fiction rather than fantasy. The fourth, excerpted from a collection, is purely fantastic. “Journey Into the Kingdom” is from M. Rickert's collection “Holiday”, and is in the form of a nested tales. A young man attending an exhibition... Continue Reading →
Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Issue 27 (August 2011) by Sarah Goslee
From welcoming gardens, to famous musicians, to wolf men and crow men and exotic maids, the nine stories in this issue of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet are tied together by unreliable narrators and things that are not as they seem. If the cardinals waved their red wings at me, and the wolves called me on... Continue Reading →
Clarkesworld, July through September by Scooter Carlyle
July In "Trois morceaux en forme de mechanika," by Gord Sellar, the end began when the first mechanika butchered its maker. Within a few generations humanity's accomplishments became little more than relics in museums. I loved the story, which I think can be most accurately described as dystopian steampunk. It takes place over several hundred... Continue Reading →
Asimov’s, September 2011 by Aidan Doyle
This issue of Asimov's features a wide range of stories, from post-apocalyptic settings, to deep space, to plague-ridden colony worlds. Several of the stories cover grim material and feature disturbing characters. "Burning Bibles", by Alan Wall, follows the investigation by UK and US intelligence services into several fires suspected to be linked to terrorists. An... Continue Reading →
Tor.com, July 2011 by Thomas Hardman
July's selection of short stories from Tor include one fantasy, and two other tales which both seem to be children's literature. Yet seeming can be deceiving, and although probably one might read these to their children with no harm done, this is adult fare. In “Dala Horse”, Michael Swanwick offers us a fairly short story... Continue Reading →
Clarkesworld, January through June by Scooter Carlyle
I'll be covering highlights of the January through April issues, and a more in-depth review of the May and June issues. January-April Favorites In "Ghostweight," by Yoon Ha Lee in the January issue, Lisse and the ghost that is stitched to her resurrect a mercenary war kite to wreak vengeance upon the Imperium for the slaughter... Continue Reading →
Analog, July/August 2011 by Aidan Doyle
This double issue contains a mix of stories ranging in quality from Kristine Kathryn Rusch's excellent novella to a one-joke piece of flash fiction. As usual for Analog, many of the stories feature space explorers, scientists and engineers. At the end of "Death & Dancing in New Las Vegas", by Ernest Hogan, the reader is informed... Continue Reading →
Apex Magazine #24, May 2011 by David Hebblethwaite
In a strong issue, the protagonists of these three stories find a reality that doesn’t match their expectations or hopes. Jeremy R. Butler tells of a worker in the asteroid belt who dreamed of adventure in space, but instead finds he has to cope with boredom. The boyfriend of the narrator in Annalee Newitz’s story disappears, quite literally;... Continue Reading →