By Heather A.
Because of the success of my original post last year, I created another list for 2016! I still love to read short fiction (short stories, novellas, etc.) and I’m really excited to share this year’s list!
“A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers” by Alyssa Wong (Tor.com) Hannah and Melanie: sisters, apart and together. Weather workers. Time benders. When two people so determined have opposing desires, it’s hard to say who will win—or even what victory might look like. This stunning, haunting short story from rising star Alyssa Wong explores the depth and fierceness of love and the trauma of family.
“The Siren Son” by Tristina Wright (Lightspeed) Dragons and mermaids, and space sirens and a planet bent on destroying itself. In the midst of chaos, a love blooms and grows.
https://twitter.com/ghostwritingcow/status/768111477311930368
“Hunting Monsters” and “Fighting Demons” by S.L. Huang (Book Smugglers) Ever since she was a small girl, she has learned to be careful on the hunt, to recognize the signs that separate regular animals from human-cursed grundwirgen. To harm a grundwirgen is a crime punishable by death by the King’s decree – a fatal mistake that her Auntie Rosa and mother have carefully prepared her to avoid. On her fifteenth birthday, when her mother is arrested and made to stand trial for grundwirgen murder, everything she thought she knew about her family and her past comes crashing down. Auntie Rosa has always warned her about monsters. Now, she must find and confront them to save her mother, no matter the cost.
“The Shape of My Name” by Nico Cipri (Tor.com) A time travel story about what it means to truly claim yourself. It’s nice when your family gene has the ability to travel through time, but what happens in the future to prevent you from going forward? And is going back to meet your mother worth it?
“The Persecution of Witches” by Ali Trotta (Uncanny Magazine) A poem that compares the persecution of witches to the modern rape arguments. Very powerful words. Trotta is a writer and poet of things beyond SFF, but since she was published in Uncanny, and she’s a great writer, I wanted to include her in the list.
“Fire in the Belly” by Rachael Acks (Mothership Zeta) Meet Henrietta, your new favorite preteen space Western thief. She’s all alone on a brand new planet, and she’s about to have a life-changing adventure. Rachael Acks weaves together a few genres in this rip-roaring tale, hopefully not the last we’ll see of this spunky young firebrand!
Any other short stories or novellas you love? Post in the comments.
