It’s the twenty-ninth of September. So it’s time to talk about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in August.
Survival, After by Nicole J. LeBoeuf (Apex Magazine, August 3, 2021)
Survival, After was an apocalyptic and surreal narrative about a person trying to survive a strange and limited but seemingly world-ending event. This is a fantasy story, so the speculative elements are strong with this one. It was written in second person, and I liked it; although, I recommend checking out the content warnings before giving this one a read.
What Cacti Read by Mary Soon Lee (Strange Horizons; Issue; 26 July 2021)
I rarely read poetry, but the title of Mary Soon Lee’s poem, What Cacti Read, got my attention. It was short, but I really loved this one. It reminded me of the style of poetry from A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (think Homework Machine).
Cocoon by H. Pueyo (Strange Horizons; Issue: 2 August 2021)
Everything I read over on Strange Horizon’s in August has been really good. From Mary Soon Lee’s What Cacti Read, and now to H. Pueyo’s Cocoon, it’s all been great. I liked this story a lot. It was about eventual loss while also exploring the associated guilt of the “what ifs,” which couldn’t be changed. It was a really lovely read that had a tone of sadness and trepidation.
From around the web…
- When the Dancing Horses Go Viral (Judith Tarr; Tor.com; August 9, 2021)
- Decadent Magic and Dangerous Secrets: Revealing Hotel Magnifique (Tor.com, August 4, 2021)
- Even and Odd: Fun and Thought Provoking (Jana Nyman; Fantasy Literature, August 9, 2021)
- Memory and Politics: The Justice in Revenge by Ryan Van Loan (Paul Weimer; Tor.com, August 12, 2021)
- Our Opinions Are Correct Episode 90: How To Use Research To Make Your Fiction Even More Irresistible
- Comfort Me With Sadness: Grief, Hope, and a Different Kind of Comfort Read (Molly Templeton; Tor.com, August 19, 2021)
- Print Run Podcast Episode #145
- Becoming the Thing That Haunts the House: Gothic Fiction and the Fear of Change (Holly Kybett Smith; Tor.com, August 25, 2021)
