Short Stories I Read In March

It’s the twenty-ninth of April. So it’s time to write about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in March.

Vici by Naomi Novik [Buried Deep and Other Stories]

In March, I read a little more of Novik’s Buried Deep and Other Stories with the third story in the collection: Vici. This was an ancient Rome inspired tale set in the Temeraire universe about a man, Antony, who escaped death, seemingly got everything he wanted and then some, only to have a wrench thrown at him in the form of a dragon. Antony wasn’t a particularly likeable character, but the story surrounding his mishaps and misfortune was thoroughly entertaining enough for me to fly through the story (no pun intended).

From around the web…

• Taking the “Shoulds” Out of Reading [Molly Templeton; Reactor Magazine; February 27, 2025]: This was an essay on removing arbitrary “shoulds” (pressure, or maybe obligation is the better word for it) when approaching reading. It’s a good reminder to simply embrace your individual taste in fiction, or at least try to.
• Homes to Remember and Forget [Ai Jiang; Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Two]: This was the second of the essays I read on Uncanny, and, as I’ve said a number of times on the blog, I like house stories—or stories with settings which act as another character, or have enough of a presence in a story to be memorable. So, it’s no wonder I liked an essay that essentially looks at the concept of home in genre fiction.
• A Mug of Insights: Books That Made Us Who We Are with Ruby Granger: I recently got into this podcast after checking out Robin Waldun’s YouTube channel. Specifically, I listened to this episode since anything about books (and other people discussing their favorite fiction or nonfiction) usually interests me, and this one scratched that particular itch.
• Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know about Writing Swords [Suzanne Walker; Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Two]: I enjoyed this essay a lot. It talks about craft, specifically—and as implied by the title—a look at swords from someone who actually trains with them.
• The Abyss: The Nuts-and-Bolts Approach to High-Pressure First Contact [Kali Wallace; Reactor Magazine; March 5, 2025]: I liked this column over on Reactor Magazine about the practical effects used to make the 1989 film, The Abyss.

Short Stories I Read In March

It’s the twenty-ninth of April. So it’s time to talk about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in March!

Yingying—Shadow by Ai Jiang (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty-One)

Yingying-Shadow by Ai Jiang is an evocative piece of flash fiction. At its focal point are family issues—between a child and a father—combined with a melancholic atmosphere in the face of a figurative and literal haunting.

The Gratitude of Mice by Yume Kitasei (Strange Horizons; Issue: 6 March 2023)

I didn’t know what to expect going into the Gratitude of Mice by Yume Kitasei, but, like Yingying—Shadow, this story was also short but with a tightly woven (and eerie) narrative. It largely reminded me of folklore Brownies—or tales about other kinds of household spirits—except with mice in the role instead (and a warning about greed). All-in-all, The Gratitude of Mice was a really good read!

Our Exquisite Delights by Megan Chee (Lightspeed Magazine; Mar. 2023 (Issue 154))

I like this story. It’s kind of like the Wayward Children’s series by Seanan McGuire, except the doors can appear to anyone instead of just children. And the portal fantasy aspect is limited to various rooms, which the story describes to the reader with an almost omnipresent narrator. It was an interesting mix of fantasy and horror-ish imagery, so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more stories by Megan Chee.

From around the web…

• “The Greenery Around Me Held Secrets I Would Never Learn”: Plant Life In Contemporary Science Fiction [Samantha Hind; Clarkesworld Magazine; Issue 198—March 2023]
• Print Run Podcast Episode 159: All The Strange Silences

Short Stories I Read In March

 

It’s the twenty-ninth of April. So it’s time to talk about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in March.

The Pigeon Keeper’s Daughter by Su-Yee Lin (Strange Horizons; Issue: 7 March 2022)

The first short story I tackled in March was The Pigeon Keeper’s Daughter. This was an interesting story. Set in Taipei, it’s about the daughter of a pigeon keeper going about her daily life until she begins to notice strange happenings surrounding her (it involved birds). There were a lot of metaphorical moments as well as political messaging woven into the story alongside the light fantasy parts. I liked this one.

The Kaleidoscopic Visitor by Shaoni C. White (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Forty-Five)

The second and last short story I read in March was Shaoni C. White’s The Kaleidoscopic Visitor. This was another good one. It’s well written with a clear theme, and I liked what they did with the titular Kaleidoscopic Visitor.

From Around the Web…

• Our Opinions Are Correct Episode #101: Hell Yeah, We Want To Change the Timeline!
• Print Run Podcast Episode 147: Publishing’s Great Resignation
• Writing Horses: Bridles and Bits and Getting the Details Right (Judith Tarr; Tor.com, March 7, 2022)
• Print Run Podcast Episode 148: All the Wrong Lessons
• Good Things Come In Small Packages: The Fabulous Flight by Robert Lawson (Alan Brown; Tor.com, March 16, 2022)
• Author Spotlight: Maria Dong (Lightspeed Magazine; March 2022 (Issue 142)
• Our Opinions Are Correct Episode #102: Money is a Fantasy
• The Curse of Good Representation (Ashia Monet; March 24, 2022)

Short Stories I Read In March & April

In March, I didn’t read many short stories, and the ones I did get to I didn’t have much to say about. So, I’m combining March and April’s short stories post into one. It’s the twenty-ninth of May. And it’s time to talk about all the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in March and April. 

Las Girlfriends Guide to Subversive Eating by Sabrina Vourvoulias (Apex Magazine; Issue 122, March 2021)

This one was an interesting read to go through. It was all about a specific place with a side bonus of some light magic elements. It read like a menu at times, but mostly it was kind of like a travel brochure. It was fun, and I liked the interactive choose-your-own-adventure style aspect.

Mouth by Sasha Lapointe (Strange Horizons; Issue: 1 March 2021)

The second and final story I read in March was Mouth by Sasha Lapointe. This was a fantastic story. I really don’t want to say too much about it, because it’s better to experience it yourself. What I will say is that I liked how the author approached the themes of the story. It was straight to the point, and well written.

Masquerade Season by ‘Pemi Aguda (Tor.com; March 24, 2021)

To start April, I went back and read one of the short stories I was meaning to read the month prior. Masquerade Season by ‘Pemi Aguda was a beautiful story about masquerades, a boy, and his mother. It explores what it means to be a “good child” and when love and care crosses the boundary into something a little more sinister with opportunistic manipulation. The questions posed by the story of right and wrong, boundaries, and difficult decisions were all around handled well. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Mysteries of Visiocherries/Misteri Visciceri by Rio Johan (Strange Horizons; Issue: April 26 2021)

The second and last short story I read in April was Mysteries of Visiocherries by Rio Johan. Here we have another story with mixed media type content. It was about an incident that took place in a laboratory involving a fire and a disappearance. It reads like a case file put together after the aforementioned occurrence took place, and I liked Johan’s approach to the thematic elements. I mean, for a story about bioengineered fruit, it had some surprisingly eerie moments. And the overall feel was one that leaned towards a somewhat cautionary tone.
 
From around the web…

• Understanding Horses: Trust Between Human and Animal (Judith Tarr; Tor.com, March 8, 2021)
• Print Run Podcast episode 138: Literary Survival
• Our Opinions Are Correct episode 80: How to write a fight scene
• Advertising for Burglars: Lord Dunsany’s “How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art Upon the Gnoles” (Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys; Tor.com, March 31, 2021)
• Print Run Podcast episode 139 (Taste and Agency) & 140 (Speculation on the Speculative)