Short Stories I Read in May

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

And the Dreams That You Dare to Dream by Marissa Lingen (Lightspeed Magazine; May 2024; Issue 168)

The first story I checked out in May was Marissa Lingen’s And the Dreams That You Dare to Dream. Pretty standard portal fantasy/fantasy land setting, which reminded me of Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children’s series. Where this story shines is in the character, Gemma’s, POV. She wants to go to a fantasy land, and she doesn’t want to come back—and she’s very logical/deadpan about her approach. It's one of the aspects I liked best about her characterization. Besides that, the story has a very frank style to the way it was written, which suited it perfectly. All-in-all, I liked this one.

Done Deal by Rory Harper (Lightspeed Magazine; May 2024; Issue 168)

While I was still on Lightspeed Magazine’s website, I read two other stories. The first was: Done Deal by Rory Harper. In speculative fiction, deals with the devil—Faustian bargains, errant wishes—those can be pretty common. However, they are among my favorite kind of story conventions, because the possibilities are endless. In Done Deal, a famous, at the top of the world musician named Jack Malagan, is suspected to have made a deal. Much of the story has a blasé feel to it, as it recounted Jack’s meteoric rise, and a pivotal conversation that revealed his backstory and the consequences of the titular “Done Deal.” As the story progressed, however, the tension increased, which gradually built toward the final twist at the end. Done Deal was a great story!

Exit Interview by Ben Peek (Lightspeed Magazine; May 2024; Issue 168)

And the second was Ben Peek’s Exit Interview. It’s the exact kind of story I like: magic hidden right alongside the normal every day, a sense (and atmosphere) of danger and darkness, and a secretive organization with questionable recruitment tactics. All of that was great. At the heart of Exit Interview, though, was a mother whose life fell apart after the disappearance of her daughter, the places her work for “The Ministry of Saturn” took her to, the people she met, the answers she found, and the actions she took. Sprinkled throughout was the titular exit interview, which added another layer of detail to the story. This was a truly engrossing read.

From around the web…

• I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle is a Moving Tale from a Fantasy Master [Vanessa Armstrong; Reactor Magazine; May 22, 2024]
• Scalzi on Film: The Aesthetics of Spectacle: A Look at Dune in 1984 and 2024 [John Scalzi; Uncanny Magazine Issue Fifty-Eight]
• Read an Excerpt From Caitlin Rozakis’s Dreadful [Reactor Magazine; May 23, 2024]
• Writing Inside a Box [Amy Berg; Uncanny Magazine Issue Fifty-Eight]

Short Stories I Read In May

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

All These Ghosts Are Playing to Win by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty-Two)

I only got around to reading two stories from Uncanny Magazine in May, and the first was All Theses Ghosts Are Playing to Win by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles. This story, at its base, is about grief and regret and forgetting. And it does those things very well. It’s told from the perspective of Theo, a ghost, who is in a casino where memories are the currency. This was an interesting approach to this kind of story: by linking high-stake bets with the function of a sort of limbo where you go up (as a big winner) or to the “DARK.” Supposedly, but is everything really that simple? You’d have to read to find out. There was also ample time devoted to Theo’s reminiscing, but I liked those moments just as much as the other aspects, themes, and overall conclusion. So while the general tone had an air of melancholy, All These Ghosts Are Playing to Win was haunting but in a good way. And I enjoyed reading it.

A Lovers’ Tide in Which We Inevitably Break Each Other; Told in Inverse by K.S. Walker (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Ffty-Two)

The second one was this very short piece called A Lovers’ Tide in Which We Inevitably Break Each Other; Told in Inverse. I read this one for the writing, which was evocative and instantly drew me in with descriptions of a lonely night at a shore combined with a slight feeling of the fantastic and uncanny. And I liked it exactly for those reasons. All-in-all, this was another good one.

From around the web…

• Print Run Podcast Episode 162: Turning Over the Same Leaf
• Place and Tome: On Two Kinds of Unforgettable Reading Experiences [Molly Templeton; Tor.com; May 25, 2023]

Short Stories I Read In May

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

Heavy Possessions by Seoung Kim (Strange Horizons; Issue: 2 May 2022)

Short Stories was on break last month, and to get back into the swing of things I read Seoung Kim’s Heavy Possessions. I liked the style the story was written in. The narrative felt a little detached—or at a distance. But it worked well with the contents of the story. It was about a ghost, a digital medium, and reflection. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Magical Girl Burnout Bingo by Lauren Ring (Lightspeed Magazine; Issue 144: May 2022)

The second story I read was Magical Girl Burnout Bingo. When I first saw the title, I knew this one was going to be something I would make a point of reading in May. I liked this story a lot. It’s kind of like a chosen one (magical girl) story with a twist—plus a side of burnout. It poses the question of what if that whole scenario goes wrong, and what happens to that person afterwards. This one was great!

This Village by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Forty-Six)

The next story I read was a piece of flash fiction, This Village by Eugenia Triantafyllou. I’m a sucker for fiction that reads like a fairy tale, and that’s exactly what This Village is. Candy and pastry coated descriptions make up the invitation, which also hints at an underlying darkness surrounding the titular village. It’s there for those who need it. And if you don’t, watch out. This Village was a short but thoroughly engaging story.

From around the web…

• You Are the Hero: Learning Storytelling From Video Games [Sarah Maria Griffin; Tor.com, April 8, 2022]
• Print Run Podcast Episode # 149: Critique, Awards, and Subjectivity
• Understanding Horses: Changing Season [Judith Tarr; Tor.com, April 4, 2022]
• Our Opinions Are Correct Episode # 106: Waking Up From The Illusion Of Change
• Print Run Podcast Episode #150: No Thoughts Just Toucans

Shot Stories I Read In May

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

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells (Tor.com, April 19, 2021)

Toward the end of April, there were two short stories I wanted to read but never got around to. The first of them was a story by Martha Wells set in the Murderbot Diaries universe—and taking place just after the fourth novella—called Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory. The perspective of the story is from Dr. Mensah’s POV, and it was great to get into the mind of a different character from this series—especially one who is one of my favorites. This story primarily dealt with the emotional toll on Mensah from the events of the story, as well as questions surrounding SecUnit’s continued presence on Preservation Aux. This story is just excellent. And given that this takes place well into the series, there are spoilers for the first four novellas.

The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com, April 28, 2021)

The second short story I mentioned above dropped right at the end of April, on the twenty-eighth. P. Djèlí Clark’s, The Angel of Kahn el-Khalili, is set in the same world as the Master of Djinn, and wow this was a fantastic story. There were descriptors that hearken back to the author’s previous works in this world such as The Haunting of Tram Car 015—one of my favorite reads from last year. In the Angel of Khan el-Khalili, there are two sisters, one is going to ask for a favor—a miracle instead of a wish—and the other who we’re told is dying isn’t actually seen except for in exposition. Stories that deal with wishes (or feats that are kind of like them) can go either way, good or bad, and the price for it can be anything. I liked Clark’s interpretation of this. From the first sentence to the last, P. Djèlí Clark created an engrossing story that was steeped in magic and history against the backdrop of a richly detailed and steampunk-esque setting.

From around the web…

• So Much Story, So Little Page Count: Andre Norton’s Dare to Go A-Hunting (Judith Tarr; Tor.com, May 10, 2021)
• Fangirl Happy House Episode #134—The Eternal Discourse
• How to Pay Attention: Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi (Leah Schnelbach; Tor.com, May 12, 2021)
• A Love Letter to Libraries (E. Lily Yu; Uncanny Magazine)
• Understanding Horses: Living in the World (Judith Tarr; Tor.com, May 17, 2021)