2017 YTD By Score

This is the same set of stories listed in the Year-To-Date by Rating page, grouped by score, filtered by score > 1, where a recommendation is worth 2 points (RSR:5, SFRevu:5, GDozois:5, RHorton:5, SFEP, NClarke, JStrahan, JMcGregor:5, CPayseur, LTilton) except RSR:4, SFRevu:4, GDozois:4, RHorton:4, and JMcGregor:4 which are worth 1 point.

Score: 12 -> 6-7 Recommendations

A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad1  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 124
(Chinese SF) A blackmailer forces Helena to make entire fake steaks for him or else he’ll tell the authorities about her business printing fake beef for shady restaurants. She’s never tried to make a whole steak though.

Score: 11


Score: 10 -> 5 Recommendations


Score: 9

The Martian Obelisk by Linda Nagata  Time: 19m (ShortStory)  IssueTor.com 07/19/17
(Apocalypse) As civilization is dying on Earth, a woman building a monument on Mars by remote control gets a message from a Mars colony long thought to be dead.

Score: 8 -> 4-5 Recommendations

An Evening with Severyn Grimes by Rich Larson  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 07.08|17
(SF Thriller) After terrorists spring her from cryo-prison, talented hacker Girasol goes into cyberspace to help them target the rich businessman who put her in prison in the first place.
My English Name by R.S. Benedict1  Time: 35m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 05.06|17
(Horror) The narrator is an alien who takes human form, but periodically has to change it. This is a problem if it falls in love with someone.
Nexus by Michael F. Flynn  Time: 1h:21m (Novella)  IssueAnalog 03.04|17
(Time Travel) A time traveler, an immortal, an android, a telepath, and a variety of space aliens meet at cross purposes in modern America.
Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance by Tobias S. Buckell  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueCosmic Powers 2017
(Space Opera) After its side won the space battle, an indentured robot with an uploaded intelligence finds an important refugee who makes a dangerous offer it can’t refuse.

Score: 7

Remote Presence by Susan Palwick  Time: 33m (Novelette)  IssueLightspeed 83
(Modern Fantasy) Chaplin Win is in trouble for letting an unauthorized ghost talk with hospital patients, and inspectors are coming tomorrow.
The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer  Time: 29m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 132
(SF Adventure) The ship hadn’t activated Bot 9 in a long time—it’s an unstable model—but in a desperate situation it needs all its resources. And how much trouble can it get into hunting down a rat?
This Is for You by Bruce McAllister  Time: 04m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 84
(SF) He spent his childhood on another planet, but he’s trying to fit into highschool on Earth, and he really wants a girl.
Utopia, LOL? by Jamie Wahls2  Time: 16m (ShortStory)  IssueStrange Horizons 06/05/17
(SF Humor) After Charlie is unfrozen, Kit guides him around the future. It’s, like, TOTALLY not what he expected, and yet, like, kinda familiar, LOL.

Score: 6 -> 3-4 Recommendations

And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker  Time: 1h:03m (Novella)  IssueUncanny 15
(SF Mystery) The inventor of trans-multiverse travel invites hundreds of instances of herself to a conference. It’s great fun until one gets murdered.
Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 225
(Clockwork Fantasy) Zee lives with her father in a windup world. Bored with her life, she decides to visit the carnival.  She meets a boy, and things go from there.
Crispin's Model by Max Gladstone  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 10/04/17
(Eldritch  Horror) Delilah makes some money modeling, and Crispin offers twice what anyone else does. He never lets her look at the works in progress, though. He has his reasons.
Eminence by Karl Schroeder  Time: 21m (ShortStory)  IssueChasing Shadows 2017
(Near-Future SF) Nathan watches helplessly as the alternate currency he created collapses, taking down his friends and family with it.
How Sere Picked Up Her Laundry by Alexander Jablokov  Time: 1h:04m (Novella)  IssueAsimov's 07.08|17
(SF Mystery) A struggling private investigator in a city full of alien refugees, Sere risks her life seeking connections between some mysterious aliens and an exterminator who blew himself up.
Probably Still the Chosen One by Kelly Barnhill  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 81
(Portal Fantasy) Corinna was eleven when her magical journey to the Land of Nibiru ended with her returning to her kitchen at home. Now she’s waiting for her friends to return for her. Probably.
The Dragon of Dread Peak by Jeremiah Tolbert  Time: 1h:19m (Novella)  IssueLightspeed 89
(YA Portal Fantasy; Dungeonspace) Flip and his teenage friends accept a dangerous mission to steal from a dragon. They’re really too green to attempt this, the dragon is very old and powerful, and they’re falling behind on their trigonometry homework.
There Was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House by David Erik Nelson  Time: 1h:18m (Novella)  IssueF&SF 07.08|17
(Horror) Glenn’s boss sends him to check out a new house he plans to flip, but just getting inside turns out to be harder than anyone could imagine—never mind getting back out.
Though She Be But Little by C.S.E. Cooney  Time: 19m (ShortStory)  IssueUncanny 18
(Fantasy Horror) When the world changed and the sky turned silver, magic became real, Emma Anne became a little girl and her neighbor became a pirate. But can a little girl fight off an attack by the Loping Man?
Uncanny Valley by Greg Egan  Time: 44m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 08/09/17
(Near-Future SF) Adam has 70% of the memories of the man who created him, but something vital is hiding in that missing 30%.

Score: 5

Come See the Living Dryad by Theodora Goss  Time: 29m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 03/08/17
(Mainstream) In 1888 a woman suffering a hideous deformity was murdered in London. Today, her descendent wants to find the culprit.
Confessions of a Con Girl by Nick Wolven  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 11.12|17
(Dystopia) Sophie explains the events that led to her fall from grace—that is, how she accumulated enough “unlike” votes to be forced out of college.
Extracurricular Activities by Yoon Ha Lee  Time: 47m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 02/15/17
(Space Opera; Machineries of Empire) A Heptarchate undercover mission lead by one of Jedao’s friends has gone missing, so Jedao goes undercover to try and rescue them.
Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad1  Time: 11m (ShortStory)  IssueUncanny 18
(Alternate History Robot SF) Computron was the only intelligent robot built in the 1950s. Now all he does is answer questions from children and write fan-fiction about the robot in the Hyperdimension Warp Record TV show.
Homecoming by Rachel Pollack  Time: 1h:15m (Novella)  IssueF&SF 01.02|17
(Urban Fantasy; Jack Shade) Carol has always felt a piece of her was missing, so she hires supernatural investigator Jack Shade, to find it. It seems simple enough, but quickly becomes much more than simple soul retrieval.
Night Passage by Alastair Reynolds  Time: 47m (Novelette)  IssueInfinite Stars 2017
(SF Adventure) Captain Bernsdottir wakes from hibernation with her ship stalled next to a vast alien artifact and a mutiny in progress.
Of Letters They Are Made by Jonathan Edelstein  Time: 21m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 228
(Alternate History Fantasy) Taharah’s magic makes language come alive for audiences, but she seeks knowledge of her people’s ancient, forgotten tongue.
Starlight Express by Michael Swanwick  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 09.10|17
(SF) Far in the future, Flaminio meets the love of his life when a woman steps through a matter transmitter that hasn’t worked for centuries.
The Chameleon's Gloves by Yoon Ha Lee  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueCosmic Powers 2017
(Space Opera; Machineries of Empire) Rhehan used to be a Kel supersoldier before being kicked out. Now the Kel needs Rhehan for a dangerous mission—offering the only coin Rhehan might consider.
The Heart's Cartography by Susan Jane Bigelow  Time: 16m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 84
(Time Travel) The time travelers across the road think they’re being clever, but Jade’s family spotted them right away. Even so, they’ve got a daughter her age, and she wants to make friends.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 SFRevu:4 CPayseur
The Hermit of Houston by Samuel R. Delany  Time: 40m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 09.10|17
(SF Epic) The narrator describes his life in a very different North America, where everyone is male.
The Influence Machine by Sean McMullen  Time: 28m (Novelette)  IssueInterzone 269
(Historical SF) In 1899 London, Inspector Grant investigates a lady who claims her big electrical apparatus is for a camera, even though it looks like a bomb or a death ray.
The Mocking Tower by Daniel Abraham  Time: 33m (Novelette)  IssueThe Book of Swords 2017
(Fantasy Adventure) Somewhere near the every-changing Mocking Tower the Imagi Vert has hidden a sword that holds the soul of the late emperor, and a thief has come to try to steal it.
The Proving Ground by Alec Nevala-Lee  Time: 58m (Novella)  IssueAnalog 01.02|17
(Hard SF) Haley hopes the "colony" on Bikini island will let her people survive sea-level rise, but a problem with local birds presents an unexpected threat.
(Historical Fantasy) A young apprentice at making magic gloves considers breaking the rules to make a special pair to control his sister’s epilepsy.

Score: 4 -> 2-3 Recommendations

A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime by Charlie Jane Anders  Time: 35m (Novelette)  IssueCosmic Powers 2017
(Space Opera Humor) Sharon and Kango have to go back to their home worlds to capture an ultimate weapon that threatens the galaxy, or else they’ll never achieve their dream of opening a restaurant.
An Unexpected Boon by S.B. Divya  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueApex 102
(Modern Fantasy (India)) Little Kalyani might be autistic, but no one in her village knows what that means. A passing sage offers her a boon, but it’s not at all a cure.
Books of the Risen Sea by Suzanne Palmer  Time: 56m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 09.10|17
(Climate SF) Caer brings an abandoned robot back to his hideout in the flooded part of town and tries to prepare for attack by the raiders who dumped it.
Bring Your Own Spoon by Saad Z. Hossain  Time: 15m (ShortStory)  IssueThe Djinn Falls in Love, and Other Stories 2017
(Dystopic Fantasy) In a future, polluted Dhaka, Hanu makes friends with a djinn, and they decide to open a restaurant—even though almost everyone eats synthetic food.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 JStrahan
Concessions by Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali2  Time: 27m (Novelette)  IssueStrange Horizons 03/06/17
(Near-Future SFF) Bilqis,  the only real doctor in a dying community of religious exiles, finds something strange when she examines a pregnant woman.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 JStrahan
Crossing the Threshold by Pat Murphy  Time: 13m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 85
(Contemporary Fantasy) Helping an old man get over a chain-link fence leads the narrator into the world of the occult.
Dear Sarah by Nancy Kress  Time: 14m (ShortStory)  IssueInfinity Wars 2017
(Military SF) The new tech the aliens gave us created a golden age for some and abject poverty for others. MaryJo joins the army to get out, knowing she may end up fighting rebels who are friends or relatives.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 GDozois:5
Dunnage for the Soul by Robert Reed  Time: 25m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 01.02|17
(SF) When scientists find a way to test people and animals for what everyone assumes are souls, the narrator feels left out because he’s one of the people without one.
Fool's Cap by Andy Dudak  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 129
(SF) Hunting an ex-ruler who committed genocide, Beadith ends up stranded on an island with him and a strange psychoactive moss.
Leash on a Man by Robert Reed  Time: 39m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 09.10|17
(SF) Porous enjoys being a prison guard up until a new prisoner arrives who stirs things up.
Pan-Humanism: Hope and Pragmatics by Jess Barber and Sara Saab  Time: 40m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 132
(Climate SF) This story follows Amir and Mani’s careers starting when they’re teenagers in water-starved Beirut.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: GDozois:5 CPayseur
Soulmates.com by Will McIntosh  Time: 51m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 03.04|17
(Near-Future SF) Daniel, a lonely grad student in Athens, Georgia, meets the girl of his dreams through an online matching service. Now if he can just get her to meet in person . . .
Stillborne by Marc Laidlaw  Time: 1h:02m (Novella)  IssueF&SF 11.12|17
(Fantasy Adventure; Gorlen Stories) To find the magician who cursed them, Gorlen and Spar journey to the swarming of the Philosopher Moths, giant, telepathic insects reputed to cure even extreme ailments.
The Discrete Charm of the Turing Machine by Greg Egan  Time: 40m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 11.12|17
(Dystopia) Dan loses his job and goes looking for something that hasn’t already been automated away. There’s not much, and what he does find is rather strange.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5 JStrahan
The Faerie Tree by Kathleen Kayembe1  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 90
(Modern Fantasy Horror) Only Marianne can see that her new brother-in-law is a horror, and although she knows she can summon the faeries to get rid of him, she also knows the price will be very high.
The Library of Lost Things by Matthew Bright  Time: 19m (ShortStory)  IssueTor.com 08/23/17
(Fantasy) Tom takes a job as an indexer in a library that exists outside of space and time for the purpose of collecting books and manuscripts (among other things) that were lost.
The Moon is Not a Battlefield by Indrapramit Das  Time: 27m (Novelette)  IssueInfinity Wars 2017
(Military SF) After spending almost her whole life as a lunar soldier, Gita gives an interview to a reporter about what it was like and how she’s adapting to life in India.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: GDozois:5 JStrahan
The Significance of Significance by Robert Reed  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueClarkesworld 130
(SF) A young woman reacts to the news that our universe is just a simulation by making wild choices that her family has to deal with.
The Smoke of Gold is Glory by Scott Lynch  Time: 56m (Novelette)  IssueThe Book of Swords 2017
(Fantasy Adventure) Tarkaster Crale, a young thief down on his luck, meets up with friends who want to assault the Anvil, the mountain where the last dragon hid its hoard—and from which it dares people to try to take it.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 JStrahan
Ugo by Giovanni De Feo1  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 88
(SFF) Ugo can “remember” things from the future, which he shares with Cynthia—including the fact that she’ll be his wife someday.
When We Go by Evan Dicken  Time: 16m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 223
(Mythic Fantasy) Because the gods abandoned her people, she has sworn to kill them. Now only one remains.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 JMcGregor:5
Wind Will Rove by Sarah Pinsker  Time: 48m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 09.10|17
(Generation Ship) The ship lost most of its historical records some years back, and the narrator tries to use music to maintain a connection with distant Earth.
Winter Timeshare by Ray Nayler  Time: 23m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 01.02|17
(SF) Regina and Ilkay take an annual holiday together in Istanbul, renting “blank” bodies for the occasion.
You Will Never Know What Opens by Mari Ness  Time: 06m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 91
(Portal Fantasy) Your house is full of doors to other worlds, and you can’t keep yourself from exploring them—even though they’re dangerous.

Score: 3

A Human Stain by Kelly Robson  Time: 32m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 01/04/17
(Horror) Helen comes to Meersee in Germany to be a governess for her friend’s nephew. The child is young and peculiar, the staff are old and peculiar, and more peculiar things turn up by the minute.
A Place to Grow by A.T. Greenblatt  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 225
(High Fantasy) Lillian likes the most recent world, and she doesn’t want her uncles to tear it down. But they’ve already dismantled the sun, so she’ll have to move fast.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:5
A Touch of Heart by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro and Adam-Troy Castro  Time: 15m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 86
(Chinese Historical Fantasy) Dou hates his neighbor because Gan’s farm flourishes while his own languishes. Enough to seek out the Black Touch.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
(SF Humor) To avoid having their spaceship repossessed, Kango and Sharon go on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a cult and steal DNA from their children.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
Come As You Are by Dale Bailey  Time: 34m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 05.06|17
(Near-Future SF) Dave drops out of school when he gets hooked on a drug that lets you experience being other people.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:5
Crimson Birds of Small Miracles by Sean Monaghan  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 01.02|17
(SF) C.J. brings his dying daughter to Ariosto to see Crimson Birds, an art installation that includes a vast flock of artificial birds.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:5
Daisy by Eleanor Arnason  Time: 19m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 03.04|17
(Detective SF) Emily agrees to help a gangster find his missing octopus.
(SF Adventure) Four women staffing an advance base on Phobos get a male visitor who brings them some bad news.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 GDozois:5
Driverless by Robert Grossbach  Time: 31m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 03.04|17
(Near-future SF) Everyone knows Jacob’s driverless-car company destroyed the world economy, but he wants to tell his side of the story.
Goodnight, Melancholy by Xia Jia  Time: 39m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 126
(AI) The narrator’s therapy includes some cute little robots that help cheer her up.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
Hollywood Squid by Oliver Buckram  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 09.10|17
(SF Humor) The squids from space haven’t been very popular for a while, but washed-up director Tony Casagrande has a can’t-miss plan for a detective thriller with a human and a squid.
I Am Not I by G.V. Anderson2  Time: 33m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 07.08|17
(Dystopia) The narrator is a normal human in a world of hostile genetically modified people, and she’s desperate enough to do anything for money to replace the failing body modifications that let her “pass.”
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
I Have Been Drowned in Rain by Carrie Vaughn  Time: 11m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 223
(High Fantasy) Jared has almost brought the princess to safety, but he worries that Kat, the crazy women who accompanies them, might have betrayed them.
i know my own & my own know me by Tracy Canfield  Time: 28m (Novelette)  IssueAnalog 09.10|17
(SF Adventure) A team trying to understand what happened to a human colony whose members have all regressed to animal intelligence is distracted when someone uplifts their cat to human intelligence.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 SFRevu:4
Ink by Bruce McAllister  Time: 14m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 87
(Modern Fantasy) A young hemophiliac American boy in Italy visits a creepy old house to try to get old stamps for his collection.
Keepsakes by Kenneth Schneyer  Time: 32m (Novelette)  IssueAnalog 11.12|17
(Near-Future SF) In 2070, you can take snapshots of your personality and talk to them later. Is it healthy talking to your Keepsake self decades later? And should a Keepsake be allowed to testify in court?
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:5
Little /^^^\&- by Eric Schwitzgebel  Time: 15m (ShortStory)  IssueClarkesworld 132
(Epic SF) An alien intelligence, exiled to our solar system, passes the time by interacting with the Earth.
Love Engine Optimization by Matthew Kressel  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 85
(Near-Future SF)  Sam is a talented hacker who extracts Jane’s personal info in order to seduce her.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
Mag, the Habitat and We by Lia Swope Mitchell  Time: 10m (ShortStory)  IssueApex 92
(Horror) A city inspection in a week creates a crisis for the small creatures who scurry around Mag’s house. They think she’s their mother. She thinks they’re rats, when she thinks about them at all.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 CPayseur
Making Us Monsters by Sam J. Miller and Lara Elena Donnelly  Time: 36m (Novelette)  IssueUncanny 19
(Historical Uncanny Horror) Fifteen years after his lover died in World War I, Siegfried starts receiving letters from him, dated just before his death.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 CPayseur
Marcel Proust, Incorporated by Scott Dalrymple  Time: 13m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 85
(Near-Future SF) Users who stop taking a memory enhancement drug end up losing everything they learned on it, making it possible for banks to repossess someone’s education.
Marley and Marley by J.R. Dawson1  Time: 23m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 11.12|17
(Time Travel) At age 12, Marley loses her parents, but instead of getting foster parents, her 28-year-old future self comes to take care of her.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
My Struggle by Lavie Tidhar  Time: 25m (Novelette)  IssueApex 101
(Alternate History) Adolph Hitler, a failing private investigator in London, tries to locate a relic alleged to be the spear that pierced the side of Christ.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 CPayseur
Necessary Illusions by Tom Greene  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 01.02|17
(Colony-Planet SF) When Iolus refuses demands that it become part of the empire, the imperial agents are much too smart to destroy the planet, but they’re definitely up to something.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:5
Nine-Tenths of the Law by Molly Tanzer  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 80
(SF) Donna’s cold and distant husband has an industrial accident the day she planned to leave him, so she stays to nurse him back to health. After that, he’s different—in ways she likes.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:5
Penelope Waits by Dennis Danvers  Time: 13m (ShortStory)  IssueApex 101
(Alien Abduction) Cindy’s boyfriend says alien’s abducted him, but she’s sure he was with another woman. Up until the aliens contact her too.
Queen of Dirt by Nisi Shawl  Time: 18m (ShortStory)  IssueApex 93
(Contemporary Fantasy; Brit Williams) Teenage Brit enjoys teaching little kids at a Seattle Experience Outreach camp, even though she senses that something evil haunts the abandoned bunkers up the hill.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 CPayseur
Rain Ship by Chi Hui  Time: 47m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 125
(Post-Human) Jin is a mercenary hired to protect archeologists investigating an ancient ship built by the extinct human race.
Red Bark and Ambergris by Kate Marshall  Time: 23m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 232
(High Fantasy) Sarai’s talent lies in scents, but she pursues poisons to get revenge on the queen who imprisoned her on this island.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:5
Seven Permutations of My Daughter by Lina Rather1  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 83
(Multiverse) Sarah travels the multiverse looking for a reality where her daughter isn’t a drug addict.
Soccer Fields and Frozen Lakes by Greg Kurzawa  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 82
(Near-future SFF) After the government rules he isn't really human, Chris loses his human wife and hybrid kids.
Sunwake, in the Lands of Teeth by Juliette Wade  Time: 1h:12m (Novella)  IssueClarkesworld 127
(SF) Liaison Rulii must travel into a war zone to find a missing human linguist whom his king wants to meet in just three days.
Tao Zero by Damien Broderick  Time: 1h:13m (Novella)  IssueAsimov's 03.04|17
(SF) Someone has attacked New York and MIT, and 16-year-old Shipton is caught in the middle of it.
Ten Half-Pennies by Matthew Hughes  Time: 25m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 03.04|17
(High Fantasy; Baldemar) Young Baldemar gets a favor from a moneylender’s hired muscle. The challenge is paying it back.
The Avenger by Albert E. Cowdrey  Time: 34m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 03.04|17
(Modern Fantasy) Jeanne hires Mr. Warlock because no normal attorney could cope with the problems her late husband’s crooked relatives are causing her.
The Banffs by Lavie Tidhar  Time: 08m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 05.06|17
(SF Conspiracy) Suffering from writer’s block, the author agrees to house sit for some rich friends of his agent.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
The Common Sea by Steve Rasnic Tem  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueInterzone 269
(Near-Future SF) Trips from flooded Miami to the trading post are always hazardous, especially for an old man, but Tom needs supplies for his family.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 SFRevu:4
The Dark Birds by Ursula Vernon  Time: 25m (Novelette)  IssueApex 92
(Horror) There are always three sisters. When one gets big, Father eats her, and Mother has a new baby. This is the story of how that cycle ended.
The Girl Who Stole Herself by R. Garcia y Robertson  Time: 1h:21m (Novella)  IssueAsimov's 07.08|17
(SF Adventure Humor; The Family) In 3V, Amanda is a proud space princess, but in the real world she’s a 17-year-old high school dropout who lives with her mom. Slavers are after her, and some parts of the 3V world are more real than they ought to be.
(SF Horror) A group of runaway cyborgs has to prepare meals for unknowing human ships or else blow their cover. But they’re short on one critical ingredient.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 SFRevu:4
(SF Horror) Meant to clear plastic from the sea, the artificial “squids” have put the oceans off-limits to humanity. Not everyone takes that lying down.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 GDozois:5
The Last Garden by Jack Skillingstead  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 81
(Post-Apocalypse) Casey’s only companion on the Airforce base is a robot, which is determined to protect her. That includes keeping her from investigating frozen clones that might survive in a distant vault.
The Runabout by Kristine Kathryn Rusch  Time: 2h:29m (Novella)  IssueAsimov's 05.06|17
(Space Opera; Diving Universe) The narrator leads a team salvaging long-lost technology from a graveyard of starships, whose stardrives still disrupt the surrounding space in dangerous ways.
The Speed of Belief by Robert Reed  Time: 1h:07m (Novella)  IssueAsimov's 01.02|17
(Far-Future SF; Great Ship) To secure a deal with a world ruled by what appear to be intelligent rivers, the Great Ship sends three representatives on a long, sub-light-speed mission. By the time they get there, things don’t look so rosy.
The Turing Machines of Babel by Eric Schwitzgebel  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueApex 98
(Magical Realism) Hamete lives in Borges’s “Library of Babel,” and his life changes forever when he follows a rabbit into the depths.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:5
(Horror) At a drunken party, Scarlett tells the new boy a ghost story she’d promised her now-dead best friend she’d never repeat.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5 JMcGregor:4
Universe Box by Michael Swanwick  Time: 33m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 09.10|17
(Slipstream) A man who just stole the universe hides in Howard’s apartment, interrupting his attempt to propose to his girlfriend. Then it gets weird.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:5 RHorton:4
Who Won the Battle of Arsia Mons? by Sue Burke  Time: 34m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 134
(Military SF) Four international teams develop combat robots to stage a fight on Mars—televised live, of course.
ZeroS by Peter Watts  Time: 45m (Novelette)  IssueInfinity Wars 2017
(Military SF) Technically dead after a terrorist attack, Asante gets a new body and second chance at life, provided he serves 5 years as an experimental supersoldier.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:5

Score: 2 -> 1-2 Recommendations

A Death in the Wayward Drift by Tim Akers  Time: 16m (ShortStory)  IssueInterzone 269
(Science Fantasy) Castaa and the other initiates of the Water Caste travel with their master to try and fix a problem with the machines that stir the lake.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
(High Fantasy; Birdverse) The Old Royal has ruled the desert for millennia from their palace where a star once fell, but the arrival of a young stranger brings chaos.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: CPayseur
A Strange Kind of Beauty by Christien Gholson  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueInterzone 269
(High Fantasy) Based on a new prophecy she found, Heoli leads her people out of the desert to a ruined city rich with water. Some fear that it’s too good to be true, though.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Abductive Reasoning by Christopher L. Bennett  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 09.10|17
(SF Humor) When Cjek guides her damaged ship to an emergency landing in Roy’s cornfield, problems ensue because she’s not the sort of UFO he was expecting.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Acadie by Dave Hutchinson  Time: 1h:07m (Novella)  IssueTor Novella 09/05/17
(SF Adventure) Even after 500 years, Earth is still after the founders of the Colony, so when a probe wanders into their system Duke has to find a way to get everyone to safety.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Across the Steaming Sea by Rob Chilson  Time: 44m (Novelette)  IssueAnalog 07.08|17
(SF Adventure; Prime Mondeign) Unwanted third-son Luro leaps at the chance to join an expedition to find the lost technological treasures of the legendary Empyrean.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:4
All Systems Red by Martha Wells  Time: 1h:43m (Novella)  IssueTor Novella 05/02/17
(SF Thriller; Murderbot Diaries) A “security bot” assigned to support a survey team impresses them with its competence as a series of things go wrong. What they don’t know is that it has disabled the governor that prevents it from hurting people.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5
An Account of the Sky Whales by A Que  Time: 38m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 129
(Planetary Adventure) Azuki travels to Goliath to bring the ashes of his dead girlfriend home. Exporting human remains is illegal, so he gets help from some poachers.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:4
An Inflexible Truth by Christopher East  Time: 28m (Novelette)  IssueLightspeed 87
(Climate SF) After his teammate disappears in the ruins of Las Vegas, a newsman goes to investigate—even though he has a desk job and has never been in the field before.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
An Unearned Death by Marissa Lingen  Time: 14m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 07.08|17
(High Fantasy) Osrith helps people near the end of life find a god who’ll take them, for in her world, no matter how old, worn, or broken you are, death must be earned.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Angel of the Blockade by Alex Wells  Time: 31m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 09/06/17
(SF Adventure) Even though she’s blind, Nata’s one of the best smugglers, and because of the war, she’s in great demand. This latest deal, though, pays so well for so little work there’s got to be something fishy about it.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Assassins by Jack Skillingstead and Burt Courtier  Time: 08m (ShortStory)  IssueClarkesworld 125
(Virtual Reality) Sonia used to be a fan of the <i>Labyrinthiad</i> until they killed off her favorite character. Now she sneaks online and kills other people’s favorites.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: GDozois:5
Belly Up by Maggie Clark  Time: 37m (Novelette)  IssueAnalog 07.08|17
(Military SF) The courts removed Imbra’s ability to get angry or fight back, but he still wants to help his world fight off the invaders who’re threatening them.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Black Powder by Maria Dahvana Headley  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueThe Djinn Falls in Love, and Other Stories 2017
(Horror) The Kid wants to the other kids in high school to pay attention to him, so he steals a rifle. The rifle he steals is much more than just a gun, though.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Bodies Stacked Like Firewood by Sam J. Miller  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueUncanny 14
(Mainstream) Cyd’s suicide brings his friend Kelvin to Albany for his memorial.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [0]  Recommended By: CPayseur
(Alternate History Fantasy; Dominion of the Fallen) Two people from a secret, underwater House try to infiltrate a troublesome surface House that rules much of a Paris still recovering from long-ago magical wars.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5
Cryptic Female Choice by Andy Dudak  Time: 14m (ShortStory)  IssueInterzone 271
(Dystopia) The ability for women to mix and match genes from multiple men leads to social unrest.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [1]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Dall's Last Message by Antha Ann Adkins1  Time: 07m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 01.02|17
(SF) Dal approaches the end of it's life and wishes to leave a worthy message to posterity--if the waterwraiths will leave it alone long enough.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Destroy the City with Me Tonight by Kate Marshall  Time: 11m (ShortStory)  IssueBehind the Mask 2017
(Superhero) The disease that turns Cass into a superhero makes her almost invisible to ordinary people without her costume.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5
Diamond and the World Breaker by Linda Nagata  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueCosmic Powers 2017
(SF) 12-year-old Diamond gets involved with a licensed terrorist group and manages to drag her mother into it too.
Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire  Time: 2h:08m (Novella)  IssueTor Novella 01/10/17
(Horror) Jenna has lived in New York City ever since she died forty years ago. Now something is happening to New York City’s ghosts, and she’s determined to find out what and stop it—if it doesn’t find her first.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5
Ecuador vs. the Bug-Eyed Monsters by Jay Werkheiser  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 03.04|17
(SF Sports) On an alien spaceship, the Ecuadorian football team plays against France for the World Cup. But the stakes may be a lot higher.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Elephant on Table by Bruce Sterling  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueChasing Shadows 2017
(Near-Future SF) Tullio and Irma serve the eccentric, 104-year-old, Chief—the last prime minister of Italy—in his “Shadow House,” a place immune from surveillance.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: GDozois:5
Emergency Protocol by Lettie Prell  Time: 01m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 09.10|17
(SF) In the event of an emergency, your body may be taken over by remote control.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Focus by Gord Sellar  Time: 14m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 05.06|17
(Near-Future SF) Locals plan a riot to disrupt foreign factories in Vietnam which use a drug called “focus” to control their employees.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
For All Mankind by C. Stuart Hardwick  Time: 43m (Novelette)  IssueAnalog 07.08|17
(Hard SF) A secret 1970 space mission sends a US and a Soviet woman on a one-way trip to deflect a killer asteroid.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Gravity's Exile by Grace Seybold  Time: 30m (Novelette)  IssueBCS 219
(High Fantasy) Jeone has been descending the World Cliff for years, but she's never seen a town quite as strange as Shasten Dhu.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 JMcGregor:4
Hexagrammaton by HanuΕ‘ Seiner2  Time: 33m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 05/10/17
(SF) A woman approaches the narrator to help her smuggle a special package to the human survivors of an alien virus that could make people something more than human.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
How Bees Fly by Simone Heller1  Time: 27m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 125
(Post-Apocalypse) Just before a chemstorm strikes, Salpe encounters two demons between her community and the bee hives. They don’t act like the demons in the stories, though.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
I am a Handsome Man, Said Apollo Crow by Kate Elliott  Time: 36m (Novelette)  IssueThe Book of Swords 2017
(Historical Fantasy Adventure) Apollo Crow takes an assignment from the Emperor to steal the sketchbook of a woman whose speeches are fomenting rebellion.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis  Time: 1h:01m (Novella)  IssueAsimov's 11.12|17
(Urban Fantasy) A novelist finds a bookstore in New York that sells “the rarest of rare books.” These books look pretty ordinary, for the most part, and there sure do seem to be a lot of them.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:5
If a Bird Can Be a Ghost by Allison Mills1  Time: 16m (ShortStory)  IssueApex 99
(Slipstream) Shelly’s grandma teaches her how to deal with ghosts so she can continue the family ghost business.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: CPayseur
In Calabria by Peter S. Beagle  Time: 1h:46m (Novella)  IssueIn Calabria 2017
(Modern Fantasy) Claudio tends his farm alone down at the tip of the Italian peninsula until a young woman and a pregnant unicorn disturb his tranquility.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5
In Memory of Jianhong, Snake-Devil by Richard Parks  Time: 19m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 226
(Chinese Historical Fantasy; Pan Bao and Jing) Jing and her father climb a mountain to find and kill a Snake-Devil that has been killing people and goats, but she’s not exactly what they expected.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:4
In the Shade of the Pixie Tree by Rodello Santos  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 221
(High Fantasy) Bekka is apprentice to the local witch, and she's off to collect pixies. Joakem wants to walk with her, and she can't tell him no.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [5]  Recommended By: RSR:5
Intro to Prom by Genevieve Valentine  Time: 36m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 133
(Post Apocalypse) The four teens are the last people left in their town, and they hold a prom night every few days—while trying to ignore that crack in the sky.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
(Superheroes) Ice Sickle joined the Excaliburs to fight evil, but Sin-Master may be her match.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: CPayseur
Memories of Fish by Shauna O'Meara  Time: 13m (ShortStory)  IssueInterzone 270
(Near-Future SF) Through the eyes of a drone, a “Tourist” explores a Sri Lanka town from the comfort of his own home, but ends up taking an unexpected detour.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Message in a Bottle by K.J. Parker  Time: 16m (ShortStory)  IssueThe Djinn Falls in Love, and Other Stories 2017
(High Fantasy) The narrator seeks a plague cure a long-dead scholar may have left in a bottle. Or it might be a new kind of plague. But how to decide?
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Mines by Eleanor Arnason  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueInfinity Wars 2017
(Military SF) An ex-soldier on a colony planet who hunts for mines with a modified giant rat finds companionship in an injured soldier.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: GDozois:5
My Fifth and Most Exotic Voyage by Edward M. Lerner  Time: 47m (Novelette)  IssueAnalog 09.10|17
(SF Adventure Pastiche) In which we learn of a hitherto-undisclosed fifth voyage of Lemuel Gulliver, to a place called “Chicago” in 2022, and of the marvelous things that happened there.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Native Seeds by Catherine Wells  Time: 1h:06m (Novella)  IssueAnalog 11.12|17
(Post-Apocalypse) In 2284, Earth is recovering from geological and ecological catastrophe, and in Arizona a group of survivors on Kitt’s Peak reaches another group at the Montezuma Castle National Monument.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Neko Brushes by Leah Cypess  Time: 13m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 05.06|17
(Japanese Historical Fantasy) Kenji is just a boy, and a commoner at that, but his extraordinary drawing ability attracts the attention of nobles and draws him into their plots.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:4
Neptune's Trident by Nina Allan  Time: 46m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 129
(Post-Apocalypse) The world is gradually being destroyed by what seems like an alien plague that attacks people and software alike. Caitlin lives in a seaside Scottish town, nursing her dying lover.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
No Pearls as Blue as These by Benjanun Sriduangkaew  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 232
(High Fantasy) Tarangkaya made Bidaten into supersoldier from infancy, and she’s been content to serve them for years. Then her mistress takes a new bride who makes her think differently.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Not Far Enough by Martin L. Shoemaker  Time: 1h:26m (Novella)  IssueAnalog 07.08|17
(Hard SF; Captain Nick Aames) When an accident strikes, the Mars crew have to figure out how to salvage what they can and somehow survive until help can arrive.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Number Thirty-Nine Skink by Suzanne Palmer  Time: 18m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 03.04|17
(Hard SF) Long after the loss of its crew, Kade-5 continues its mission of terraforming the planet. It finds something interesting, but whom can it tell?
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: GDozois:5
Octopus vs. Bear by Kendra Fortmeyer1  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 84
(Modern Fantasy) Unexpectedly, you woke up female this morning, in someone else's body. Now you have to decide what to do about it.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Operators by Joel Richards  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 11.12|17
(Near-Future SF) Barry investigates self-driving trucks that are being hijacked, although he has more than a little sympathy for the unemployed truckers who he imagines are behind it.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
Oracle by Dominica Phetteplace  Time: 11m (ShortStory)  IssueInfinity Wars 2017
(Military SF) Rita’s success in AIs for marketing leads to success in military applications. A bit too much success.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [1]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
(Modern Fantasy) Nina knows that owls appear to warn us of impending catastrophe, but what does it mean when one of them keeps harassing you?
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: CPayseur
Paradox by Naomi Kritzer  Time: 05m (ShortStory)  IssueUncanny 16
(Time Travel) In which a chorus of time travelers give us advice, in the paradoxical way of time travelers.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Persephone of the Crows by Karen Joy Fowler  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 05.06|17
(Modern Fantasy) Ten-year-old Polly wishes she could see fairies like her friend Isabelle can. She wishes a lot of things. Not all wishes should come true.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Plaisir d'Amour by John Alfred Taylor  Time: 1h:14m (Novella)  IssueAnalog 03.04|17
(Utopian SF) Ben visits an asteroid mining ship to study the people who live on it, and he falls in love.
Read Before Use by Chinelo Onwualu  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueUncanny 16
(Post-Apocalypse) Satellite City will die if it can’t find a new source of power. Alia thinks the secret lies in a library of ancient books, but she needs results soon because her support is drying up.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: CPayseur
Region Five by Linda Nagata  Time: 24m (ShortStory)  IssueInfinite Stars 2017
(Military SF) To evacuate his unit before the attackers get them, Josh has to get them from the 38th floor to the 88th floor of a damaged skyscraper. And they don’t know what’s above them.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 GDozois:4
Requiem for the Unchained by C.A. Hawksmoor  Time: 21m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 217
(Steampunk/Horror) The narrator flies a lantern ship, a balloon with a special light that keeps away the ghosts that gather during storms. Out of money, she’s desperate enough to take a dangerous contract from a man she hates.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: CPayseur
Rings by Nina Kiriki Hoffman  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 05.06|17
(SF Horror) Aris wanted a male slave from off-planet, and she thinks Firen is a fine choice. Young, strong, flawed only because he can’t speak.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
Rising Star by Stephen Graham Jones  Time: 07m (ShortStory)  IssueUncanny 15
(Time Travel) A modest proposal for a grant to experiment with a most imperfect time machine.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: JMcGregor:5
Sanctuary by Allen M. Steele  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueTor.com 05/17/17
(Hard SF) We read the log books that survive from two human colony ships which arrived at Tau Ceti e. We know things didn’t go well, but we don’t know why.
Shore Patrol by Jack Campbell  Time: 25m (Novelette)  IssueInfinite Stars 2017
(Military SF) Ensign Geary gets stuck with shore patrol at the last minute, and he’s got his hands full. He’s got four of the worst recruits to try to supervise five ships full of sailors, marines, and airmen, and no matter how bad things get, they can al
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:4
Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by K.M. Szpara  Time: 30m (Novelette)  IssueUncanny 16
(Slipstream) When Finley gets bitten by a vampire, he’s pissed because he didn’t consent. When he learns he’s going to become a vampire, he’s really upset, because it’s not legal for a trans person to be a vampire at all.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: CPayseur
(Far-Future SF) An uplifted octopus finds a mysterious capsule in the water and wonders if one of the long-vanished humans might be inside it.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: CPayseur
Suddenwall by Sara Saab  Time: 14m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 220
(High Fantasy) The city of Vannat offers forgiveness to former war criminals, but those it deems unworthy get trapped inside stone walls that appear out of nowhere.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: CPayseur
Sun, Moon, Dust by Ursula Vernon  Time: 14m (ShortStory)  IssueUncanny 16
(High Fantasy) Allpa receives a magic sword on his grandmother’s deathbed. Three spirits in the sword are supposed to train him to be a mighty warrior, but he really just wants to be a better farmer.
Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor  Time: 29m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 05/03/17
(Climate Apocalypse Horror) As the seas have risen, terrible things have come crawling out of them. Jersey wants Mir to come with him and move inland, but she won’t go without her disabled father.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: JMcGregor:5
Terra Nullius by HanuΕ‘ Seiner2  Time: 21m (ShortStory)  IssueStrange Horizons 03/20/17
(Alien Invasion) Only juvenile aliens are capable of original thought, so we can't even tell the adults that they're destroying our world. Reaching the juvenile's means going deep inside the enormous females.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: CPayseur
That Lingering Sweetness by Tony Pi  Time: 29m (Novelette)  IssueBCS 224
(Chinese Historical Fantasy; Candyman Ao) To undo some of the damage caused the last time he invoked zodiacal spirits, Ao needs to lift a pair of conflicting curses cast by two warring spirits.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 RHorton:4
The Bridgegroom by Bo Balder  Time: 30m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 130
(Post-Apocalypse) Alois wants to go back to the university—not spend the rest of his life guarding an old bridge. Even if it does talk to him about the world before the collapse.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [4]  Recommended By: RSR:4 SFRevu:4
The Catastrophe Of Cities by Lisa Goldstein  Time: 30m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 01.02|17
(Horror) As kids, Lila and Beth had adventures exploring mysterious houses with strange rooms and scary occupants. Forty years later, Beth tries to discover whatever happened to those houses—and to her friend.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: SFRevu:5
The Dead Father Cookbook by Ashley Blooms1  Time: 20m (ShortStory)  IssueStrange Horizons 07/17/17
(Horror) The narrator wants to bring her father back from the dead, but first she has to trick her brother into helping eat his cremated remains.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: JMcGregor:5
The Dragon that Flew Out of the Sun by Aliette De Bodard  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueCosmic Powers 2017
(Space Opera) As a child, Lan learned her family lost their world when a dragon came out of the sun, but now she wants to know the real truth.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: GDozois:5
The Fall of the Mundaneum by Rebecca Campbell  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 235
(Historical Fantasy) In the first days of World War I, young Oskar is left to manage the Mundaneum as the Germans approach. He’s nervous, but hopeful they’ll respect the institution and its priceless artifacts.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [2]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
The Fisherman and the Pig by Kameron Hurley  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 235
(Fantasy Adventure) Nev has been in hiding for eight years, so when some men offer him too good a deal to sell their fish, he suspects a trap.
Other Reviews  RSR Mini-Review [3]  Recommended By: RHorton:5
The Garden of Eating by R. Boyczuk  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueInterzone 273
(Post-Apocalypse) Alone in the ruins, Boy finds an “Amerigun,” and he’s sure she’s up to no good. His failing robot tutor gives his strange instructions, and for the first time, he’s not sure what to believe.
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The Ghost Ship Anastasia by Rich Larson  Time: 27m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 124
(Hard SF) Things look bad for the repair crew, come to fix an unresponsive space ship. Their AI expert is all doped up, mourning his sister who died in transit, and the AI isn’t broken—it’s insane.
The Goddess of the Highway by Erica L. Satifka  Time: 41m (Novelette)  IssueInterzone 272
(Dystopia) Since the mist came down, people are sorted into castes based on metal plates screwed into their temples which determine how much thinking they’re allowed to do. A girl from the top wants to break the system, and a man from the bottom may give
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The History of the Invasion Told in Five Dogs by Kelly Jennings  Time: 07m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 05.06|17
(Alien Invasion) The narrator describes his/her efforts to stay alive over a period of years. Each segment includes a dog who made a difference in the narrator’s life.
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(SFF) Alex’s town is being attacked by aliens, and she needs to save it somehow.
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(Horror) ‘Nisha only has five hours to get across New York to her dead aunt’s apartment before the city comes to throw away all her stuff. She’s not even sure it’s worth it, but they said her aunt was a witch…
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The Last Dance by Jack McDevitt  Time: 11m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 11.12|17
(Near-Future SF) Ethan gets an AI reconstruction of his dead wife. He can’t touch her, but just being able to see each other and talk should be enough. Right?
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The Martian in the Wood by Stephen Baxter  Time: 55m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 08/02/17
(SF Pastiche) When Zena’s brother disappears into a mysterious forest on her family property, she goes looking, and she finds that not all of the Martian invaders perished at the end of the War of the Worlds.
The Masochist's Assistant by Auston Habershaw  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 07.08|17
(High Fantasy; Saga of the Redeemed) Georges has to help his master torture himself as part of his plan to make himself immune to almost all forms of death.
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The Morrigan by Stewart Horn  Time: 18m (ShortStory)  IssueInterzone 273
(Modern Fantasy Horror) In the Glasgow slums, the gangs meet a mysterious woman who inspires them to even more violence than usual. Eighteen-year-old Baz watches it happen and struggles to understand it.
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The Nanny Bubble by Norman Spinrad  Time: 13m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 11.12|17
(Near-Future SF) At age 11, Teddy has the best life, with great hardware and software toys. Those toys let his parents keep him under tight control, but he doesn’t mind until he finds something he really wants to do.
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The Ones Who Know Where They Are Going by Sarah Pinsker  Time: 05m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 03.04|17
(Fantasy) You have lain in your cell long enough to forget how to walk. Then you see sunlight and realize someone has left the door open.
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The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold  Time: 2h:28m (Novella)  IssueThe Prisoner of Limnos 2017
(Fantasy Adventure; Five Gods) When Nikys asks for Penric’s help rescuing her mother from an imperial prison, he jumps at the chance to win her affections back. It’s obviously a trap, and he doesn’t know anything about the place, but he does have a demon
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The Robot Who Liked to Tell Tall Tales by Fei Dao  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 127
(Fairy Tale) The king programs a robot to lie even more than he does, hoping to change his reputation as the biggest liar in the kingdom.
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(Space Opera) The Scholast fell to earth in the Low Waters Kingdom and called on them to prepare to defend themselves from an invasion from another world.
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The Shining Hills by Susan Palwick  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 87
(Urban Fantasy) Some nights shining lights appear atop hills in urban areas, and people who walk into them disappear—some say to fairyland. A cop who thinks otherwise tries to talk a young woman out of trying it.
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The Siret Mask by Marie Brennan  Time: 18m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 238
(Fantasy Adventure) Viorica attempts to steal the famed Şiret Mask from Codruţ, brother of her dear friend. There are lots of complications, not least of which that Codruţ expects someone to try to take it.
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The Thule Stowaway by Maria Dahvana Headley  Time: 38m (Novelette)  IssueUncanny 14
(Fantasy Horror) Edgar Allan Poe’s writing has brought a creature into this world and it inhabits a young woman who wants to be rid of it. It has its own agenda.
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The Wages of Honor by Catherine Asaro  Time: 40m (Novelette)  IssueInfinite Stars 2017
(SF Adventure) Eldrin and Althor have grown up in the low-tech, honor-based culture of their father’s world, but they are heirs to their mother’s high-tech, off-world culture. At age 16, each will have to choose between honor and necessity, with results t
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The West Topeka Triangle by Jeremiah Tolbert  Time: 28m (Novelette)  IssueLightspeed 80
(Horror) Jason struggles with a bully in elementary school, a stepdad who hates him, and he thinks the local equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle is causing local kids to disappear.
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The White-Throated Transmigrant by E. Lily Yu  Time: 11m (ShortStory)  IssueTor.com 06/21/17
(Dark Fantasy) Hiding from her own problems, Winona volunteers at the local ornithological museum after she hits a bird with her car.
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The Worldless by Indrapramit Das  Time: 17m (ShortStory)  IssueLightspeed 82
(Offworld SF) The Dunyshar are stranded on an outpost, but NuTay dreams of going home to Earth.
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There Used to Be Olive Trees by Rich Larson  Time: 27m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 01.02|17
(Post-Apocalypse) Valentin’s implant should let him talk to the machine gods, but he’s failed the test three times, and he decides to run away before facing it again. Of course things outside the town are even worse.
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(Alternate History) Back in the fifties, the Benefactors came to Earth and made some people “geniuses.” Now, as those people die, the Benefactors “harvest” their bodies. Akeem hates them for this, and he fears his grandmother might be next.
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Three Can Keep a Secret... by Bill Johnson and Gregory Frost  Time: 31m (Novelette)  IssueAsimov's 03.04|17
(SF Thriller) A resourceful assassin from Earth comes to an unnamed planet on a mission to double-cross someone.
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Time Travel is Only for the Poor by S.L. Huang  Time: 21m (ShortStory)  IssueAnalog 11.12|17
(Near-Future SF) A homeless man fights a government decision to put him in hibernation.
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Triceratops by Ian McHugh  Time: 13m (ShortStory)  IssueAsimov's 05.06|17
(Near-Future SF) The narrator visits a reserve in Northern Canada where they’re experimenting with resurrected mammoths.
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Twenty Excellent Reasons by Bennett R. Coles  Time: 19m (ShortStory)  IssueInfinite Stars 2017
(Military SF) The rebellion on Thor is getting worse, and Jack has to lead a mission from orbit to rescue some hostages. His craft isn’t designed for this, there’s no ground support at all, and he’s got a newbie to nursemaid.
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Two Ways of Living by Robert Reed  Time: 12m (ShortStory)  IssueClarkesworld 126
(Near-Future SF) Each sleep takes Artemus two years closer to his goal, but he wakes up weak and starving after each one, and he doesn’t need nosey neighbors bothering him while he recovers.
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unfurl/ed by Jes Rausch  Time: 08m (ShortStory)  IssueStrange Horizons 08/14/17
(SF) The Arnos power grid has a problem, but the entities that run the power satellite are having difficulties of their own—including not knowing how long ago this problem started.
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Untilted by K.A. Teryna  Time: 25m (Novelette)  IssueApex 102
(Modern Fantasy (Russian)) Little Marcus walks the Moscow Metro at Midnight looking for stray animals and lost souls to heal. But he needs something too.
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(Hard SF) In the early 2030s, Sergei works for Uber collecting trash in low-Earth orbit. He’s surprised when Uber’s boss comes up and has a special mission for him.
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Vinegar and Cinnamon by Nina Kiriki Hoffman  Time: 25m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 01.02|17
(Rural Fantasy) Sam is a good boy who works hard on the family farm, although he does tease his little sister Maura. She’s not a bad girl, but one time she got mad and turned him into a rat.
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Waiting on a Bright Moon by JY Yang  Time: 33m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 07/12/17
(Space Opera) Xin’s orderly life on Eighth Colony changes forever when she ushers a mutilated body through the portal.
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(Apocalyptic) The narrator wants to spend the last hours before the asteroid strike with her parents, but she runs out of gas in the middle of South Dakota.
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Waterfalling by Lavie Tidhar  Time: 36m (Novelette)  IssueThe Book of Swords 2017
(Fantasy Adventure; Gorel of Gloris) Searching for his lost homeland, addicted to a drug excreted by gods, and suffering withdrawal, Gorel gets an invitation to an adventure—to kill a god.
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We Who Live in the Heart by Kelly Robson  Time: 49m (Novelette)  IssueClarkesworld 128
(Colony SF) People who don’t like living underground in the colony can live inside giant “whales” that float high in the planet’s atmosphere. That’s usually pretty safe.
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Weather Girl by E.J. Swift  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueInfinity Wars 2017
(Military SF) Lia’s top-secret work uses hurricanes against America’s enemies by falsifying the weather and satellite records to fool enemies into thinking no storm is coming.
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Wetherfell's Reef Runics by Marc Laidlaw  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 01.02|17
(Mystery) Ambrose runs a bookstore on a remote Hawaiian island. He gets tangled up in the mystery of a visitor who chained himself underwater and drowned.
What the Hands Know by Gregor Hartmann  Time: 19m (ShortStory)  IssueF&SF 05.06|17
(Far-Future SF; Franden) Franden goes to a fight club to get some ideas for characters in his stories. A peaceful sort, despite his size, he has no intention of actually participating.
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Whatever Comes After Calcutta by David Erik Nelson  Time: 26m (Novelette)  IssueF&SF 11.12|17
(Horror) Lyle is having a bad day, what with finding his wife in bed with a cop, but not as bad a day as this lady he finds hanging from a tree because her neighbors decided she’s a witch.
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Whatever Knight Comes by Ryan Row2  Time: 22m (ShortStory)  IssueBCS 226
(Fairy Tale) You are a knight cursed to kidnap maidens and the die trying to keep them when a knight comes to rescue them. Over and over.
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When Stars Are Scattered by Spencer Ellsworth  Time: 43m (Novelette)  IssueTor.com 04/05/17
(Exoplanetary SF) On planet Isach, the native Kites are enthusiastic converts to Islam, but they’re dying from a virus that the local Muslims suspect was planted by the neighboring Christian colony.
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Whending My Way Back Home by Bill Johnson  Time: 42m (Novelette)  IssueAnalog 01.02|17
(Time Travel; Martin & Artie) Trapped in the past, Martin tries to engineer a change in reality that will let him go home.
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January 1, 2018

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