Melting Like Metal, by Ada Hoffmann

[Lightspeed]

★★★☆☆

(Space Opera) Enga is an “angel,” a human cyborg enforcer for an AI “god.” Enga has some problems, so she’s eager to prove herself, and this new mission looks like a good opportunity. (6,283 words; Time: 20m)

Across the Ice, by Ada Hoffmann

[Strange Horizons]

★★★☆☆

(Vignette) When she’s not helping study a giant alien artifact, Neela enjoys ice skating on Europa’s endless ice plains. (999 words; Time: 03m)

I Sing Against the Silent Sun, by A. Merc Rustad and Ada Hoffmann

[Lightspeed]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Future Fantasy; Sun Lords of the Principality) A few years ago, the Gray Sun killed millions to silence the subversion of Li Sin’s revolutionary poetry. Li Sin faked their own death to escape, but somehow the Gray Sun learned the truth, and now it hunts again. (8,854 words; Time: 29m)

The Principality of Suns series contains other stories that reference these characters, but this story stands alone quite well.

Variations on a Theme from Turandot, by Ada Hoffmann

[Strange Horizons]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Modern Fantasy Metafiction) The soprano playing Liù keeps trying to change the opera’s gruesome plot, starting with her own death scene. (7,264 words; Time: 24m)

This story will be incomprehensible to anyone who hasn’t at least read a synopsis of the opera “Turandot,” by Puccini.

A Spell to Retrieve Your Lover from the Bottom of the Sea, by Ada Hoffmann

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(Magical Allegory) Your lover has sunk to the bottom of the sea. You're a witch with tremendous powers, but can you really save him? (2,477 words; Time: 08m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

Recommended By: Readers

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