The Transubstantiation, by Evan Dicken

[BCS]

★★★★★ When Heroes fall, there are still heroes.

(Fantasy Adventure) Deff and his team hunt the countryside for illegal Heroes, whom they kill and then sell the body parts. Something truly terrible happened with these “Heroes” in the recent past, and it’s not entirely done. (11,386 words; Time: 37m)

Fire and Falling, by Andrew Dykstal

[BCS]

★★★★☆ Plenty of Excitement in an Interesting Setting

(Steampunk Thriller) Mir’s mission to deliver codebooks gets complicated when she realizes she’s being followed—and followed by more than one person at that. (15,229 words; Time: 50m)

Satin and Velvet, by Robert Minto

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Magician’s Apprentice) At just 16, Greta is pretty young for an apprentice, but somehow she’s drawn the attention of a satin ghast, which only seems to want to help her get her work done. But this is what got the last apprentice killed. (2,869 words; Time: 09m)

The Many Lives of an Abiku, by Tobi Ogundiran

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Yoruba Horror) Sola loves her family and wants to be a good girl. The shaman’s claims that she’s really an evil spirit come to cause pain can’t possibly be true—even if her invisible friend says otherwise. (5,212 words; Time: 17m)

Seven Dreams of a Valley, by Prashanth Srivatsa

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Indian Fantasy ) The night watchman was warned not to look at the imprisoned witch, Kalmashi, but it was hard not to, and now he’s having strange dreams. (3,501 words; Time: 11m)

Recommended By: 👍MHaskins+1 (Q&A)

Buttercream and Broken Wings, by Aimee Ogden

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Fantasy) Fairies depend on humans to leave gifts of food, but when the old widow Willowbright had depended on dies, she struggles desperately to find someone else to provide for her. (5,857 words; Time: 19m)

The Augur and the Girl Left at His Door, by Greta Hayer

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(High Fantasy) The Augur can tell your future just by studying the skin on your body. His prophecies are detailed, and he’s only been wrong once. But when he raises an orphan girl, he’s bothered that she wants to follow in his footsteps. (3,914 words; Time: 13m)

Kill the Witchman, by William Broom

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Fantasy) A man seeking to kill the Witchman continually erases his most recent memories, which makes the task much harder but it’s the only thing that makes it possible at all. (4,606 words; Time: 15m)

Breath of the Sahara, by Inegbenoise O. Osagie

[BCS]

★★★★☆ A moving tale with interesting characters in a cool setting.

(African Fantasy) In a magical sub-Saharan Africa, two girls sneak into the sanctum of their gods to loot it for gold when the guardians are supposed to be absent. But one of them is still there. (6,885 words; Time: 22m)

The Widow, by Emma Törzs

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Historical Horror) A young woman in 17th-Century Paris tells how the effort to treat her insane husband went awry. (5,682 words; Time: 18m)

The Honey of the World and the Queen of Crows, by Dimitra Nikolaidou

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Afterlife) Leandros remembers dying when the shell hit his trench, but in the liminal space between worlds, he’s offered a chance to do something different. (3,797 words; Time: 12m)

Recommended By: 👍MHaskins+1 (Q&A)

Clever Jack, Heavy with Stories, by R.K. Duncan

[BCS]

★★★★★ An unexpected adventure in a beautiful, dangerous place.

(Portal Fairy Tale) Teenage Jack, the cook’s boy, and Roderick, Lord Robert’s son, are unlikely but unshakable friends, even when Roderick has to marry a grown woman. Even when Jack has to venture to elf-land to rescue them. (6,002 words; Time: 20m)

Recommended By: 👍GTognetti+1 (Q&A)

Fox Red, Life Red, Teeth Like Snow, by Devin Miller

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Norse Fantasy) A troll steals a human baby to raise as a troll, just as she herself was. (2,288 words; Time: 07m)

February Moon, by Josh Rountree

[BCS]

★★★★☆ A steady build up to a shattering climax.

(Horror) In 19th-Century Texas, a German immigrant mother defends her farm and family (in the absence of her husband and eldest son) against a vicious wolf as well as some of the local townspeople. (5,037 words; Time: 16m)

Lonely Children Lost at Sea, by Wendy Nikel

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Portal Fantasy) A small community clings to a beach where stuff from our world washes up regularly—including small children. Then a small child who doesn’t fit changes their lives. (4,827 words; Time: 16m)

Who Goes Against a Waste of Waters, by Eleanna Castroianni

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Fantasy) The young narrator and one sibling continue herding ghost sheep after their parents have gone, but how long can they hold on? (2,274 words; Time: 07m)

As The Shore To The Tides, So Blood Calls To Blood, by Karlo Yeager Rodriguez

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Dark Fantasy) Don Jacinto flees when he gets a letter from his crazy brother, not wanting to get involved in his quest to wake a supposed sleeping god. (11,573 words; Time: 38m)

Recommended By: 👍GTognetti+1 (Q&A)

Her Cage of Root and Bone, by Kali Wallace

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Fantasy) Lottie’s sister has held her captive for decades, but today she pays her one final visit. (3,688 words; Time: 12m)

Never a Butterfly, Nor a Moth With Moon-Painted Wings, by Aimee Ogden

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Fantasy) After war destroys their homeland, the Butterfly People come to Ksmal as refugees. They’re welcome, but only if they assimilate, and not everyone is happy with that. (6,301 words; Time: 21m)

To Balance the Weight of Khalem, by R.B. Lemberg

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Allegory) The story of how Belezal, a war refugee in Khalem managed to escape to a better country and how he came to terms with having lost not one but two homelands. (9,229 words; Time: 30m)

Recommended By: 👍GTognetti+2 👍MHaskins+1 (Q&A)