The Sloppy Mathematics of Half-Ghosts, by Charles Payseur

[Strange Horizons]

★★☆☆☆

(Surreal) A half-ghost gets a premonition that the Emperor has died, and his ghost ship flies off to Homeworld because whoever gets the Emperor’s ghost first gets free wishes. (5,827 words; Time: 19m)

Undercurrents, by Charles Payseur

[BCS]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Fantasy) A man tires of shooting rivers, tying them up, and hauling them back to an empire that seems to care little for any of its subjects. (5,327 words; Time: 17m)

Rivers Run Free, by Charles Payseur

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(High Fantasy) Four river spirits flee across the desert to escape the people who dammed them and find their way to the sea. (4,986 words; Time: 16m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

The Death of Paul Bunyan, by Charles Payseur

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(Slipstream) Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan broke up years ago, but he still gets called in to answer questions about his death. (2,802 words; Time: 09m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Rubbing is Racing, by Charles Payseur

Lightspeed Magazine, June 2015; 1,300 words
Rating: 3, Good, ordinary, story

An illegal, near-planetary drag race for rather unexpected stakes.

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: The action is non-stop, leaving you no time to think until it's over. The ending took us by surprise, twisting the implications of the whole thing 180 degrees.

Con: There's no logic to the story. Why is it illegal? Why does the big civilization make no attempt to save anyone or anything? Why do the racers kill each other?