All Hail the Pizza King and Bless His Reign Eternal, by David Erik Nelson

[F&SF]

★★★★☆ Some Laughs and Excitement, Topped with a Little Horror

(Horror) Melissa isn’t happy about her daft sister-in-law buying a derelict restaurant where the last owner killed and cooked his wife 20 years ago, but it’s worse than she thinks. (12,264 words; Time: 40m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

In the Sharing Place, by David Erik Nelson

[Asimov's]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Apocalyptic Horror) Children in the Sharing Place learn to process their grief before they go Outside. Bad things happen Outside to those who get Rejected. (5,203 words; Time: 17m)

Whatever Comes After Calcutta, by David Erik Nelson

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(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. (7,827 words; Time: 26m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

There Was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House, by David Erik Nelson

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(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. (23,491 words; Time: 1h:18m)

Rating: ★★★★★ A Real Page Turner

Recommended By: SFRevu:4 GDozois:4 RHorton:5

Where There is Nothing, There is God, by David Erik Nelson

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(Time Travel) Paul finds a job selling drugs for the mafia in 1770s America. (22,378 words; Time: 1h:14m)

Rating: ★★★★★ Fun story with a sophisticated plot

Recommended By: SFRevu:4 RHorton:4 Readers

This is set in the same universe as the author's "The New Guys Always Work Overtime" (February 2013 Asimov's) and "There Was No Sound of Thunder" (June 2014 Asimov's), but this story works very well all by itself.