The Night Sun, by Zin E. Rocklyn

[Single]

★★★☆☆

(Horror) A wife and her abusive husband got for a weekend in a remote cabin to try to straighten things out, but the dead deer they hit on the way there is a bad omen. Dead before they hit it, but it walked off anyway. (9,190 words; Time: 30m)

The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djèlí Clark

[Single]

★★★★☆ Strong Characters in a Cool Setting with Lots of Action

(Steampunk Fantasy Mystery; A Dead Djinn in Cairo Universe) Handling a routine haunting is a bit mundane for an agent of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, but no one ever heard of a haunted tram car before. (28,339 words; Time: 1h:34m)

Although this is set in the same universe as "A Dead Djinn in Cairo," there's no overlap, and the stories can be read and enjoyed in either order.

The Black God's Drums, by P. Djèlí Clark

[Single]

★★★★★ Rich World, Great Characters, Lots of Action

(Steampunk ) The Civil War left the US in pieces, and New Orleans is a free city. A teenage cutpurse overhears a plot by Confederate officers to steal a powerful magic weapon, and she sets out to stop them. (24,861 words; Time: 1h:22m)

Recommended By: 🏆Hugo+2 🏆Nebula+2 👍RSR+2 (Q&A)

See related articles on Tor.com.

The Need for Air, by Lettie Prell

[Tor.com]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Virtual Reality) Lake really wants her little son to enjoy virtual reality. Sometimes it seems like he loves it, but he keeps dropping out when he’s not supposed to, and he’s hard to keep track of. (6,075 words; Time: 20m)

Into the Gray, by Margaret Killjoy

[Tor.com]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Dark Fantasy) Laria lures bad men to their deaths at the hands of the Lady of the Waters, whom she loves and wishes she could join, if only she could learn to breathe water. (5,683 words; Time: 18m)

The Barrow Will Send What it May, by Margaret Killjoy

[Tor Novella]

★★★★☆ Interesting Characters, Good Action, Cool Plot

(Dark Modern Fantasy; Danielle Cain) A group of young, anarchist, demon hunters come to a town where some of the dead are walking. (27,064 words; Time: 1h:30m)

This story largely stands alone, but readers will benefit from reading “The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion” first. See related articles on Tor.com.

The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, by Margaret Killjoy

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(Near-Future Fantasy) In the dried-out ruins of an Iowa town, anarchists cope with a demon deer they summoned to protect themselves from “predators” but which seems to have its own definition of the word. (25,011 words; Time: 1h:23m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

See related articles on Tor.com.

The Awakening of Insects, by Bobby Sun

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(Hard SF) Jingru Lee researches animal life on Earth-IX, and she wants to understand the strange “thermal flashes” that randomly cook plants and animals in scattered locations. (6,951 words; Time: 23m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

Everything that Isn’t Winter, by Margaret Killjoy

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(Post Apocalypse) Just as things are looking up, survivors in a Northwest community face a threat from the east. (6,503 words; Time: 21m)

Rating: ★★★★★ Award-Worthy

The Three Lives of Sonata James, by Lettie Prell

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(Mind Uploading) The prospect of living forever through "iterations" is still new, and not everyone likes it. Sonata wants to make a statement by declaring she will only upload twice. (8,030 words; Time: 26m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Recommended

Recommended By: RHorton:4 NClarke

Chains, by A.J. Hartley

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(Steam Punk) Anglet is an indentured laborer working on a suspension bridge. Sir William sees something in her, and wants to pay off her indenture and give her better work.  (11,121 words)

Rating: 2, Not Recommended

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A Dead Djinn in Cairo, by P. Djeli Clark

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Historical Fantasy; A Dead Djinn in Cairo Universe) In 1912 Cairo, the police investigate the apparent murder of an immortal Djinn. (12,557 words; Time: 41m)

Recommended By: 👍BASFF.hm+1 (Q&A)