Byzantine, by Holly Messinger

[F&SF]

★★★★★ A delightfully complex tale at the end of an era.

(Historical Fantasy) In 1453, just before the fall of Constantinople, a slave boy secretly learns from a djinn and looks for a way out. (18,326 words; Time: 1h:01m)

Scapegoat, by Holly Messinger

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Weird West) In 1880, Boz and Trace come to a small, Kansas town where the locals are hostile and cause them to see hallucinations. A place where something truly terrible seems to have happened. (9,382 words; Time: 31m)

This is a nice introduction to the author’s “Trace and Boz” characters. This story is simple, but the characters are engaging.