The Ruby of the Summer King, by Mari Ness

[Uncanny]

★★★★☆ Hauntingly Beautiful

(Fairy Tale) The Summer King wants to court the Winter Queen, even though everyone warns him that it’s a long and perilous journey, for summer and winter aren’t meant to be together. (4,749 words; Time: 15m)

Great Gerta and the Mermaid, by Mari Ness

[Lightspeed]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Peter Pan Pastiche) In which we learn of the female pirate, Gerta, who sailed to Neverland with Captain Hook. (6,439 words; Time: 21m)

You'll enjoy this more if you've actually read Peter Pan or at least seen the Disney movie.

You Will Never Know What Opens, by Mari Ness

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(Portal Fantasy) Your house is full of doors to other worlds, and you can’t keep yourself from exploring them—even though they’re dangerous. (2,064 words; Time: 06m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Deathlight, by Mari Ness

Read this issue.

(SF) Stranded in a nebula, Els and Dun struggle to survive as their remaining fuel gradually runs out. But they're not alone in the nebula. (5,660 words)

Rating: 3, Unremarkable

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Inhabiting Your Skin, by Mari Ness

Apex Magazine, June 2015; 3,800 words
Rating: 2, Not recommended

A couch potato finds his intelligent house is helpful, annoying, and demanding.

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

The house is the main character--not the hapless owner. We liked the way it keeps switching between concern for its owner, concern for itself, and need for attention. You even find yourself feeling sorry for it sometimes--wishing it had a better owner.

On the downside, nothing forshadows the ending where the house starts killing people. The fact that the house can hide things from the people who come to investigate is a little hard to swallow too. Or the fact that it's not allowed to make emergency calls but it is allowed to lock its owner inside.