Artificial People, by Michael Swanwick

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆

(Robot SF Epic) Raphael, a prototype humanoid robot, tells us the story of his life. (4,001 words; Time: 13m)

Cloud, by Michael Swanwick

[Asimov's]

★★☆☆☆

(Slipstream) A young man meets his fiancée’s family at a party where people seem to be a little insubstantial. (3,282 words; Time: 10m)

Ghost Ships, by Michael Swanwick

[F&SF]

Not Rated No Speculative Element

(Mainstream) A man attends his college reunion and reflects on a friend who passed away. (2,535 words; Time: 08m)

The New Prometheus, by Michael Swanwick

[Single]

★★★☆☆

(Alternate-History Horror; The Mongolian Wizard) Ritter crosses the arctic waste in search of a monster with a great powers but no hope. (6,332 words; Time: 21m)

Unlike the other stories in the series, this one stands alone. If you'd like to start at the beginning, Tor.com maintains a current list of all The Mongolian Wizard Stories

Murder in the Spook House, by Michael Swanwick

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Alternate-History Fantasy; The Mongolian Wizard) In this episode, Ritter investigates the murder of Sir Toby, but a newfangled lie-detector machine threatens to make him obsolete. (3,919 words; Time: 13m)

Like other stories in the series, this one is good fun, but they are best read starting at the beginning. Tor.com maintains a current list of all The Mongolian Wizard Stories

Eighteen Songs by Debussy, by Michael Swanwick

[Asimov's]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(SF) In a future where body swapping is easy, we learn just how fast things can get complicated. (2,695 words; Time: 08m)

Starlight Express, by Michael Swanwick

Find this issue

(SF) Far in the future, Flaminio meets the love of his life when a woman steps through a matter transmitter that hasn’t worked for centuries. (3,687 words; Time: 12m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Universe Box, by Michael Swanwick

Find this issue

(Slipstream) A man who just stole the universe hides in Howard’s apartment, interrupting his attempt to propose to his girlfriend. Then it gets weird. (10,193 words; Time: 33m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

The Phantom in the Maze, by Michael Swanwick

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Alternate-History Fantasy; The Mongolian Wizard) Murder mystery involving a team of precognitives critical to the war effort. (5,917 words; Time: 19m)

Recommended By: 📙BASFF+1 (Q&A)

Lock Up Your Chickens and Daughters--H'ard and Andy Are Come To Town!, by Michael Swanwick and Gregory Frost

Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, April/May 2015; ~8,700 words
Rating: 4, Recommended  Recommended By:   SFRevu:4

Andy and H'ard are magical con men who offer to "help" a drought-ridden, depression-era, southwest town.

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

Pro: The story does a great job of preparing us to believe that H'ard has more legitimate power than Andy lets on. The character of Andy himself is very well developed, and his long, wandering speeches are a good laugh. The twist is delicious: we suspect H'ard really has fixed the drought, albeit at a much higher price that the town had expected. And we liked the idea of a "scoffomancer." The side story with Lolly ties up neatly as well.

Con: The dialect isn't quite right. We don't hear "ain't" or "gonna" nearly as often as we should, for instance.

The Pyramid of Krakow, by Michael Swanwick

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Alternate-History Fantasy; The Mongolian Wizard) Part six of the Mongolian Wizard, in which Ritter goes to Krakow in disguise to find evidence of atrocities so grave that London cannot believe them. (4,932 words; Time: 16m)

The Night of the Salamander, by Michael Swanwick

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Alternate-History Fantasy; The Mongolian Wizard) In an alternate, 19th-century Europe, aide de camp Ritter investigates a magical murder. This is #5 in the Mongolian Wizard Stories. (5,287 words; Time: 17m)