The Emperor and the Maula, by Robert Silverberg

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Space Opera) Laylah comes to the Ansaar homeworld to convince the emperor that conquered Earth deserves better treatment. But it’s death for a barbarian to even set foot there, much less beg an audience with the Lord of the Universe. (32,936 words; Time: 1h:49m)

This story is Hugo-eligible in 2018 because it is a substantial modification to the original (much shorter) story by the same name published in 2007.

Mandelbrot the Magnificent, by Liz Ziemska

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(Historical Fantasy) An account of how the young Benoit Mandelbrot learned he could affect physical reality with his mathematics and how he tried to mount a defense against the Nazi’s in France. (20,135 words; Time: 1h:07m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

See related articles on Tor.com.

In Calabria, by Peter S. Beagle

[Single]

★★★★★ Beautiful, Charming, and Uplifting

(Modern Fantasy) Claudio tends his farm alone down at the tip of the Italian peninsula until a young woman and a pregnant unicorn disturb his tranquility. (31,954 words; Time: 1h:46m)

Recommended By: 🏆Locus+2 🏆WFantasy+1 👍RHorton.r+1 👍RSR+2 (Q&A)

There is no connection with the Last Unicorn stories.

Gluttony Bay, by Matt Wallace

[Tor Novella]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Modern Fantasy Horror; Sin du Jour) Now that Sin du Jour is in open conflict with Allenby, something terrible is bound to happen. Allenby has something suitably sadistic in mind, tailored to the unique nature of Sin du Jour. (30,936 words; Time: 1h:43m)

This story is so tightly tied to the previous ones that it would be hopeless to start reading the series here. Readers should start with "Envy of Angels." See related articles on Tor.com.

The Prisoner of Limnos, by Lois McMaster Bujold

[Single]

★★★★★ Lively, Imaginative, and Touching

(Fantasy Adventure; Five Gods) When Nikys asks for Penric’s help rescuing her mother from an imperial prison, he jumps at the chance to win her affections back. It’s obviously a trap, and he doesn’t know anything about the place, but he does have a demon to help him. (44,652 words; Time: 2h:28m)

Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 👍RSR+2 (Q&A)

There isn’t enough backstory here to make it possible to begin the series with this novella. New readers could start with “Penric’s Mission,” although the most fun would be to start from the very beginning with “Penric’s Demon.”

Stillborne, by Marc Laidlaw

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(Fantasy Adventure; Gorlen Stories) To find the magician who cursed them, Gorlen and Spar journey to the swarming of the Philosopher Moths, giant, telepathic insects reputed to cure even extreme ailments. (18,798 words; Time: 1h:02m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Spectacular and Surprising

Although this is part of a series, it stands alone perfectly.

I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land, by Connie Willis

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(Urban Fantasy) A novelist finds a bookstore in New York that sells “the rarest of rare books.” These books look pretty ordinary, for the most part, and there sure do seem to be a lot of them. (18,564 words; Time: 1h:01m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Native Seeds, by Catherine Wells

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(Post-Apocalypse) In 2284, Earth is recovering from geological and ecological catastrophe, and in Arizona a group of survivors on Kitt’s Peak reaches another group at the Montezuma Castle National Monument. (19,973 words; Time: 1h:06m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Optimistic and Fun

Weaver's Lament, by Emma Newman

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(Alternate History Fantasy Adventure; Industrial Magic) Charlotte’s brother Ben needs her help to stop a saboteur who keeps destroying looms at the factory where he’s apprenticed. Magic may be involved, but she has to keep her own abilities secret. (37,062 words; Time: 2h:03m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

This story depends heavily on the reader having already read “Brother’s Ruin.” It will make little sense without that. See related articles on Tor.com.

A Long Day in Lychford, by Paul Cornell

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(Modern Fantasy; Lychford) Autumn learns that casting spells when drunk and angry has bad results when she accidentally shatters Lychford’s magical defenses and traps a number of people inside unstable space-time bubbles. (25,934 words; Time: 1h:26m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Sequel to The Lost Child of Lychford (2016). Stands alone, but reading it first might spoil the earlier one. See related articles on Tor.com.

The Murders of Molly Southbourne, by Tade Thompson

[Single]

★★★☆☆

(Horror; Molly Southbourne) Molly has an affliction: whenever she bleeds, the blood grows into duplicates of her. Duplicates who always want to kill her. (21,176 words; Time: 1h:10m)

Recommended By: 🏆₂BFantasy+2 🏆₂BSFA+2 🏆₂SJackson+2 (Q&A)

See related articles on Tor.com.

The Dragon of Dread Peak, by Jeremiah Tolbert

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(YA Portal Fantasy; Dungeonspace) Flip and his teenage friends accept a dangerous mission to steal from a dragon. They’re really too green to attempt this, the dragon is very old and powerful, and they’re falling behind on their trigonometry homework. (23,963 words; Time: 1h:19m)

Rating: ★★★★★ Fun, Exciting, and Touching

Although this can stand by itself, start with Cavern of the Screaming Eye.

The Red Threads of Fortune, by JY Yang

[Tor Novella]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Fantasy Adventure; Tensorate) Mokoya and her brother use their powerful magic to defend Bataanar from external attack which her mysterious new love interest may be involved with. (37,277 words; Time: 2h:04m)

This novella is #2 in the series, and readers are strongly advised to start with the first one. See related articles on Tor.com.

The Black Tides of Heaven, by JY Yang

[Tor Novella]

★★★★☆ Rich, Complex, Rewarding

(Epic Fantasy; Tensorate) The Protector’s twin children threaten her absolute rule. Their magic is almost as strong as hers, and they pursue technology as well. (40,011 words; Time: 2h:13m)

This is the first novella in a series, but it tells a self-contained story. (Technically, this is a short novel, but it’s within the 5,000-word tolerance the Hugo Awards allow.) See related articles on Tor.com.

The Twilight Pariah, by Jeffrey Ford

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(Horror) College friends Henry, Maggie, and Russell decide to play archeologist in the back yard of an old, abandoned house, but things get serious when they find the deformed skeleton of a child. (33,158 words; Time: 1h:50m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Great Characters, Plenty of Suspense

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Taste of Marrow, by Sarah Gailey

[Tor Novella]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Alternate History; River of Teeth) While Adelia and Hero try to rescue Adelia’s kidnapped baby, Archie and Houndstooth try to find Hero. (37,808 words; Time: 2h:06m)

This story picks up where “River of Teeth” left off and it cannot be read without reading that one first. See related articles on Tor.com.

Acadie, by Dave Hutchinson

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(SF Adventure) Even after 500 years, Earth is still after the founders of the Colony, so when a probe wanders into their system Duke has to find a way to get everyone to safety. (20,356 words; Time: 1h:07m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

A Song For Quiet, by Cassandra Khaw

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(Horror; Persons Non Grata) Deacon James plays the blues, but on a train ride a new melody gets into his head. Something powerful enough to change people’s lives—or end them. (17,748 words; Time: 59m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Add a star if you really know music and enjoy reading descriptions of how it is played. See related articles on Tor.com.

Heaven's Covenant, by Bud Sparhawk

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(Colony Ship SF) Larisha is very excited about being part of the crew for new colony ship, but the politics involved in building it takes a lot of the fun out of it. (21,307 words; Time: 1h:11m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

Penric's Fox, by Lois McMaster Bujold

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(High Fantasy; Five Gods) Penric helps investigate the murder of another sorcerer, whose demon must still be somewhere near the scene of the crime. (37,395 words; Time: 2h:04m)

This story absolutely requires the reader to have already read "Penric and the Shaman."