Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue, by Charlie Jane Anders

[Boston Review]

★★★★☆ Thought-Provoking but Exciting Too

(Dystopia) In a near-future ruled by conservatives, an organization called “Love and Dignity for Everyone,” kidnaps Rachael in order to “fix” her. But she doesn’t want to be “fixed.” (7,410 words; Time: 24m)

Recommended By: GDozois+1 RHorton+2 JStrahan+2

Sasabonsam, by Tara Campbell

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(African Folklore Horror) In the darkness, a Sasabonsam hangs from a tree waiting for suitable victims to walk underneath. You shouldn’t go out alone. (1,794 words; Time: 05m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Chilling but Satisfying

Death on Mars, by Madeline Ashby

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(SF Adventure) Four women staffing an advance base on Phobos get a male visitor who brings them some bad news. (8,206 words; Time: 27m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Moving and thought-provoking

The Evaluators, by N.K. Jemisin

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(SF Horror) A crew on planet Manka has disappeared, possibly eaten by the natives. We read the transcripts to try to decide what happened. (3,132 words; Time: 10m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ It Gets You Gradually

The Morrigan, by Stewart Horn

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(Modern Fantasy Horror) In the Glasgow slums, the gangs meet a mysterious woman who inspires them to even more violence than usual. Eighteen-year-old Baz watches it happen and struggles to understand it. (5,669 words; Time: 18m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Nice Buildup to an Inevitable Climax

The Big So-So, by Erica L. Satifka

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(Post-Apocalypse) Syl thinks people ought to at least try to put civilization back together—not just sit around moping about how great the alien drugs that destroyed it were. And she worries about her friend who wants to break into the aliens’s compound and steal some. (5,200 words; Time: 17m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Strong Characters in an Interesting Setting

Shore Patrol, by Jack Campbell

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(Military SF) Ensign Geary gets stuck with shore patrol at the last minute, and he’s got his hands full. He’s got four of the worst recruits to try to supervise five ships full of sailors, marines, and airmen, and no matter how bad things get, they can always get worse. (7,630 words; Time: 25m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Entertaining, Satisfying, Amusing

Recommended By: RHorton:4

Night Passage, by Alastair Reynolds

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(SF Adventure) Captain Bernsdottir wakes from hibernation with her ship stalled next to a vast alien artifact and a mutiny in progress. (14,142 words; Time: 47m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Great story with lots of tension and twists.

Recommended By: GDozois:4 RHorton:5

Region Five, by Linda Nagata

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(Military SF) To evacuate his unit before the attackers get them, Josh has to get them from the 38th floor to the 88th floor of a damaged skyscraper. And they don’t know what’s above them. (7,444 words; Time: 24m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Tense, Realistic Near-Future Thriller

Recommended By: GDozois:4

Pipecleaner Sculptures and Other Necessary Work, by Tina Connolly

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(Generation Ship) As the ship approaches its destination, Ninah’s work teaching preschool is about to come to an end. (838 words; Time: 02m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Packs an emotional punch in very little space.

Making Us Monsters, by Sam J. Miller and Lara Elena Donnelly

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(Historical Uncanny Horror) Fifteen years after his lover died in World War I, Siegfried starts receiving letters from him, dated just before his death. (10,902 words; Time: 36m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Complex and Thought-Provoking. Rewards Rereading.

Untilted, by K.A. Teryna

[Apex]

★★★★☆ Clever and Touching.

(Modern Fantasy (Russian)) Little Marcus walks the Moscow Metro at Midnight looking for stray animals and lost souls to heal. But he needs something too. (7,692 words; Time: 25m)

Recommended By: 👍RSR+1 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

Them Boys, by Nora Anthony

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(Modern Fantasy) The narrator and her best friend explore the beach where other teens hang out, but the real action is in the little cave with the boys from the sea who have tails instead of legs. (6,477 words; Time: 21m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Rich, Deep, Satisfying

The Faerie Tree, by Kathleen Kayembe

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(Modern Fantasy Horror) Only Marianne can see that her new brother-in-law is a horror, and although she knows she can summon the faeries to get rid of him, she also knows the price will be very high. (6,286 words; Time: 20m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Tense and Horrifying

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.

Operators, by Joel Richards

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(Near-Future SF) Barry investigates self-driving trucks that are being hijacked, although he has more than a little sympathy for the unemployed truckers who he imagines are behind it. (5,298 words; Time: 17m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Thoughtful with Plenty of Tension.

The Last Dance, by Jack McDevitt

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(Near-Future SF) Ethan gets an AI reconstruction of his dead wife. He can’t touch her, but just being able to see each other and talk should be enough. Right? (3,396 words; Time: 11m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Amusing, Thought-Provoking, and Warmhearted

Confessions of a Con Girl, by Nick Wolven

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(Dystopia) Sophie explains the events that led to her fall from grace—that is, how she accumulated enough “unlike” votes to be forced out of college. (7,401 words; Time: 24m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ A Different Kind of Tragedy

Keepsakes, by Kenneth Schneyer

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(Near-Future SF) In 2070, you can take snapshots of your personality and talk to them later. Is it healthy talking to your Keepsake self decades later? And should a Keepsake be allowed to testify in court? (9,768 words; Time: 32m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Clever and Thought-Provoking

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