Second to the Left, and Straight On, by Jim C. Hines

[Anthology]

★★★★☆ A cool new twist on an old favorite

(Peter Pan Pastiche) Angela Davis’s daughter was lost to the fairies some time ago, but she keeps looking for her and for other “Found Girls” trapped this side of Neverland. (5,311 words; Time: 17m)

Sound and Fury, by Mary Robinette Kowal

[Anthology]

★★★★☆ Fun character and lots of action.

(SF Adventure) Getting the giant robot down to the surface is critical to the diplomatic mission, but there’s one snag after another, and the chief engineer is running out of time and patience. (4,425 words; Time: 14m)

Just Another Love Song, by Kat Howard

[Anthology]

★★★★☆ A Musical Fantasy to Die For

(Modern Fantasy) A banshee is singing for money in New York when she perceives a threat from a young man. Other fae have been disappearing, so she attacks with her voice, but the only result is that he asks her out. (3,379 words; Time: 11m)

Some Personal Arguments in Support of the BetterYou (Based on Early Interactions), by Debbie Urbanski

[Strange Horizons]

★★★★☆ Shattering

(Near-Future Dark Fantasy) The narrator’s homelife has fallen apart since she told her husband she’s asexual, so they order a device that looks and talks like her, but with “improvements.” (6,334 words; Time: 21m)

Octo-Heist in Progress, by Rich Larson

[Clarkesworld]

★★★★☆ One hilarious unexpected complication after another.

(SF Caper) Etta left her sister’s shoes behind at last night’s drunken party, and she’s ashamed to show her face there again, so she hires a man and his octopus to sneak in and steal them from under the bed. (7,470 words; Time: 24m)

The Island and Its Boy, by Bo Balder

[F&SF]

★★★★☆ Cool Characters in a Frosty Location

(Alternate Reality Fantasy) Inu’s people need to leave their island home before it heads south. There’s a new island for them, but Inu wonders what would happen if he stayed with the old one. (6,817 words; Time: 22m)

Theories of Flight, by Linda Nagata

[Asimov's]

★★★★☆ A fine ride with good companions

(Fantasy Adventure) A gifted young man is obsessed with flying machines, not least because they’re outlawed. (7,247 words; Time: 24m)

The Ascension, by Jerry Oltion

[Analog]

★★★★☆ Weird and Creepy but Very Impressive

(Alien SF; The Ascension) On a world where memories are passed when one creature eats another, a child offered to the ruler tries to prove its worthiness to be eaten. (2,500 words; Time: 08m)

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

The Gleaners, by Sarina Dorie

[Analog]

★★★★☆ Thought-provoking, with interesting characters

(Alien Visitor) An alien occupies an Earth woman’s body as part of an exchange program, but not everyone approves. (4,606 words; Time: 15m)

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

Kindred, by Peter Watts

[Anthology]

★★★★☆ Haunting

(Post-Human Horror) In which a man from our time wakes somewhere in the far future and listens to an entity that controls the solar system yet wants something from him. (3,837 words; Time: 12m)

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

Asphalt, River, Mother, Child, by Isabel Yap

[Strange Horizons]

★★★★☆ A Host of Great Characters

(Afterlife) Mebuyen doesn’t get many lost souls anymore—modern Filipinos have moved on—so when a bunch of young people start showing up whom she can’t send along, it’s time to visit the Earth and learn what’s going on. (7,016 words; Time: 23m)

The Sea Maker of Darmid Bay, by Shauna O'Meara

[Interzone]

★★★★☆ Tension, Excitement, and a Nice Twist

(Modern High Fantasy) Four young men fishing illegally in the polluted waters off Kurathi City hook something enormous, and with no idea what it is, struggle hard to capture it. (7,051 words; Time: 23m)

Mountaineering, by Leah Bobet

[Strange Horizons]

★★★★☆ A Chilling Testimony to Grief

(Allegory) Eli follows his dead brother up a mountain into the bitter cold. (2,484 words; Time: 08m)

It's Easy to Shoot A Dog, by Maria Haskins

[BCS]

★★★★☆ Tense and Exciting

(Fantasy Horror) On a cold October midnight, teenage Susanna takes her dog and a musket and sneaks away into the woods. Things happened ten years ago when she got the dog. Bad things. And now the reckoning is due. (4,470 words; Time: 14m)

Coyote Now Wears a Suit, by Ani Fox

[Apex]

★★★★☆ A Fun and Satisfying Romp

(Modern Fantasy) A closeted young Hawaiian man bails a devious Native-American god out of a Honolulu jail and watches his life spiral out of control. (5,392 words; Time: 17m)

Heavy Lifting, by A.T. Greenblatt

[Uncanny]

★★★★☆ Moving and Exciting

(Post-Apocalypse) Gina and Bruno are supposed to manage the town’s factory, but someone keeps trying to steal their robots. (5,007 words; Time: 16m)

Conspicuous Plumage, by Sam J. Miller

[Lightspeed]

★★★★☆ Beautiful Characters on a Mission

(Modern Fantasy) Bette’s family hasn’t recovered from her brother’s murder, but she thinks she has a magical power that could make things better—if she can figure out what it is. (4,704 words; Time: 15m)

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Waves of Influence, by D.A. Xiaolin Spires

[Clarkesworld]

★★★★☆ Good Protagonist, Strong Plot

(Near-Future SF) The narrator wins an apprenticeship with a top social-media figure, who doesn’t realize she cheated and has plans to impersonate her. (5,730 words; Time: 19m)

Suicide Watch, by Susan Emshwiller

[F&SF]

★★★★☆ Hard to Watch but Hard to Look Away From

(SF Horror) Death Tours™ arranges for people to watch others commit suicide. Mason is a dedicated customer, but he wishes it didn’t cost so much. (4,412 words; Time: 14m)

Loss of Signal, by S.B. Divya

[Tor.com]

★★★★☆ Powerful, Evocative, and Moving

(SF Adventure) Toby exchanged his dying teen body for command of a lunar spaceship. He’ll make history if he succeeds, but he’s still just a kid, and it’s dark, cold, and lonely out in space. (2,048 words; Time: 06m)