Spirit Level, by John Kessel

[F&SF]

★★★☆☆

(Horror) In the middle of the night, the ghost of Michael’s ex-wife confronts him in his parents’ old house—which is weird because she isn’t even dead yet. (9,747 words; Time: 32m)

Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 (Q&A)

Last Orders in the Green Lane, by Stephen O'Donnell

[Strange Horizons]

★★★☆☆

(Horror) A group of faming families gathers to make their last stand against an attack they know is coming. (978 words; Time: 03m)

The Ones Who Look, by Katharine Duckett

[Single]

★★★☆☆

(SF Thriller) Zoe works for a company that uploads people’s minds to “Heaven,” and she dates a coworker from Engineering. She’s very loyal and very work-focused, but even see can see something’s not quite right. (10,827 words; Time: 36m)

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.

Baba Yaga and the Seven Hills, by Kristina Ten

[Lightspeed]

★★★☆☆

(Fairy Tale Pastiche) Bab Yaga from the fairy tales turns up in modern-day San Francisco looking for help tracking down her house, which has run away. (6,162 words; Time: 20m)

The Swallows of the Storm, by Ray Nayler

[Lightspeed]

★★★☆☆

(Alien Mystery) Something has been drilling long, narrow holes through plants, animals, even rocks, and Dr. Nino gives the US Senate a report on what it was about. (6,847 words; Time: 22m)

The End of the World Measured in Values of N, by Adam-Troy Castro

[Lightspeed]

★★☆☆☆

(Apocalypse) The world just came to an end N seconds ago. We discuss that for different values of N. (1,959 words; Time: 06m)

The House That Leapt into Forever, by Beth Goder

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(SF Horror) The house and its single occupant sit alone on a moonlet, but the food is almost exhausted, so it’s time to leave, even though the house has a strong feeling that’s a bad idea. (1,126 words; Time: 03m)

The Oddish Gesture of Humans, by Gabriel Calácia

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆

(Alien SF) Karier and Hiimar struggle to interpret the behavior of humans reported by a probe that recently visited Earth. (1,893 words; Time: 06m)

Strange Comfort, by Tegan Moore

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆

(Horror) All alone, ten kilometers below the surface of Europa, Jens copes with the loss of his partner and the lack of support from his company, and wonders how he’ll get out. (8,203 words; Time: 27m)

Power to Yield, by Bogi Takács

[Clarkesworld]

★★☆☆☆

(Psionic Horror) The māwalēni protect the colony of Eren, but to unlock their psychic powers, they have to get implants and endure a torture program run by a self-admitted sadist. (20,135 words; Time: 1h:07m)

Three Stories Conjured from Nothing, by Shakespace

[Clarkesworld]

★★☆☆☆

(SF) Three different stories about how big changes came to three very different worlds. (7,404 words; Time: 24m)

One Time, a Reluctant Traveler, by A.T. Greenblatt

[Clarkesworld]

★★★☆☆

(Post-Apocalypse) The narrator tries to find the path to the impossible ocean at the top of the mountain to dispose of the ashes of his/her parents, but there are obstacles in the way. (5,798 words; Time: 19m)

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)

68:Hazard:Cold, by Janelle C. Shane

[Strange Horizons]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(First Contact) An escaped droid with a downloaded human mind crashes on a hostile planet, where she finds an alien artifact and desperately tries to convince it to help her. (6,016 words; Time: 20m)

Monsters Never Leave You, by Carlie St. George

[Strange Horizons]

★★★☆☆

(Fairy Tale Pastiche Horror) Two little children come to a gingerbread house in the woods. The lady of the house is a witch, but so are the kids, and one of them is already dead anyway. The real problem is the people looking for them. (6,668 words; Time: 22m)

Seven Dreams of a Valley, by Prashanth Srivatsa

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Indian Fantasy ) The night watchman was warned not to look at the imprisoned witch, Kalmashi, but it was hard not to, and now he’s having strange dreams. (3,501 words; Time: 11m)

Recommended By: 👍MHaskins+1 (Q&A)

Buttercream and Broken Wings, by Aimee Ogden

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Fantasy) Fairies depend on humans to leave gifts of food, but when the old widow Willowbright had depended on dies, she struggles desperately to find someone else to provide for her. (5,857 words; Time: 19m)

The Night Soil Salvagers, by Gregory Norman Bossert

[Single]

★★☆☆☆

(Horror) Night Soil, of course, is human feces, but the salvagers to more than just collect that; they deliver other things too—if you’re willing to deal with them, that is. (6,617 words; Time: 22m)

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, by Zen Cho

[Single]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Silkpunk) Tet Sang and his brothers aren’t really bandits, but the ex-nun they pick up in a tea-house brawl is definitely going to interfere with them delivering a “package” to an important client. (33,048 words; Time: 1h:50m)

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