I didn’t quite catch up yet, so I am going to post brief reviews of my best reads with publication dates in May. Remember that an index of all the short fiction I read is available here on this website.
- “Archaeological Evidence for the Time Traveler” by Tia Tashiro (7,090 words in Clarkesworld) – A mother and archaeologist starts to find messages meant for her on the walls of caves on her dig sites. A deeply felt story about a mother and wife dealing with difficult relationships and work.
- “The Last Season of Your Life” by Christopher Barzak (1,505 words in Lightspeed) – A teenage boy who died in a car crash finds he can’t move on to what comes next. Filled with longing and compassion and patience.
- “The Profitable Sentience of Household Goods” by Louis Inglis Hall (3,290 words in Clarkesworld) – A newly installed light switch is greeted by his household Buddy who teaches him how to be smart. A haunting tale of sentient AI but maybe not in the way you expect.
- “The Scent of Memory” by Zhao Haihong translated from Chinese by S. Qiouyi Lu (4,350 words in Clarkesworld) – A young man attempts to win back his first love. The means are fascinating and more than a bit quesionable.
- “The Glass City” by AnaMaria Curtis (3,122 words in Uncanny) – A stranger and his dog walk around a glass city where the residents live with their insides on the outside. A beautiful look at pain and vulnerability.
- “The Two Thousand and Seventieth Time Sara Deletes Her Family” by J.R. Dewitt (3,940 words in Analog) A struggling mother uses a sim chip in her neck to avoid the hard parts of her life. A cautionary tale. (Unfortunately, not available to read for free online.)
- “Half Inside the Spirit Box” by Stephanie Feldman (6,382 words in Asimov’s) An escape artist and a medium both haunted by their past each hold the key to the other’s future. (Unfortunately, not available to read for free online.)
