It took me longer than expected, but here are my five-star rated stories published in June. Enjoy!
- “Up the Line to Death Up the Line to Death” by Carrie Vaughn (5,120 words in Clarkesworld) — All the drones in the world stop working and odd words are found in their code. A profound statement on war in general that hearkens back to the movie War Games.
- “A Life Measured in Seconds” by Anne Wilkins (4,160 words in Clarkesworld) — A normal person and one perceived as a god both wish they had the life of the other. Starts with a somewhat absurd premise but makes an amazing story of identity, control, and despotism.
- “The Sharing of Some Familiar Song” by Adam-Troy Castro (1,155 word in Lightspeed) — This one is composed of correspondence from an alien civilization telling a myth about communication between very different species. It is an excellent use of story as an attempt to bridge a nearly impossible communications gap.
