"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
A woman who escaped from slavery trying to repair dead ships returns to save others.
“The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard (2023) — 5,411 words (about 22 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #52, May 2023.
People whose minds have been connected and embedded in ships learn the truth about their past.
“Blood for a Stranger” by Timothy Mudie (223) — 9,434 words (about 38 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #156, May 2023.
A touching story of love and family.
“She Blooms and the World is Changed” by Izzy Wasserstein (2023) — 2,337 words (about 10 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #156, May 2023.
A woman remembers what happened years ago when a former colleague tries to force her back to her old life.
“The Spoil Heap” by Fiona Moore (2023) — 6,640 words (about 26 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #198, March 2023.
A chronically ill woman learns at the same time something about the labor under her command on a moon and about her father.
“An Ode to Stardust” by R.P. Sand (2023) — 14,616 words (about 59 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #197, February 2023.
A Jesuit enclave on the moon discovers something that could shake the earth and the church.
“The Father Provincial of Mare Imbrium” by E. Lily Yu (2023) — 3,545 words (about 15 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #50, January 2023.
This feels appropriate on this day of standing up to oppression.
“Braid Me a Howling Tongue” by Maria Dong (2023) — 9,099 words (about 37 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #152, January 2023.
“Primitive” depends on your perspective.
“Learning Letters” by Carrie Vaughn (2023) — 4,384 words (about 18 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #153, February 2023.
An interesting take on post-mortem photography
“Pinocchio Photography” by Angela Liu (2023) — 6,450 words (about 26 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #198, March 2023.
A short story with a long title.
“A Man Walks Into a Bar; or, In Which More Than Four Decades After My Father’s Reluctant Night of Darts on West 54th Street, I Finally Understand What Needs to Be Done” by Scott Edelman (2023) — 5,977 words (about 24 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #152, January 2023.