The author has used a number of unique tools in this excellent story. First, the story is in the second person, so it is speaking directly to the reader. I often find this distracting, but here it is used to devastating effect in drawing the reader in and immersing them in the narrative. Second, this isn’t really a story. It is more of a description of a video game told using a narrative style. Again, seems like it wouldn’t work very well, but it does. Without giving away too much, it describes a kind of hind and seek game that seems impossible to win and has existential consequences. And the second half describes a sequel that flips the script.

This one is dark and hits close to home. It shows the extremes of our internet, mobile phone culture and how unavoidable and futile it can feel. Read it.

Length: 885 words (< 5 minutes)

My rating: 4/5

In a bleak, near future dystopia devastated by climate change, a sex worker is forced by her economic circumstances to entertain a client whose proclivity involves choking her. It’s okay, though. She has a “closet” she can use. This is a technology that allows for a sort of full body mask that subsumes her consciousness during the experience. But the technology seems to be on the fritz and something unexpected happens.

The world building here is detailed and deeply immersive without being expository, flowing organically as part of the storytelling. The best part of the story is exploring the idea I cannot reveal without spoiling the story. This is another piece of short fiction exploring ideas through story. Well done!

Length: 5,017 words (about 20 minutes)

My rating: 5/5

This is a short, simple story of how the narrator moved to a new city that he at first didn’t really like but eventually came to appreciate and love. Despite its brevity, it does evoke a feeling for what it is like to move from feeling estranged in a new place to loving it despite, or even because of, all its apparent shortcomings.

Length: 982 words (about 5 minutes)

My rating: 3/5

Many science fiction adventure stories involve alien encounters, learning from them or fighting against them. Most of these involve some sort of “happy” ending where humans are triumphant in some way. This story is instead much more bleak. The crew of the Awassa are all doomed to die, consumed by a giant space creature that was thought to be a planet. Probing it has awoken it and made it angry. It expands, engulfing everything in its path. It is moving too fast to avoid. The crew is in its path. We follow the crew as they prepare for their inevitable end.

Despite the grim and predetermined outcome of this story, it does have some bright spots. It shows the community that exists on board, highlighting how each member turns to care when they realize their end is near. The crew also appear to be non-human with a variety of body forms and types. All in, this is an uplifting story of community, care, and strength in the midst of bleakness. A rather helpful message in our moment.

Length: 1,792 words (about 10 minutes)

My rating: 3/5

The Earth is devoid of humans who have all left the world they destroyed to find a new place to live. Left behind are two unique forms life—sentient drones and biomechanical animals. This story (whose world reminded me a bit of the 2008 movie WALL·E) centers on one of the drones who is doing a routine inspection of the launch complex nearby. An acid rain storm approaches and the plot involves her encounter with the “animals” in her attempt to avoid the killing rain.

I found this story a fascinating exploration of what life might be left and evolve after humans have left behind a ruined world. The drones are still guided by their programming and the biomechanical animals are intriguing. The author leaves out exactly how they came about. I wish there had been more of that. I was left wanting to experience and learn more about the world built here.

Length: 2,610 words (about 15 minutes)

My rating: 4/5

This story opens in Malaysia as the current prime minister is urgently shutting down an artificial intelligence that has become sentient. It then alternates location between Malaysia and London where mystererious “glowmen” start to show up, terrorizing the public. As the story unfolds, one starts to wonder if the AI is really shut down.

This is an engaging, easy read. It is a short story thriller that starts with a questionable ethical decision, exploring the dilemma that sentient AI might present. I enjoyed this story and expect we will start to see more and more like it.

Length: 5,290 words (about 25 minutes)

My rating: 4/5

On an asteroid that the narrator is working to help bring back to life as a habitat, this is tale of community, found family, and awkwardness in socializing. The narrator is an architect, the first sent on this project and working alone until others arrive. Someone appears to keep trying to prevent him from doing his work, but it is unclear why. He is challenged by being alone in his work as well as being socially awkward. But he slowly learns to overcome these obstacles to his success.

I found visualizing the plot a bit difficult. The author uses a lot of words I was unfamiliar with, which also repeatedly pulled me out of the story. In the second half, the story finally kicks into gear and I found myself enjoying it much more with a resolution that left me with a feeling of peaceful satisfaction.

Length: 8,890 words (about 35 minutes)

My rating: 3/5

The format here is of a narrator telling you a story. So, you are the one being asked to kill four people. But exactly who (or even what) you are is unclear for most of the story. This is by design. The story you are told is one of enslavement of sentient automatons made of paper. They have a short life at the end of which they are chopped up and put back into the machine that will birth a new automaton from the recycled material. The tale grows in suspense until just near the end with a very satisfying reveal.

The writing here is close to the action and can be somewhat unclear at first. This closeness, though, really engages the reader with vivid imagery and metaphor that are almost poetic. The characters are highly relatable in their experience. This is a wonderful tale of resisting oppression.

Length: 12,590 words (about 50 minutes)

My rating: 4/5