An interesting use of and change in POV to tell a unique story.
“Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (2025) — 5,830 words (about 24 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #226, July 2025.
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
An interesting use of and change in POV to tell a unique story.
“Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (2025) — 5,830 words (about 24 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #226, July 2025.
An environmental tale of colonialism experienced first hand.
“Faces of the Antipode” by Matthew Marcus (2025) — 8,680 words (about 35 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #225, June 2025.
A man seeks to understand his family member who left the Evergreen Domes decades ago. A sweet story of reconciliation and openness.
“In the Shells of Broken Things” by A.T. Greenblatt (2025) — 7,050 words (about 28 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #225, June 2025.
I recently resubscribed to Apex Magazine. This is the first issue I have read since doing so. Here are my brief reviews of the fiction in that issue. As always, stories can be read online for free by clicking on the titles.
“Shadows Below Seaway Trains” by Ai Jiang (4,400 words) — A friend tricks the main character into adopting a child for the money then abandons them both. A touching exploration of hard pasts and hard decisions. (My rating: 4/5)
“I Remember a One-Sided Die” by Francis Bass (7,000 words) — A young girl on an alien planet seeks to become a coordinator. This story is told from the perspective of an alien race. I applaud the attempt, but it ended up being too confusing for me. Perhaps needs more than one read. (My rating: 2/5)
“Seven Ribbons” by Beth Goder (3,400 words) — A girl saves her sister from the penalties of being a traitor to her city. I liked the relationship, but it wasn’t much of a story. A little too abstract for me. (My rating: 2/5)
“Heart Seeds” by E. Thade (1,700 words) — After the Collapse, a robot child cares for its father in a world that broke down after finding a drug for immortality and the population becoming sterile. (My rating: 4/5)
“Life as the Natural State of Things” by Rich Larson (3,500 words) — Friends and brothers find their relationships undone by a simple wooden cup. An exploration of how power corrupts. As usual, this author explores an idea in a deeply engrossing story. (My rating: 5/5)
“To Kill a Language” by Rukman Ragas (800 words) — A list of steps for how to kill a language. A disturbing, effective metaphor. (My rating: 4/5)
“Extenta” by Daniel Roop (1,000 words) — In the far future of humans enslaved and born in space, one discovers resistance. ((My rating: 4/5)
“Things the Older Boy Understands” by Sierra Branham (1,000 words) — Two boys on a ship to new world comfort each other as one dies from a thought worm. A heartbreaking story of love and found family. (My rating: 5/5)
“As It Comes” by Derek Alan Jones (100 words) — One person comforts another at the end. (My rating: 4/5)
“Swan Song” by Liam Hogan (100 words) — Two drones descend to the ground after fighting stops. (My rating: 4/5)
“The Fifth Horseman” by Cressida Roe (100 words) — A fifth horseman of the Apocalypse follows the first four. (My rating: 4/5)
“The Liberation of Brother Buffalo” by Michael Boatman (12,500 words) — A man who lost his sister as a child finds himself married to a violent mega church preacher. The story goes down easy until the climax takes a crowbar upside your head. (My rating: 5/5)
“The Neighbors” by L. Marie Wood (2,300 words) — A woman sits on her deck contemplating what the neighbors might be hiding. Includes a great opening passage about mind wandering. (My rating: 4/5)
Average rating: 3.92/5
A beautiful but heartbreaking story with a clever use of language!
“Emily of Emerald Starship” by Ng Yi-Sheng (2025) — 3,860 words (about 16 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #225, June 2025.
An amazing, stunning use of language to communicate that which is beyond words.
“Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being” by A.W. Prihandita (2024) — 8,730 words (about 35 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #218, November 2024.
A haunting and disturbing tale of a man who talks with an AI about the troubles in his life.
“Hi! I’m Claudia” by Delilah S. Dawson (2025) — 4,443 words (about 18 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Uncanny magazine issue #64, May 2025.
Eleanor, fearing for her safety, hides her organs around the house to keep them safe from her abusive girlfriend Severine.
“Vivisection” by Anjali Sachdeva (2025) — 4,916 words (about 20 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Uncanny magazine issue #64, May 2025.
Told from the perspective of a networked inorganic family, this is a story of its interaction with a human who crash lands on their planet. A tale of family and friendship told from a unique perspective.
“We, the Fleet” by Alex T. Singer (2025) — 7,700 words (about 31 minutes for the average reader)
Published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #224, May 2025.
Here are the winners as announced last night!
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer (13,673 words)
“Stitched to Skin Like Family Is” by Nghi Vo (4,517 words)
Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!