"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
A vegetarian cook decides to learn to cook meat with surprising results.
The Last Serving by Lincoln Michel (2023) — 1,006 words (about 4 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #152, January 2023.
What if there really was something to those fears of what lies under your bed or in your closet?
The Ghasts by Lavie Tidhar (2023) — 4,932 words (about 20 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #53, July/August 2023.
A unique allegory about othering at 30,000 feet.
Over Moonlit Clouds by Coda Augeuy-Pegon (2023) — 6,900 words (about 28 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Apex magazine issue #136, March 2023.
This is an inside look at a reality show of the future. I don’t think I’d be participating in this one.
The Narrative Implications of Your Untimely Death by Isabel J. Kim (2023)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #152, January 2023.
A clerk for the ruling fascists presides over a warehouse of the personal effects and paperwork of the government’s victims with whom he can converse.
The Relationship of Ink to Blood by Alex Langer (2023) — 4,700 words (about 19 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Apex magazine issue #138, May 2023.
An unusual story told in the second person.
Timelock by Davian Aw (2023) — 5,620 words (about 23 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue 202, July 2023.
This one may take you back to that old high school crush.
“Ain’t Houses, Ain’t Names” by Nino Cipri (2023) — 3,340 words (about 13 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in The Sunday Morning Transport, 16 July 2023.
An allegory for what technology is doing to so many of us today.
Loneliness Universe by Eugenia Triantafyllou (2024) — 8,173 words (about 32 for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #58, May/June 2024.
An unusual way to tell a story. Loved it!
Through Dreams She Moves by Tonya Liburd (2023) — 5,600 words (about 22 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Apex magazine issue 140, September 2023.
I read an interview with the author of this book in the Christian Science Monitor. I was immediately fascinated by the concept. It also didn’t hurt that it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. I usually borrow my books from the library, but the hold was too long on this one. I quickly bought myself a copy and read it.
The action takes place in a near future where people with insomnia can be treated with an implant. These compress the rest and restoration from sleeping so that the effects of eight hours of sleep can be achieved in only five hours. Buried deep in the license agreement is that your data can be shared with pretty much anyone who can do pretty much whatever they want with it. This leads to an algorithmic system of pre-crime. All of a person’s online activity and dreams are combined with the surveillance in public spaces to come up with a risk score. When this rises above 500, people can be involuntarily held as a “retainee” for twenty-one days for the protection of society. Sara Hussein is one such person retained. She is arrested at the airport upon returning from a business trip. She is eager to see her family but some minor issues turn into her arrest. They claim due to her dreams that she is a danger to her husband. But the system is so corrupted by financial incentives and simple carelessness and cruelty that most retainees spend much longer than twenty-one day in confinement.
This is the story of how what many feel is a good idea when executed turns out to be a disaster. It explores the concepts of identity and individuality as well as what we owe to each other in society as well as in closer relationships. In many ways, it is a modern vision of Orwell’s 1984 but far more realistic and plausible. What happens in the retention centers is on a small scale what often happens in prisons today. This is my favorite kind of speculative fiction. It takes today, nudges it into the near future, and explores how human nature reacts to the change. This is a poignant and touching story that should serve as warning. We need to take data privacy much more seriously that we do now.
My rating: 5/5