Antony Mann. Candy Moments. (Interzone #229, Jul-Aug 2010).
A story that doesn’t quite fulfil its potential, through trying to address too many issues at the end
Ken Liu. The Literomancer. (F&SF Sept/Oct 2010).
A powerful, harrowing story of alienation, loneliness, and political oppression.
David Gerrold. The F&SF Mailbag. (F&SF Sept/Oct 2010).
Wry humour in a series of letters purporting to be from Gerrold to F&SF Editor Gordon van Gelder in which he chides him for his increasingly radical steps to source fiction for his magazines.
Paul Evanby. Mannikin. (Interzone #229, Jul-Aug 2010)
Macabre historico-scientific horror set in the Dutch West Indies in the 16th century.
Alexandra Duncan. The Door in the Earth. (F&SF Sept/Oct 2010)
Remote countryside horror – there’s a small doorway at the back of a cave, and, as you might expect, nothing good is going to come of looking behind the door.
Michael Swanwick. Steadfast Castle. (F&SF Sept/Oct 2010).
The relationship between a house owner and the house AI is the crux of a missing person investigation…
Nancy Kress. Ej-Es. (Lightspeed Magazine November 2010)
Originally in the anthology ‘Stars’, which was themed around Janis Ian, the story reflects this in opening with a quote from the Janis Ian song ‘Jesse Come Home’, and finishing with a plaintive cry of loss to the same effect in an alien tongue.
Rick Wilber and Nick DiChario. Blind Spot. (F&SF Sept/Oct 2010).
Originally appearing in a baseball magazine, this is a strong mainstream story about an adult reflecting on his childhood and his long-estranged but recently deceased father’s role in it. The speculative element is minimal, but effective.
Richard Chwedyk. Orfy. (F&SF Sept/Oct 2010)
Further adventures of Orfy and his ickle dino colleagues.
Dale Bailey. Eating at the End-of-the-World Cafe. (F&SF Sept/Oct 2010)
A dark, powerful story to open the issue.
Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn. Zeppelin City. (The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Volume 4)
If you like playing Bioshock, you’ll lurve this entertaining yarn.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2010.
John Langan, Richard Bowes, Ian R. MacLeod, and Sean McMullen the pick of an extremely strong issue.
Sean McMullen. The Precedent. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/Aug 2010)
As bleakly intense a take on climate change and its consequences as you’ll find.
Jay Lake. On the Human Plan. (The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2010).
..a story that benefits from careful reading, there’s a lot of thought gone into its writing, with some clever imagery and thoughtful turns of phrase.
Interzone #228 May-June 2010.
An excellent issue with stories by Mario Milosevic, Jon Ingold, Melissa Yuan-Innes, Jason Sanford, David D. Levine. Ingold and Sanford being my picks of the issue.
Jon Ingold. Over Water. (Interzone #228, May-June 2010).
A story told through a strong narrative voice.
Ken Altabef. The Lost Elephants of Kenyisha. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/Aug 2010).
A story with a strong messages, vividly set on a Tanzanian wildlife reserve.
Jason Sanford. Plague Birds. (Interzone #228, May-June 2010).
A clever backdrop to a story, with humanity paying the price for genetic tinkering, and AIs helping villagers to get back on the human plan, whilst others dispense summary justice.
Ramsey Shehadeh. Epidapheles and the Inadequately Enraged Demon. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/Aug 2010).
A followup to a previous story which had the readers divided in their opinion.
Richard Bowes. Pining to Be Human. (Fantasy & Science Fiction July/August 2010)
Intensely personal, and with a fantastical element that’s gentler than most that appear in the magazine, part of a substantial series.
Albert E. Cowdrey. Mr. Sweetpants and the Living Dead. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2010)
Five Star Protective Services are called in to protect a famous local writer when his ex-lover become an ex-person, in a story that has Cowdrey’s trademark wry humour and detailed observations.
Brenda Carre. The Tale of Nameless Chamelon. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/Aug 2010)
A first fiction sale it would appear, although you would need to be told that, as you wouldn’t guess it from reading the story.
David D. Levine. A Passion for Art. (Interzone #228 May/June 2010)
Strange things are happening at the Art Institute in Chicago..
Melissa Yuan-Innes. Iron Monk. (Interzone #228, May-June 2010)
An altogether darker take on space exploration than is the norm
John Langan. The Revel. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/Aug 2010)
An intelligent piece of metafiction, an antidote to the current crop of forumalaic horror/vampire/zombie fiction/television.
Mario Milosevic. The Untied States of America. (Interzone #228, May-June 2010).
The story effectively deals with isolsation/ism, the need to find out what is beyond the next hill in comparison to those for whom the grass is always greener on the current side of the valley, and loss.
Rick Norwood. Brothers of the River. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2010)
Short story that suggests it may be allegorical.
Michael Alexander. Advances in Modern Chemotherapy. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/Aug 2010)
As a new writer, writing about what you know is advice often given and generally followed, but whilst many authors at the start of their writing careers manage that, the next bit, writing a really good, impactful story, is generally beyond them. Alexander manages this.