Claire Humphrey. Haunts. (Interzone #249 Nov-Dec 2013)
Fantasy about a retired duelling swordsmith, who gives up her finger at the beginning of the story, and whom we find out has lost more than that.
Lavie Tidhar. Filaments. (Interzone #249, Nov-Dec 2013)
Another short installment in Tidhar’s ‘Central Station’ series, this time featuring robo-priest R. Brother Patch-It.
Moira Crone. The Lion Wedding. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan/Feb 2014)
Will marriage tame the retired lion, or is there too much of the wild in him to be tamed?
Peter Wood. Drink in a Small Town. (Asimovs March 2014)
A guy goes into a bar in a small town, bemoaning his luck, and has a drink with a barkeep who seems to know quite a bit about the Mars landing, and other matters…
Seth Chambers. In Her Eyes. (Fantasy & Science Fiction Jan/Feb 2014)
An intense story, with a clever ending, and one that you need to decompress from after reading it.
Ken Liu and Mike Resnick. The Plantimal. (Asimovs March 2014)
A story that perhaps teeters a little over the dividing line between touching and sentimentality.
C.C. Finlay. The Man Who Hanged Three Times. (Fantasy & Science Fiction Jan/Feb 2014)
A well-crafted story from Finlay, whose title and opening intrigues the reader, in which dark secrets are to be revealed before the shining light can appear.
Bruce Friedman. The Story-Teller. (Fantasy & Science Fiction Jan/Feb 2014)
A writer finds himself in a place where his story-telling skills are unique, but finds the pressure of performing particularly problematic. Can the Great Writers help him?
Allen M. Steele. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. (Twelve Tomorrows)
A story title and an opening sentence make it clear what the denouement is, but the story holds your attention.
Andy Stewart. The New Cambrian. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan/Feb 2014)
An intelligent SF story set in the depths of Europa, as psychological pressure upon psychological pressure is piled on.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nov/Dec 2013
Striking cover by ‘Modolithic Studios’ and strongest stories in a strong issue from Michael Blumlein and M.K. Hobson.