Kevin J. Anderson. Island in a Sea of Stars. (Tor.com May 2014)
Prolific and successful SF novelist fails to enthuse this reader with his short story.
Jake Kerr. Wedding Day. (The End is Nigh)
One of the more straightforward apocalypse stories in the volume so far – an asteroid is headed for North America, and those who can are fleeing
Ken Liu. The Gods Will Not Be Chained. (The End is Nigh)
A teen girl, victim of bullying at school, finds a strange source of help through an emoticon exchange with an anonymous online person.
Kara Dalkey. The Philosopher Duck. (Asimovs June 2014)
A short, simple tale from a writer new to me and new to Asimovs, although she’s been writing for 30 years and has over a dozen novels to her name.
Ron Goulart. Hark, the Wicked Witches Sing. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2014)
Gentle Goulart humour featuring Hix, the best second-rate B-movie writer in Hollywood in the 1940s, as he comes across a dame who is being “hoodooed, hexed and futzed” and is need of his help to eliminate her invisible nemesis.
Pat MacEwen. The Lightness of Movement. (Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2014)
The lengthiest story in the issue is SF, albeit of the xenological persuasion. I’m not the biggest fan of these, but at least it’s not xeno-lingual a story which tend to be particularly tiresome.
Suzanne Palmer. Shatterdown. (Asimovs June 2014)
A second strong story from Palmer in a matter of days.
Interzone #251 (Mar-Apr 2014)
Karl Bunker and Suzanne Palmer provide a brace of strong SF stories.
Asimovs April/May 2014
Double issue with names Big and Little, and William Preston, Michael Swanwick and Joe M. McDermott the pick of the issue.
Gareth L. Powell. This Is How You Die. (Interzone #251, Mar-Apr 2014)
A short two-pager, twelve paragraphs outlining a personal descent amongst a societal collapse.
Robert Reed. The Principles. (Asimovs April/May 2014)
An extractified story from a ‘giant alternate-history novel’ that Reed has been working on for ‘a lot of years’ and just a hint of self-indulgence IMHO.
Charlie Jane Anders. Break! Break! Break! (The End is Nigh)
A high-octane pell-mell rush through schooldays/daze with the background about just how society in the USA is struggling clearly leading to the apocalypse the anthology promises, with a lot of inventiveness.
James Patrick Kelly. Someday. (Asimovs April/May 2014)
Choosing the father of your child can be slightly less tricky when you can combine the DNA of three of them, and you don’t have to look far if you can choose your brother…
Tracie Welser. A Doll is not a Dumpling. (Interzone #251 Mar-Apr 2014)
After Yopu the dumpling-serving robot has his AI and his horizons expanded, he has a different outlook on his role in life.
Suzanne Palmer. Fly Away Home. (Interzone #251, Mar-Apr 2014)
Excellent SF from Palmer – if SF which includes spacesuits, colonies, evil corporations, religion, gender issues, and drama is the kind of thing that you like.
Joe M. McDermott. Dolores, Big and Strong. (Asimovs April/May 2014)
There’s a fairly limited sfnal element, as the focus is on the believable setting and strong characterisation.
K.J. Zimring. The Talking Cure. (Asimovs April/May 2014)
An interesting, doubtless unique!, combination of elements in a cleverly wrought story with a neat twist at the end.
Greg Kurzawa. Old Bones. (Interzone #251 Mar-Apr 2014)
Atmospheric horror story that has shambled, un-noticed out of TTA Press’ ‘Black Static’ horror mag into the pages of it’s sister SF magazine.
Karl Bunker. Ashes. (Interzone #251 Mar-Apr-2014)
A strong, if downbeat, SF story with a strong core of humanity alongside the AI elements.
John Grant. Ghost Story. (Interzone #251 Mar-Apr 2014)
As the title tips you off, this is more of a ghost story than SF or F. But it’s not a ghost of the Xmas Past/Present/Future, but more a ghost of Xmas Alternate.
Interzone #250 (Jan-Feb 2014)
A landmark issue with a stunning cover and stories from Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, David Tallerman, C. Allegra Hawksmoor, Rebecca Campbell, Greg Kurzawa, Caroline M. Yoachim, and Georgine Bruce, with the first two offering the strongest stories.
Georgina Bruce. Wake Up, Phil. (Interzone #250, Jan-Feb 2014)
Near(ish) future, with a young girl in an office summoned to the 11th floor (never a good sign), and she ends up in a compromising situation(s) with her corporation(s).
Rebecca Campbell. Lilacs and Daffodils. (Interzone #250 Jan-Feb 2014)
Short piece, with fragments of memories, or not-memories, and musings of a childhood, with flowers.