Our weekly exploration of free and inexpensive short fiction available on the internet. Here are a few stories we’ve read that we wanted you to know about.
The Vital Abyss by James S.A. Corey (2015, $2.99 Kindle, $4.95 audio)
I haven’t read or watched THE EXPANSE yet, but I purchased some of the related novellas when they were on sale at Audible. The first one I read was The Vital Abyss and I loved it.
February 12th, 2018. Kat Hooper, Tadiana Jones and Marion Deeds | Carolyn Ives Gilman, Carrie Vaughn, Ian McDonald, James S.A. Corey, Terry Bisson | Audio, Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky
First things first: A City Dreaming (2016) is not really a novel (as its cover claims). It’s more like a collection of connected short stories that all feature the same protagonist (an adept named M) in the same setting (a supernatural New York City). The stories progress chronologically and have a cast of recurring characters. I liked this set-up quite well, but I suspect that some readers will want to be warned about this straight off so they can choose to approach A City Dreaming when they’re in the mood for a more episodic adventure.
February 12th, 2018. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Daniel Polansky | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Editor’s note: This is Marion’s review of Shards of Honor, Barrayar, and The Warrior’s Apprentice. Kat’s comments about Barrayar and Stuart’s review are at the bottom.
Do you like fancy military uniforms? Shiny spaceships that blow things up? Brooding aristocrats with hulking stone castles and dark secrets? Snappy comebacks and one-liners? Voluptuous women warriors? Swords and secret passages? Surprising twists on standard military tactics of engagement?
If you answered “Yes” to three or more,
February 12th, 2018. Marion Deeds, Kat Hooper and Stuart Starosta´s rating: 4 | Lois McMaster Bujold | Audio, Hugo Award | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…
this sounds like a fun one
These weird westerns are always interesting and have been popping up more in recent times (it seemed like there was…
Looking forward to reading the review.