Previous SFF Author: Martin L. Shoemaker
The pleasure for me in reading E. Lily Yu’s collection of short stories, Jewel Box, was sourced in two of the book’s elements: its what-if premises and its, well, jewel-like language, which glittered precise and edged as any gemstone in a Tiffany’s case. The plots and characters, meanwhile, were more hit and miss for me, which is why I’m not giving it a five.
As is typical for collections, the individual stories varied in their impact,
November 6th, 2023. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | E. Lily Yu | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
No One Will Come Back For Us by Premee Mohamed
Premee Mohamed is one of the best writers around, and her first short story collection, 2023’s No One Will Come Back For Us is a great way to get to know her work. Seventeen stories give a good overview of her style—I should say styles, because she’s versatile—and her themes. If you like Lovecraftian elder gods, alternate history, dark science fiction or gothic tales set in elegant, decadent worlds of decay and corruption, check this one out.
Here’s the Table of Contents:
“Below the Kirk,
October 27th, 2023. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Premee Mohamed | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson
In a number of her novels, Kate Atkinson explores the idea of alternate possibilities, playing with “what if” scenarios for various characters. Showing she doesn’t need a full novel to explore the heady concept, Atkinson returns to that theme in Normal Rules Don’t Apply, a collection of eleven loosely linked short stories.
The first, “The Void”, is a masterclass in chilling mundanity as out in the countryside an old man and his equally old dog find their daily walk shockingly interrupted by a horrific sight.
September 25th, 2023. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Kate Atkinson | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Uncommon Charm by Emily Bergslien & Kat Weaver
Neon Hemlock has carved out a niche for itself in the novella/novelette market, and continues to deliver quirky, engaging stories across the subgenres. This magical, alternate history romp, Uncommon Charm (2022), is one more example.
Julia Selwyn-Stirling is the daughter of Lady Aloysia, the premiere magician in 1925 Britain. Depending on who you talk to, Lady Aloysia, who Julia calls “Muv,” is either the powerful secret weapon of the British government, or the blackmailer of that same government.
September 18th, 2023. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Emily Bergslien, Kat Weaver | Short Fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Secrets of Insects by Richard Kadrey
Before he published the SANDMAN SLIM series, Richard Kadrey published short fiction in various markets. Several of those stories have been collected in his latest book, 2023’s The Secret of Insects. The earliest story in here, “Horse Latitudes,” appeared in Omni in 1992. The most recent story, “Candy Among the Jades,” is original to this collection. The Secrets of Insects is a retrospective of Kadrey’s short fiction.
I’ll provide the Table of Contents,
September 13th, 2023. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Richard Kadrey | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The Application of Hope by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The Application of Hope (2014) is another novella set in Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s DIVING UNIVERSE series. You can read it at any point in the series, but it’d be best as a companion to City of Ruins because it takes place at the same time and gives a different perspective on the important and exciting events of that novel.
Here we meet Tory Sabin and Jonathon “Coop” Cooper,
June 29th, 2023. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Kristine Kathryn Rusch | Audio, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Becalmed by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Becalmed (2012), a novella originally published in 2011 in Asimov’s Magazine, acts as a prequel to the second DIVING UNIVERSE novel, City of Ruins. You can read it at any point in the series.
Becalmed tells the story of how the spaceship Ivoire, captained by Jonathon “Coop” Cooper, was damaged as it entered foldspace after a failed diplomatic mission to the Quurzod people on the planet Ukhanda.
June 27th, 2023. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Kristine Kathryn Rusch | Audio, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The Essential Peter S. Beagle: Volumes I and II by Peter S. Beagle
It’s a good time to be a Peter S. Beagle fan. In short order this mid-year, we’ve been gifted The Way Home — two novellas set in the world of the beloved classic The Last Unicorn — and two collections of Beagle’s short stories: The Essential Peter S. Beagle: Volumes I and II. And true gifts they are. You can see my review of the novellas here,
June 2nd, 2023. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Peter S. Beagle | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Way Home by Peter S. Beagle
This is a glorious month for Peter S. Beagle fans, with The Way Home (2023) offering up two novellas set in the same world as The Last Unicorn, and not one but two retrospective collections of stories: The Essential Peter S. Beagle: Volumes I and II. Even better, one of those two novellas is brand new and serves to show that Beagle remains one of our most elegant of fantasists.
May 31st, 2023. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Peter S. Beagle | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
All the Traps of Earth by Clifford D. Simak
Looking back, it strikes me with some surprise that, up until very recently, I had not read any of sci-fi Grand Master Clifford D. Simak’s shorter work in over 40 years. Oh, I had read any number of the author’s novels during those four decades, but since reading his 1968 collection So Bright the Vision back in 1981, none of his work of a shorter length. Coming to my rescue in this regard was the Wisconsin-born writer’s All the Traps of Earth,
May 18th, 2023. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 5 | Clifford D. Simak | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Previous SFF Author: Martin L. Shoemaker
COMMENT Book #3 of this trilogy is very much a heist story, and I quite enjoyed it!
Pirate stories and heist stories... Do we ever get enough of them?
Very interesting, Ulrich! Thanks for clueing me in!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this article, Spacewaves! It was something of a labor of love for me,…
I absolutely loved this exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! Her unique blend of charm and thriller…