Category Archives: Recommended Reading

Ted Chiang, as they say, needs no introduction — if you follow the contemporary science fiction and fantasy short story scene. In case you don’t, Chiang is a powerhouse, not only one of the masters of the short form, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Keffy Kehrli is a too-often-overlooked writer. This is my favorite of his short stories. My parents raised me on a diet of jazz, big bands, musicals, and classical music. I’ve never spent much time listening to more recent popular music. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m a big fan of science fiction that takes vivid, strange images into the future. I think, actually, I always have — and if you look at a lot of classic SF, that’s what it’s doing. That’s obvious when reading … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In a future where birds are extinct, genetically modified men take their motorcycles around the country to perform dances that remind people of the migrations that once took place. Katherine Sparrow is one of my classmates from Clarion West 2005, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Sandra McDonald is one of my favorite working short story writers. Her humor is often both warm *and* sly, her satires sharp but empathetic. She has some amazing funny and irreverant stories about drag queen astronauts and sexy robot cowboys, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

One man watches the world evolve as he passes, sleep by sleep, into the future, trailing after his generations of descendants. I really like this story and its strange futures. It isn’t taking itself seriously as a prognosticator. Rather, it’s talking … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Of course, I am fond of a great deal of Ann’s work, but I have a special place in my heart for “Marsh Gods.” It’s simple, but evocative and smart, and it has a diatryma skull in it. A diatryma … Continue reading → Continue reading →