The Ocean and All Its Devices by William Browning Spencer

There are some stories that come across as inevitable. They feel obvious, not because you know exactly what is about Continue reading →

The Malaysian Mer by Jane Yolen

Characters are tricky things to get right in short stories. It’s all well and good for novels, who can afford Continue reading →

The Bathtub by Robert Shearman

Shearman recently won a British Fantasy Award for best new collection with Remember Why You Fear Me. Having just finished Continue reading →

A General in the Library by Italo Calvino

This is my 150th recommendation, and it also happens to be this website’s one-year anniversary. And you know what? It’s Continue reading →

Got a Letter from Jimmy by Shirley Jackson

As a reader I have my biases (who doesn’t), and one of them is that I am often left frustrated Continue reading →

Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders

People who can see the future are fiddly characters to use. Especially if they can see their own immediate future. Continue reading →

A Tall Tail by Charles Stross

One of the things I like about this piece is how much it doesn’t feel like a story. I mean, Continue reading →

Understand by Ted Chiang

Characters who are smarter than the smartest human are notoriously difficult to write well. It’s relatively easy to get away Continue reading →