The Festival of Graves by Zhu Lin

The ‘once-powerful old figure in a changed world’ is a common trope, and can be played to quite poignant effect Continue reading →

PauseTime by Mary Soon Lee

Twenty minutes into the transatlantic flight, Connor started wailing. Pauline cradled him in her arms. Then she rocked him, she Continue reading →

Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson

The characters really sell this story. The protagonist in particular is quite charming: he’s ‘the old-fashioned one in the family Continue reading →

Punishment Without Crime by Ray Bradbury

Sometimes it’s difficult to appreciate old classics. For example, I have trouble with Robert A. Heinlein’s ‘Orphans of the Sky.’ Continue reading →

The Other Two by Edith Wharton

This story’s from the point of view of an older gentleman, newly married to a young twice-divorced woman. It was Continue reading →

A Birch Tree, A White Fox by Elena Arsenieva

There is a planet on which you cannot speak. It is a desert with a breathable atmosphere, speckled with oases. Continue reading →

The Gift of the Prodigal by Peter Taylor

This appears to be a story studied in class, given that a couple of Q&A websites have posted questions like: Continue reading →

The Tourist by Paul Park

There’s that wonderful feeling when you try an author for the first time, and as you read you realize you Continue reading →