2019 online short SFF - misc

This is everything I already had in my notes from earlier in the year from magazines other than the ones I've already covered, which as it turns out was just the first Sen story. Plus Giganotosaurus, plus the stories I liked out of everything on the Locus list that was online that I hadn't already read, plus I read the rest of an anthology that some stories on the Locus list came from.

Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island, Nibedita Sen, Nightmare Magazine. I like the way this format gives the impression of a slow reveal in a very small number of words.

Now Wait for This Week, Alice Sola Kim. MeToo and time loop stories. NOVELETTE.

The Ocean Between the Leaves, Ray Nayler. Renting a body as a medical service. NOVELETTE.

We Sang You as Ours, Nibedita Sen. Merfolk and choices.

The Doing and Undoing of Jacob E. Mwangi, E. Lily Yu. Life in the universal basic income world. Reminds me of the last chapter of Clockwork Orange, except in a much kinder and gentler world.

Three from Giganotosaurus:

The Devil Squid Apocalypse, Alex Acks. Aliens vs punks.

The Etiquette of Mythique Fine Dining, Carolyn Rahaman. A new chef at a restaurant that serves magical food, enduring the culture of the kitchen. NOVELETTE.

Hand Me Downs, Maria Haskins. A troll girl and a troll dance.

Four from an online anthology, Current Futures, all near-future SF with ocean themes. Gosh I love a themed anthology.

Sturdy Lanterns and Ladders, Malka Older. Climate grief, and an octopus.

Mother Ocean, Vandana Singh. A woman who loves the ocean, and a blue whale.

Her Seal Skin Coat, Lauren Beukes. A purely SF take on selkie stories.

The Body Remembers, Kameron Hurley. A vet with PTSD, and the idea of hope.

2019 short SFF - novelettes

Here's all of my recs from this year that I have labeled as novelettes! Please note that it is quite likely that another one or two may have slipped through somewhere; not every magazine publishes wordcounts and I don't always check if I think I know.


The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye, Sarah Pinsker. A writer, a remote cabin, a complication. NOVELETTE.

Dave's Head, Suzanne Palmer. There's a lot going on here! Recommended. NOVELETTE.

Sand Castles, Adam-Troy Castro. I'm not reccing this one exactly so much as listing it; this is disturbing and memorable and I'm really curious how much it's in dialogue with Sandkings. NOVELETTE.

One Thousand Beetles in a Jumpsuit, Dominica Phetteplace. When the robots become the mysterious employers. NOVELETTE.

Sacrid's Pod, Adam-Troy Castro. A prisoner in an unusual prison. NOVELETTE.

Windrose in Scarlet, Isabel Yap. People who liked El-Mohtar's "Seasons of Glass and Iron" will probably like this story, in which Little Red Riding Hood gets together with Beauty while the Beast is away. NOVELETTE. F/F.

Circus Girl, The Hunter, and Mirror Boy, JY Yang. An interesting haunting. NOVELETTE.

Deriving Life, Elizabeth Bear. Terminal illness, loss, and unusual parasites. NOVELETTE.

Zeitgeber, Greg Egan. Circadian rhythm plague! NOVELETTE.

Dislocation Space, Garth Nix. A contortionist is recruited for a mysterious mission. This is terrific. NOVELETTE.

The Star Plague, Rich Larson. A Viking, some monks, and a problem. NOVELETTE.

Across the Bough Bridge, Mackenzie Kincaid. Shopping in fairyland. NOVELETTE. F/F.

A Handful of Sky, Elly Bangs. A tailor, magical fabric, and class struggle. NOVELETTE. F/F.

Silver Springs, T.R. North. Sin-eating mermaids and a sticky-fingered young woman. NOVELETTE. F/F.

I Am Destiny, Emily McIntyre. Well, this gets my "and THEN what happened??" award. This is totally the intriguing opening to something longer. Content note for rape. NOVELETTE.

Blood, Bone, Seed, Spark, Aimee Ogden. An alchemist researches the creation of life. Intense and brutal. NOVELETTE.

Now Wait for This Week, Alice Sola Kim. MeToo and time loop stories. NOVELETTE.

The Ocean Between the Leaves, Ray Nayler. NOVELETTE.

The Etiquette of Mythique Fine Dining, Carolyn Rahaman. A new chef at a restaurant that serves magical food, enduring the culture of the kitchen. NOVELETTE.

On a first pass, I know I want to nominate the Palmer and the Nix stories, and some others I know I don't want to nominate, leaving me to pick three out of Bear, Egan, Bangs, Ogden, Kim, and Rahaman. The Bangs, Ogden, and Kim stories are on the Locus list, the other three aren't. I'm thinking maybe Bangs, Ogden, and Rahaman, which is sort of interesting as all three are about women who are passionate about their work, working hard in their chosen career, facing some sort of make-or-break turning point. (Although you could maybe describe the Palmer and Nix stories that way too; maybe that's too broad a description. Although it doesn't fit *every* story on this list.)