psocoptera

I wasn't going to attempt to nominate poems, but then a friend mentioned a hope of going through the spreadsheet poems, and I was like, self, why am *I* not even looking at the spreadsheet poems, and I had a weird little moment of, wait, am I intimidated by poetry? Do I feel unqualified to read poetry? That seemed incorrect - I keep a file of favorite poems. I occasionally write poems. Maybe I feel like I don't know what to make of *speculative* poetry? That also didn't sound quite right, I have no problem thinking about, say, Le Guin's poetry. Strange Horizons publishes poetry so I tried checking out some of their 2024 pieces and possibly part of the problem is that I just don't *like* a lot of poetry. (Although... I also don't like a lot of stories. Not actually sure if the proportion is different.)

Anyways here's some poems from the spreadsheet I liked.

The Last Voyage: Island Relocation Program, Steve Wheat.

sunday in atlanta, Kelsey Day. I'm not sure this is speculative. Also I'm not sure it's a poem and not a comic. Powerful piece, though.

Gaia Sings the Body Electric, Jie Venus Cohen.

there are no taxis for the dead, Angela Liu.

The Sail, Ian Li.

The Quickening Rachel Pittman. Is *this* speculative?

the office//the after, Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey. How about this, is this speculative? Maybe I don't know what makes poetry speculative or not.

The Lost Dead World Thing, Mari Ness.

Dodging the Bullet, Lisa M. Bradley.

Change Your Mind, Gwendolyn Maia Hicks.

A War of Words, Marie Brennan.

There were 62 things on the list, although some of them weren't available online, so I probably read more like... 55? ish? And ended up liking about one in five?

I have tentatively picked some that I think I'll nominate although I would like to revisit this list in a day or two and see which ones I still remember, or which ones still grab me on rereading.

Here's all the novelettes I recced this year!

Clarkesworld:

The Best Version of Yourself, Grant Collier, Clarkesworld. A particularly unsettling Rapture-of-the-Nerds, and a woman's relationship with her mother. Novelette.

The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video, Thomas Ha, Clarkesworld. This is very reference-rich and I'm probably only catching part of that but I think it's also a strong story entirely on its own without all that? Memory and filters and the work of wrapping up the loose ends of a parent's life. Novelette.

A Brief Oral History of the El Zopilote Dock, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Clarkesworld. Thoughts on what the next Underground Railroad might look like. Novelette.

Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being, A.W. Prihandita, Clarkesworld. Medicine and licensing and helping and listening. Novelette.

Himalia, Carrie Vaughn, Clarkesworld. Growing up on a remote space outpost, and coming home again. Novelette.

Lightspeed:

The Heist for the Soul of Humanity, Filip Hadjar Drnovšek Zorko, Lightspeed. Yet another heist story, this is apparently what I'm in the mood for at this time? Novelette.

Strange Horizons:

By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars, Premee Mohamed, Strange Horizons. An aging wizard, an apprentice, and a problem. Novelette.

Exit Interview, K.W. Onley, Strange Horizons. Portals, but only for Black women. Novelette.

Uncanny:

Signs of Life, Sarah Pinsker, Uncanny. An aging news anchor visits her long-estranged sister. Covers some similar ground as Haunt Sweet Home, like Pinsker was doing variations on a theme. Novelette.

Other:

What Any Dead Thing Wants, Aimee Ogden, Psychopomp. Magical terraforming. Novelette.

I'm Not Disappointed Just Mad AKA The Heaviest Couch in the Known Universe, Daryl Gregory, Reactor. I thought this had big Men In Black energy. Novelette.

"Lake of Souls", Ann Leckie, Lake of Souls collection.

"A Fisher of Stars", Ursula Whitcher, North Continent Ribbon novella/collection.

**

Of the five I've marked here, the Collier and Vaughn stories are on the Locus list; the Ha, Prihandita, and Leckie stories are not. My picks seem to be very Clarkesworld-heavy this year, but I'm pleased that they didn't end up just being all authors I already liked. Relatedly, Grant Collier and A.W. Prihandita are eligible for the Astounding, as is K.W. Onley. I don't think any of them are an Isabel J. Kim-level prolific breakout new talent but I would always like to see more short-fiction Astounding nominees.

The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video, Thomas Ha, Clarkesworld. This is very reference-rich and I'm probably only catching part of that (I haven't even read Tlon, Uqbar, and I barely remember Fahrenheit 451 and had to read a summary) but I think it's also a strong story entirely on its own without all that? Memory and filters and the work of wrapping up the loose ends of a parent's life. Novelette.

A Brief Oral History of the El Zopilote Dock, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Clarkesworld. Thoughts on what the next Underground Railroad might look like. Novelette. Thanks to elysdir for the rec!

Rail Meat, Marie Vibbert, Clarkesworld. Pickpockets and yacht racing, sf style.

Inside the House of Wisdom, Tamara Masri, Lightspeed. A scene from a future memorial in Palestine.

Father Ash, Rachel Hartman, Sunday Morning Transport. A Goreddi folktale; a dad-with-dementia story with a twist. Thanks to elysdir for the tip that this was out there!

An Intergalactic Smuggler's Guide to Homecoming, Tia Tashiro, Clarkesworld. A smuggler finds herself helping alien refugees.

What Any Dead Thing Wants, Aimee Ogden, Psychopomp. Magical terraforming. Novelette. This story is mysteriously not listed on ISFDB; I don't know if that means something or just means that whoever submits Psychopomp info to ISFDB is behind on doing that.

The Heist for the Soul of Humanity, Filip Hadjar Drnovšek Zorko, Lightspeed. Yet another heist story, this is apparently what I'm in the mood for at this time? Novelette.

I keep thinking I should read some online short SFF and then reading more of the news, despite being sure I'd be much happier reading SFF. Well, sometimes it is like that. Anyways, here's an initial post. As of right now I have six stories on my list; these are things I read at some point during the year and added to my recs file:

Median, Kelly Robson, Reactor. Car trouble and caregiving.

A Pilgrimage to the God of High Places, Marissa Lingen, BCS. A disabled archivist whose mother hopes for a cure.

The Spindle of Necessity, B. Pladek, Strange Horizons. Very meta story about stories and identity and authenticity.

Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being, A.W. Prihandita, Clarkesworld. Medicine and licensing and helping and listening. Novelette.

Exit Interview, K.W. Onley, Strange Horizons. Portals, but only for Black women. Novelette.

By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars, Premee Mohamed, Strange Horizons. An aging wizard, an apprentice, and a problem. Novelette.

Of these stories, the Lingen, Prihandita, and Onley stories are not on the Locus list, the Robson, Pladek, and Mohamed are. (Relevant to their odds of showing up as awards nominees.)

Many of my favorite authors or authors I follow with interest don't have anything I'm reccing this year: Naomi Kritzer has something in Asimov's, but nothing online. Rebecca Campbell doesn't have any 2024 work. Adam R Shannon doesn't have any 2024 work. Isabel J Kim has one story in Clarkesworld, "Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole", which, like, fine, as engagement with Omelas goes that is one, but I don't want to rec it at this time. If it makes a ballot I'm voting on I'll decide what to do about it then. Peter Watts doesn't have any 2024 stuff. Ray Nayler had something in Asimov's. Nghi Vo had one story in Uncanny, "Stitched to Skin like Family Is", which was fine but I didn't quite like enough to rec. Lina Rather doesn't have any 2024 stuff. Mary Anne Mohanraj doesn't have any 2024 stuff. Iona Datt Sharma doesn't have any 2024 stuff. Greg Egan had stories in Asimov's and Analog. Suzanne Palmer doesn't have any 2024 short stuff. (I guess there's another novel out in the Finder series, which I am already like three books behind on, oops.)

I do now have tabs open to read works by Sarah Pinsker, Ann LeBlanc, Aimee Ogden, Carrie Vaughn, and Rich Larson. And I'm sure there are other people who I'll come across and realize I would of course have looked them up by name if I had thought of them. My plan is to read through these open tabs, then work through the Locus List, then go through the rest of Strange Horizons and khōréō if I have time, or maybe see what's on the recs spreadsheet. I would also be delighted to take recommendations! (Looking specifically for online short stuff at this time; I don't think I have time to add any more novels or novellas to what I'm already trying to read before deadlines, which is, uh, several.)

Ok, here's everything that's a novelette. Five favorites in bold.

The Year Without Sunshine, Naomi Kritzer, Uncanny, novelette. Community solidarity and climate-collapse survival. Locus, spreadsheet.

The Fifteenth Saint, Ursula Whitcher, Asimov's, novelette. Spreadsheet.

One Man's Treasure, Sarah Pinsker, Uncanny, novelette. Garbage collectors and the perils of magical item disposal day. Locus, spreadsheet.

The Case of the Blood-Stained Tower, Ray Nayler, Asimov's, novelette. This is a case where if I tell you everything I liked about it, it would spoil the story, but I'm going to go ahead and spoil part of it and say that it's a sort of Holmes-and-Watson riff set in what I think, with a little research, is 17th-century Tehran. Spreadsheet.

Even If Such Ways Are Bad, Rich Larson, Reactor (the new name of Tor.com's online publishing, apparently), novelette. Living ships and memory modification and AI corporations who still need humans for some things.

On the Fox Roads, Nghi Vo, Reactor, novelette. Bank robbers, running away, finding yourself. Locus, spreadsheet.

Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge, Eugenia Triantafyllou, Uncanny, novelette. Grief and deals with the devil. Locus, spreadsheet.

Contracting Iris, Peter Watts, Lightspeed, novelette. Disease and transformation. If you liked What Moves the Dead. Locus.

Ivy, Angelica, Bay, C.L. Polk, Reactor, novelette. A sequel to a story from a couple of years ago, about witches and bee magic. Locus, spreadsheet.

A Chronicle of the Mole-Year, Christi Nogle, Strange Horizons, novelette. A very different take on time loops, or maybe on virtual life.

I'm not sure I ever linked this year's Locus list, so here's that, and here's Renay's spreadsheet.

I have a couple more recs of things I actually read during 2023, for whatever reason:

Bride of the Gulf, Danai Christopoulou, Khōréō. Interesting references to a legend I'd never heard of!

Replay Boomer, Jack Nicholls, Grist. In a bleak future, teens turn to reenacting the past.

Here's some more stuff by Authors I Like. I realize that I'm cheating myself out of one of my usual favorite parts of this whole business, discovering some absolute gem by someone I've never heard of before, but on the other hand the ballot is mostly populated by familiar names (because of administrative manipulation?? whoooo the fuck knows anymore, that is not tonight's problem) so I'm probably hitting a lot of the stuff that would actually have a shot.

One Man's Treasure, Sarah Pinsker, Uncanny, novelette. Garbage collectors and the perils of magical item disposal day. Locus, spreadsheet.

There's a Door to the Land of the Dead in the Land of the Dead, Sarah Pinsker, The Deadlands. A roadside attraction with a secret. Locus, spreadsheet.

The Case of the Blood-Stained Tower, Ray Nayler, Asimov's, novelette. This is a case where if I tell you everything I liked about it, it would spoil the story, but I'm going to go ahead and spoil part of it and say that it's a sort of Holmes-and-Watson riff set in what I think, with a little research, is 17th-century Tehran. Spreadsheet.

Even If Such Ways Are Bad, Rich Larson, Reactor (the new name of Tor.com's online publishing, apparently), novelette. Living ships and memory modification and AI corporations who still need humans for some things.

Closer Than Your Kidneys, Ursula Whitcher, Frivolous Comma. This could have gone with the other Whitcher story yesterday but I'm very disorganized this year. Spreadsheet.

Long Enough for a Cup of Tea, Aimee Ogden, Strange Horizons. A witch; mothers and daughters.

Her Suffering, Pretty and Private, Aimee Ogden, GigaNotoSaurus. Sleeping Beauty aftermath. Spreadsheet.

On the Fox Roads, Nghi Vo, Reactor, novelette. Bank robbers, running away, finding yourself. Locus, spreadsheet.

Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge, Eugenia Triantafyllou, Uncanny, novelette. Grief and deals with the devil. Locus, spreadsheet.

Contracting Iris, Peter Watts, Lightspeed, novelette. Disease and transformation. If you liked What Moves the Dead. Locus.

Ivy, Angelica, Bay, C.L. Polk, Reactor, novelette. A sequel to a story from a couple of years ago, about witches and bee magic. Locus, spreadsheet.

A story that I was recced that didn't make it into my 2022 recs: Lena, by qntm/Sam Hughes, about human uploading.

Ok, here's everything I have tagged as a novelette, of which I have bolded the five of the 18 that I plan to nominate.

To Embody a Wildfire Starting, Iona Datt Sharma, Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Dragon shapeshifters and the aftermath of a revolution. This one is really good. NOVELETTE

Forte, Samuel Chapman, Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Fencers from opposing schools, a romance. NOVELETTE.

The Difference Between Love and Time, Catherynne M. Valente, Tor.com. Reprint from a 2022 anthology. NOVELETTE. This is Valente doing her gonzo thing, which often makes my eyes roll but then gets me in the end - if you liked Space Opera you'll probably like this. Wouldn't be surprised to see this one on the ballot.

Quandary Aminu vs The Butterfly Man, Rich Larson, Tor.com. NOVELETTE. And here's Larson doing his cyberpunk thing. If you've been reading my recs for awhile you probably already know whether you like Larson's cyberpunk thing.

Wanting Things, Cal Ritterhoff, Clarkesworld. I found parts of this annoying but parts were funny. NOVELETTE

Dream Factory, Greg Egan, Clarkesworld. Always interesting to see what Egan is up to. Pet ownership and the ethics of hacking your cat. NOVELETTE

We Built This City, Marie Vibbert, Clarkesworld. Labor relations on a floating Venusian cloud city. Nebula nominee. NOVELETTE.

Carapace, David Goodman, Clarkesworld. MilSF about a suit trying to carry out its pilot's mission. NOVELETTE.

The Sadness Box, Suzanne Palmer, Clarkesworld. A difficult parent, and a particularly bleak war. NOVELETTE.

Sweetbaby, Thomas Ha, Clarkesworld. Cycles of abuse and the will to get someone out of them. NOVELETTE.

Murder by Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness, S.L. Huang, Clarkesworld. Cat Pictures Please but the AI is just GPT-4, ish. Nebula nominee. NOVELETTE.

If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You, John Chu, Uncanny. A warm and ultimately hopeful superhero story, more or less what if Superman was real in our racist world today. Nebula nominee. NOVELETTE.

Two Hands, Wrapped in Gold, S.B. Divya, Uncanny. A well-done fairytale retelling. Nebula nominee. NOVELETTE.

The Prince of Salt and the Ocean's Bargain, Natalia Theodoridou, Uncanny. An odd little fairy tale. Nebula nominee. NOVELETTE.

Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home, C.L> Clark, Uncanny. A sailor and a lighthouse keeper. F/F. NOVELETTE.

The Noon Witch Goes to Sound Planet, Kristina Ten, Lightspeed. A teen girl trying to reject her magical heritage at Coachella. NOVELETTE.

Solidity, Greg Egan, Asimov's. Damn, this one is good. NOVELETTE.

Falling Off the Edge of the World, Suzanne Palmer, Asimov's. Sole survivors of a starship catastrophe. NOVELETTE.

Apolépisi: A De-Scaling, Suzan Palumbo, Lightspeed. Humanity as a mermaid terminal illness.

In the Beginning of Me, I Was a Bird, Maria Dong, Lightspeed. Transmigrations. Reminded me of This Is How You Lose the Time War, particularly recommended.

The Noon Witch Goes to Sound Planet, Kristina Ten, Lightspeed. A teen girl trying to reject her magical heritage at Coachella. NOVELETTE.

The CRISPR Cookbook: A Guide to Biohacking Your Own Abortion in a Post-Roe World, MKRNYILGLD, Lightspeed. Some very angry near-future worldbuilding around some very sharp science talk. Damn. Particularly recommended.

Welcome to Oxhead, Julianna Baggott, Lightspeed. An inconclusive but vivid teens-discover-world-is-artificial sort of story.

Picnic, with Monster, Susan Palwick, Lightspeed. A guy who sees monsters, and a monster.

The Cheesemaker and the Undying King, Lina Rather, Lightspeed. Where "cheesemaker" is medieval for "microbiologist", more or less. I really liked this one.

The Fairy Godmother Advice Column, Leah Cypess, Lightspeed. Where "who advises the advisor" has... gone a certain way.

Nine Tails of a Soap Empire, Maria Dong, Lightspeed. Fantasy with a soapmaker and a gumiho.

Plausible Realities, Improbable Dreams, Isabel J. Kim, Lightspeed. A multiverse malfunction.

Probably not reading all of Uncanny and Lightspeed this year, but maybe some spot reading. Anyways, here's the last of my Clarkesworld recs.

Timekeepers' Symphony, Ken Liu, Clarkesworld. Pure-worldbuilding piece with a bunch of neat stuff.

Sweetbaby, Thomas Ha, Clarkesworld. Cycles of abuse and the will to get someone out of them. NOVELETTE.

The Secret Strength of Things, Gregory Feeley, Clarkesworld. Bot vs bot on Triton.

Calf Cleaving in the Benthic Black, Isabel J. Kim, Clarkesworld. Generation ship scavengers.

The Transfiguration of the Gardener Irene by the Dead Planet Hipea, Ann LeBlanc, Clarkesworld. The last survivor of a fungal colony organism. I really liked this one.

Law of Tongue, Naim Kabir, Clarkesworld. Negotiating with orcas.

The Lightness, Alex Sobel, Clarkesworld. I feel like there aren't enough abortion stories in SFF. If you're going to have alien pregnancy stories, gotta have alien abortion stories.

Murder by Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness, S.L. Huang, Clarkesworld. Cat Pictures Please but the AI is just GPT-4, ish. Nebula nominee. NOVELETTE.