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Summer 2017 short story recs
Jun. 29th, 2017 09:39 pmIt's time for my approximately-annual short story recommendation list, wherein I tell you about ten stories I read in the last year that I think are particularly worth reading, and link you to them. I've been reading more short stories of late so keeping the list to only ten was particularly hard this time!
Without further ado, here's some stories to read:
1. Who Will Greet You At Home, by Lesley Nneka Arimah
A story about how babies are made out of physical materials and the blessings of your mother, and the lengths to which people will go to have a baby. Strange and sad and disturbing.
2. Probably Still the Chosen One, by Kelly Barnhill
At 11 years old, Corrina was the Chosen One in a land through a secret portal only she could access. Then she's left behind in this world, expecting at any moment to be called back. It's a great look at, among other things, how the political situation you're thrown into looks very different when you're eleven than when you're an adult. I love this sort of deconstruction of tropes.
3. Seasons of Glass and Iron, by Amal El-Mohtar
In which the heroines of two fairy tales (the princess on the glass mountain, and the girl who has to walk through seven pairs of iron shoes) help each other see how terribly they've been treated. What an excellent way of doing a fairy-tale mash-up!
4. Suradanna and the Sea, by Rebecca Fraimow
I love this story so much! The worldbuilding is incredible, and the characterization, and the relationship between the main characters, and basically everything. I'll borrow a description from the author of what this story's about: "Trade routes, magical fertilizer, and one girl's centuries-long effort to impress a woman who is already in a committed relationship with a boat."
5. The Nalendar, by Ann Leckie
Leckie has written a number of short stories that all take place in the same world, broadly speaking. You can tell which stories these are by the gods. I love all these stories (so interesting!), but decided to rec The Nalendar in particular. This story is about a woman who makes an agreement with an untrustworthy small god who's after something.
6. Extracurricular Activities, by Yoon Ha Lee
This one is a fun space adventure story! (Yes I am in fact capable of enjoying and recommending straightforward adventure stories, even if you wouldn't guess it based on the other kinds of things I tend to rec....)
7. The Wreck at Goat's Head, by Alexandra Manglis
About a free-diver in the Mediterranean, one of the last remaining in the 21st century. A lovely story of grief and loss and living, and I like how well-grounded it is in its setting.
8. And Then There Were (N-One), by Sarah Pinsker
In which Sarah Pinsker is invited to a convention of multiverses of Sarah Pinskers, and then one of the Sarahs is murdered at the convention. A delightful premise, and a really interesting story.
9. The Dark Birds, by Ursula Vernon
The degree to which this story is horrifying creeps up on you the further you get - it's really effectively done. It's the story of a family where the ogre father eats his daughters, as told from the pov of the current baby of the family.
10. Utopia, LOL?, by Jamie Wahls
A man awakes from cryofreeze in the far future, and we see his introduction to this new world via the pov of his Tour Guide to the Future, who is easily-distractable and alarmingly enthusiastic. This story is weird and incredible and I was very surprised to be having feelings by the end given how much I was giggling through most of the story. I love it.
Without further ado, here's some stories to read:
1. Who Will Greet You At Home, by Lesley Nneka Arimah
A story about how babies are made out of physical materials and the blessings of your mother, and the lengths to which people will go to have a baby. Strange and sad and disturbing.
2. Probably Still the Chosen One, by Kelly Barnhill
At 11 years old, Corrina was the Chosen One in a land through a secret portal only she could access. Then she's left behind in this world, expecting at any moment to be called back. It's a great look at, among other things, how the political situation you're thrown into looks very different when you're eleven than when you're an adult. I love this sort of deconstruction of tropes.
3. Seasons of Glass and Iron, by Amal El-Mohtar
In which the heroines of two fairy tales (the princess on the glass mountain, and the girl who has to walk through seven pairs of iron shoes) help each other see how terribly they've been treated. What an excellent way of doing a fairy-tale mash-up!
4. Suradanna and the Sea, by Rebecca Fraimow
I love this story so much! The worldbuilding is incredible, and the characterization, and the relationship between the main characters, and basically everything. I'll borrow a description from the author of what this story's about: "Trade routes, magical fertilizer, and one girl's centuries-long effort to impress a woman who is already in a committed relationship with a boat."
5. The Nalendar, by Ann Leckie
Leckie has written a number of short stories that all take place in the same world, broadly speaking. You can tell which stories these are by the gods. I love all these stories (so interesting!), but decided to rec The Nalendar in particular. This story is about a woman who makes an agreement with an untrustworthy small god who's after something.
6. Extracurricular Activities, by Yoon Ha Lee
This one is a fun space adventure story! (Yes I am in fact capable of enjoying and recommending straightforward adventure stories, even if you wouldn't guess it based on the other kinds of things I tend to rec....)
7. The Wreck at Goat's Head, by Alexandra Manglis
About a free-diver in the Mediterranean, one of the last remaining in the 21st century. A lovely story of grief and loss and living, and I like how well-grounded it is in its setting.
8. And Then There Were (N-One), by Sarah Pinsker
In which Sarah Pinsker is invited to a convention of multiverses of Sarah Pinskers, and then one of the Sarahs is murdered at the convention. A delightful premise, and a really interesting story.
9. The Dark Birds, by Ursula Vernon
The degree to which this story is horrifying creeps up on you the further you get - it's really effectively done. It's the story of a family where the ogre father eats his daughters, as told from the pov of the current baby of the family.
10. Utopia, LOL?, by Jamie Wahls
A man awakes from cryofreeze in the far future, and we see his introduction to this new world via the pov of his Tour Guide to the Future, who is easily-distractable and alarmingly enthusiastic. This story is weird and incredible and I was very surprised to be having feelings by the end given how much I was giggling through most of the story. I love it.
