Finna, by Nino Cipri

[Single]

★★★★★ A love story, and adventure story, and a tale of finding yourself

(Multiverse Adventure) When a wormhole opens up in the furniture store where they work, teenage Ava and her non-binary ex are ordered to go in it to hunt for a missing customer. (25,710 words; Time: 1h:25m)

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The Ascent to Godhood, by JY Yang

[Single]

★★☆☆☆

(Silkpunk Epic) In which we learn Lady Han’s background and how she left the Protectorate’s service and joined the Machinist rebellion. (22,371 words; Time: 1h:14m)

This story depends heavily on the three before it and on the ones that (presumably) will come after. See related articles on Tor.com.

The Survival of Molly Southbourne, by Tade Thompson

[Single]

★★★☆☆

(Horror; Molly Southbourne) In this sequel, a clone of the original Molly tries to live a quiet life, but that’s not easy when people are looking for her and most of them want to kill her. (19,569 words; Time: 1h:05m)

You don’t need to read the original novella to appreciate this one, but if you read this one first, it will definitely spoil the earlier one. See related articles on Tor.com.

Miranda in Milan, by Katharine Duckett

[Single]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Fantasy Shakespearean Pastiche) After the events of The Tempest, Miranda finds herself in Milan worrying about her father’s behavior and trying to find out what really happened to her mother. (40,111 words; Time: 2h:13m)

You need to at least read a synopsis of The Tempest to appreciate this story.

The Word of Flesh and Soul, by Ruthanna Emrys

[Tor.com]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Alternate History Fantasy) A particular ancient language empowers speakers to change the world, so that knowledge has to be tightly controlled. What could be more dangerous than a student who doesn’t like those controls? (9,332 words; Time: 31m)

Static Ruin, by Corey J. White

[Tor Novella]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Space Opera; Voidwitch) The Voidwitch Saga concludes with Marius Xi (Mars) searching for her father in hopes of finding a cure for the young psionic boy she’s befriended. (39,510 words; Time: 2h:11m)

This story does not stand alone; you need to read the first two novellas in the series first. See related articles on Tor.com.

Loss of Signal, by S.B. Divya

[Tor.com]

★★★★☆ Powerful, Evocative, and Moving

(SF Adventure) Toby exchanged his dying teen body for command of a lunar spaceship. He’ll make history if he succeeds, but he’s still just a kid, and it’s dark, cold, and lonely out in space. (2,048 words; Time: 06m)

The Descent of Monsters, by JY Yang

[Tor Novella]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Silkpunk; Tensorate) Sariman investigates the suspicious deaths of everyone at a Tensorate research lab, who seem to have been killed by a monster they made themselves. (26,786 words; Time: 1h:29m)

Although this story is third in the Tensorate series, it’ll work to read this one first and then look at those two if you liked this one

Void Black Shadow, by Corey J. White

[Tor Novella]

★☆☆☆☆ Needs Improvement

(Space Opera; Voidwitch) Mariam “Mars” Xi uses her matchless psionic powers to rescue a friend from an impenetrable space prison. (39,812 words; Time: 2h:12m)

This story depends heavily on the reader having already read “Killing Gravity.” Readers should not read this story first. See related articles on Tor.com.

The Murders of Molly Southbourne, by Tade Thompson

[Single]

★★★☆☆

(Horror; Molly Southbourne) Molly has an affliction: whenever she bleeds, the blood grows into duplicates of her. Duplicates who always want to kill her. (21,176 words; Time: 1h:10m)

Recommended By: 🏆₂BFantasy+2 🏆₂BSFA+2 🏆₂SJackson+2 (Q&A)

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The Red Threads of Fortune, by JY Yang

[Tor Novella]

★★★☆☆ Average

(Fantasy Adventure; Tensorate) Mokoya and her brother use their powerful magic to defend Bataanar from external attack which her mysterious new love interest may be involved with. (37,277 words; Time: 2h:04m)

This novella is #2 in the series, and readers are strongly advised to start with the first one. See related articles on Tor.com.

The Black Tides of Heaven, by JY Yang

[Tor Novella]

★★★★☆ Rich, Complex, Rewarding

(Epic Fantasy; Tensorate) The Protector’s twin children threaten her absolute rule. Their magic is almost as strong as hers, and they pursue technology as well. (40,011 words; Time: 2h:13m)

This is the first novella in a series, but it tells a self-contained story. (Technically, this is a short novel, but it’s within the 5,000-word tolerance the Hugo Awards allow.) See related articles on Tor.com.

A Song For Quiet, by Cassandra Khaw

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(Horror; Persons Non Grata) Deacon James plays the blues, but on a train ride a new melody gets into his head. Something powerful enough to change people’s lives—or end them. (17,748 words; Time: 59m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Add a star if you really know music and enjoy reading descriptions of how it is played. See related articles on Tor.com.

The Ghost Line, by Andrew Neil Gray and J.S. Herbison

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(SF Thriller) Saga and her husband help a client take over a mothballed luxury spaceship between Earth and Mars. There’s something the client isn’t telling them, though. Something deadly. (28,863 words; Time: 1h:36m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

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Killing Gravity, by Corey J. White

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(Space Opera; Voidwitch) She calls herself Mars. She’s running from the authorities, who want to use her powerful telekinetic powers. Powers that leave scores of dead in her wake. (32,315 words; Time: 1h:47m)

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ Needs Improvement

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The Autobiography of a Traitor and a Half-Savage, by Alix E. Harrow

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(Alternate History Fantasy) Oona works for The Company making the land across the Mississippi stand still so they can survey and tame it. (8,772 words; Time: 29m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

A Taste of Honey, by Kai Ashante Wilson

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(Fantasy/SF) Young Aqib has a bright future as a noble, but he meets an enchanting foreigner who makes him consider risking everything. (34,318 words; Time: 1h:54m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

Recommended By: JStrahan Nebula Hugo Sturgeon Locus

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Hammers on Bone, by Cassandra Khaw

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(Horror; Persons Non Grata) An 11-year-old asks a private eye to murder his stepdad, because "he's a monster--and you're a monster too." (17,800 words; Time: 59m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

Recommended By: Locus

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City of Wolves, by Willow Palecek

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(Fantasy Mystery) Alexander Drake avoids investigations involving the nobility, but he can't resist the invitation to investigate the mysterious death of Lord Aberdeen. (18,375 words; Time: 1h:01m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

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Runtime, by S.B. Divya

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(Transhuman SF) Marmeg's augments are illegal and hand-tweaked, but if she can win a race for augmented humans, she can earn enough money to become licensed and have a real future. (22,837 words; Time: 1h:16m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Recommended

Recommended By: Nebula

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