Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey

[Single]

★★★★★ A Powerful Coming-of-Age Story

(Post-Apocalypse Dystopia) Esther needs to escape from a theo-fascist America before people find out she’s a lesbian, so she runs away with the women who run a travelling library, but they’re not what she thinks they are. (36,523 words; Time: 2h:01m)

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Vigilance, by Robert Jackson Bennett

[Single]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Near-Future Dystopian Horror) About twenty years from now, a reality show that pays young men to go into public places and stage mass shootings is the most popular show in America. Tonight will be the show of a lifetime. (33,094 words; Time: 1h:50m)

War Cry, by Brian McClellan

[Tor Novella]

★★★★☆ A Great War Story with Just a Bit of Fantasy

(Military Fantasy) After more than thirty years of war, the enemy is getting close to the capital city. Teado’s little team of rangers are holding them off, but they’re starving, and running out of everything, so a chance to ambush an enemy food convey is something they can’t pass up. (22,309 words; Time: 1h:14m)

Worth Her Weight in Gold, by Sarah Gailey

[Tor.com]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Alternate History; River of Teeth) Houndstooth is on the lam when his hippopotamus lies down in a mud wallow and won’t get up. (2,642 words; Time: 08m)

This story will have little appeal to readers who have not already read River of Teeth."

The Warrior Within, by Angus McIntyre

[Tor Novella]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(SF Colony) Three men came from space to kill a woman in a small town on a tidally locked world. The narrator isn’t precisely trying to stop them, but he sure does keep getting in their way. (34,058 words; Time: 1h:53m)

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Taste of Marrow, by Sarah Gailey

[Tor Novella]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Alternate History; River of Teeth) While Adelia and Hero try to rescue Adelia’s kidnapped baby, Archie and Houndstooth try to find Hero. (37,808 words; Time: 2h:06m)

This story picks up where “River of Teeth” left off and it cannot be read without reading that one first. See related articles on Tor.com.

River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey

[Tor Novella]

★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Alternate History; River of Teeth) Winslow Houndstooth takes a federal commission to clear feral hippopotamuses from the Mississippi valley, but he has another target in mind. (34,160 words; Time: 1h:53m)

Recommended By: Nebula+2 Hugo+2

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The Burning Light, by Bradley P. Beaulieu and Rob Ziegler

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(Post Apocalypse) The Light is an addiction that afflicts telepaths. Colonel Chu hunts Zola, an addict who may hold the key to the problem. (34,516 words; Time: 1h:55m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Recommended

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meat+drink, by Daniel Polansky

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(Horror) A group of homeless inner-city vampires struggles to survive in East Baltimore. (4,151 words; Time: 13m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆, Average

The Builders, by Daniel Polansky

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(Military Fantasy) The Captain gathers his old team together to mount an assault on the traitors who beat them five years ago. (30,800 words; Time: 1h:42m)

Rating: ★★★★★ Award-Worthy

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