Fire and Falling, by Andrew Dykstal

[BCS]

★★★★☆ Plenty of Excitement in an Interesting Setting

(Steampunk Thriller) Mir’s mission to deliver codebooks gets complicated when she realizes she’s being followed—and followed by more than one person at that. (15,229 words; Time: 50m)

The Lori, by Fiona Moore

[Clarkesworld]

★★★★☆ Worth it just to see a realistic story about AI failure.

(Military SF) After corporal Cooper recovers from the disastrous battle of Kuching, he’s sure the sentient tank he worked with is still there somewhere, so he takes extended leave and goes to hunt for it. (3,623 words; Time: 12m)

The Physicians of Vilnoc, by Lois McMaster Bujold

[Single]

★★★★☆ A Satisfying Adventure in the Company of Great Characters

(Fantasy Adventure; Five Gods) Penric tries to deal with an epidemic, which stretches his powers to the breaking point. (42,806 words; Time: 2h:22m)

To fully appreciate this story, you need to have already read the seven before it, starting with “Penric’s Demon.” If you have not at least read the first two, this will likely be confusing.

The Ruby of the Summer King, by Mari Ness

[Uncanny]

★★★★☆ Hauntingly Beautiful

(Fairy Tale) The Summer King wants to court the Winter Queen, even though everyone warns him that it’s a long and perilous journey, for summer and winter aren’t meant to be together. (4,749 words; Time: 15m)

The Inaccessibility of Heaven, by Aliette de Bodard

[Uncanny]

★★★★☆ Recommended

(Fantasy Horror) Samantha searches Paris to try to find what’s killing fallen angels. (16,638 words; Time: 55m)

This is set in an alternate version of the world in her Dominion of the Fallen series. Those stories are also set in an alternate Paris with fallen angels, but in this world, there has been no destructive war; this city functions normally, with things like working taxis and cell phones. There’s no need to read those stories to read this one, and this one won’t spoil the series either.

Last Night at the Fair, by M. Rickert

[F&SF]

★★★★☆ Deeply moving, reminiscent of Ray Bradbury.

(Uncanny Fantasy) An old woman remembers the last night of her childhood, when she and her future husband snuck out of the house to visit the fair on the last night. (2,467 words; Time: 08m)

Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

The Monsters of Olympus Mons, by Brian Trent

[F&SF]

★★★★☆ Plenty of Twists and Excitement

(SF Thriller) In the midst of a Martian Civil war, a wounded old man finds three monsters playing cards outside the abandoned Museum of Colonization, and he asks for their help. (8,370 words; Time: 27m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+2 (Q&A)

All Hail the Pizza King and Bless His Reign Eternal, by David Erik Nelson

[F&SF]

★★★★☆ Some Laughs and Excitement, Topped with a Little Horror

(Horror) Melissa isn’t happy about her daft sister-in-law buying a derelict restaurant where the last owner killed and cooked his wife 20 years ago, but it’s worse than she thinks. (12,264 words; Time: 40m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

Retention, by Alec Nevala-Lee

[Analog]

★★★★☆ Persist with this one; there’s more here than meets the eye.

(SF Thriller) It all started when Perry tried to call customer service to cancel his account, but the online system was amazingly persistent in finding ways to discourage him from that. (2,731 words; Time: 09m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

Flyboys, by Stanley Schmidt

[Analog]

★★★★☆ Quite a Ride!

(Colony SF Thriller) Bob, one of the bat-like Zoeys on New Horizons, helped architect the peace treaty that ended the war with the humans, but some Zoeys who don’t want peace plan to use his son against him. (20,425 words; Time: 1h:08m)

This is a sequel to the author’s novel, “Night Ride and Sunrise.” I read this novella without having read the novel, and didn’t get the feeling I was missing anything. However, I did decide the novel sounded interesting, so I bought a copy and read it after I finished the novella. This novella is full of spoilers for the novel. That said, I did enjoy the novel a lot, but I’d advise reading the novel first; it’s worth it.

The Ghosts of Sherwood, by Carrie Vaughn

[Single]

★★★★☆ Well worth the read, especially for Robin Hood fans.

(Robin Hood Pastiche) After 20 years, Robin is still a troublesome Baron, and his teenage kids take after him. But his kids are also a target for his numerous enemies. (18,489 words; Time: 1h:01m)

If you’re not familiar with the Robin Hood story, you’ll miss a lot of this. But if you wondered what became of Robin and his Merry Men, especially after Richard I died and John became king, this is for you. See related articles on Tor.com.

Nine Words for Loneliness in the Language of the Uma'u, by M.L. Clark

[Clarkesworld]

★★★★☆ A moving tale from an alien perspective.

(Space Opera; The Partnership) Awenato is the only Uma’u on the space station after terrorists kill the rest of the diplomats from his world, including his lifemate. He wants revenge, but first he has to figure out how to just get by. (20,871 words; Time: 1h:09m)

This is the third story in the Partnership series that I’m aware of, but it involves different characters and a different setting from the other two, so I think there’s no need to read the other stories before this one.

Breath of the Sahara, by Inegbenoise O. Osagie

[BCS]

★★★★☆ A moving tale with interesting characters in a cool setting.

(African Fantasy) In a magical sub-Saharan Africa, two girls sneak into the sanctum of their gods to loot it for gold when the guardians are supposed to be absent. But one of them is still there. (6,885 words; Time: 22m)

Burn or The Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super, by A.T. Greenblatt

[Uncanny]

★★★★☆ A fun little story with a very nice protagonist.

(Superhero) Sam’s ability is modest, but he’s still excited to be accepted into the Super Team. Now he just has to figure out how he can make the biggest difference—assuming he can do more good than harm. (9,691 words; Time: 32m)

Stepsister, by Leah Cypess

[F&SF]

★★★★☆ A protagonist you'll love to cheer for.

(Cinderella Pastiche) Young Garrin, bastard brother to King Ciar, is sent to find Queen Ella’s stepsister and bring her to the castle. Not everyone lives happily ever after. (13,997 words; Time: 46m)

Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

February Moon, by Josh Rountree

[BCS]

★★★★☆ A steady build up to a shattering climax.

(Horror) In 19th-Century Texas, a German immigrant mother defends her farm and family (in the absence of her husband and eldest son) against a vicious wolf as well as some of the local townspeople. (5,037 words; Time: 16m)

The Voice, by Bruce McAllister

[Asimov's]

★★★★☆ A nice guy with a hard choice in a difficult position.

(SF Thriller; DreamPet) Jude knows his company is secretly selling engineered animals that were meant to be disposed of. He needs more proof to go public, but meanwhile one of the creations is invading his mind. (4,988 words; Time: 16m)

Ronni and Rod, by David Gerrold and Ctein

[Asimov's]

★★★★☆ Good, old-fashioned thrills, chills, and excitement

(Hard SF Disaster; Ripple Effect) A young San Diego couple face a megatsunami. (10,660 words; Time: 35m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

Although this is a part of a novel-length work, it stands alone very well.

Tunnels, by Eleanor Arnason

[Asimov's]

★★★★☆ A great adventure in the dark.

(Space Opera Thriller; Lydia Duluth) Lydia’s visit to Innovation City on planet Grit is interrupted by an engineered virus that compels her to hide in the tunnels under the city. (17,343 words; Time: 57m)

Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)

This story is part of her Lydia Duluth series, but I had no trouble enjoying it without having read any of the other stories.

It Was a Tradition When You Turned 16, by Eric Cline

[Analog]

★★★★☆ A sweet little tale of time and change.

(SF Drama) A father determines to teach his teen-age daughter the lost art of driving an automobile. (3,775 words; Time: 12m)