Fox Red, Life Red, Teeth Like Snow, by Devin Miller

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Norse Fantasy) A troll steals a human baby to raise as a troll, just as she herself was. (2,288 words; Time: 07m)

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)

Lonely Children Lost at Sea, by Wendy Nikel

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Portal Fantasy) A small community clings to a beach where stuff from our world washes up regularly—including small children. Then a small child who doesn’t fit changes their lives. (4,827 words; Time: 16m)

Who Goes Against a Waste of Waters, by Eleanna Castroianni

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Fantasy) The young narrator and one sibling continue herding ghost sheep after their parents have gone, but how long can they hold on? (2,274 words; Time: 07m)

As The Shore To The Tides, So Blood Calls To Blood, by Karlo Yeager Rodriguez

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Dark Fantasy) Don Jacinto flees when he gets a letter from his crazy brother, not wanting to get involved in his quest to wake a supposed sleeping god. (11,573 words; Time: 38m)

Recommended By: 👍GTognetti+1 (Q&A)

Her Cage of Root and Bone, by Kali Wallace

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Dark Fantasy) Lottie’s sister has held her captive for decades, but today she pays her one final visit. (3,688 words; Time: 12m)

Never a Butterfly, Nor a Moth With Moon-Painted Wings, by Aimee Ogden

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Fantasy) After war destroys their homeland, the Butterfly People come to Ksmal as refugees. They’re welcome, but only if they assimilate, and not everyone is happy with that. (6,301 words; Time: 21m)

To Balance the Weight of Khalem, by R.B. Lemberg

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Allegory) The story of how Belezal, a war refugee in Khalem managed to escape to a better country and how he came to terms with having lost not one but two homelands. (9,229 words; Time: 30m)

Recommended By: 👍GTognetti+2 👍MHaskins+1 (Q&A)

Bound by Sorrow, by Maurice Broaddus

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Mixed

(SFF) A young man listens the to story of another who sought the dream city of Wagadu to fulfill an oath. (18,888 words; Time: 1h:02m)

Uzumaki of the Lake, by Richard Parks

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Japanese Historical Fantasy) Lord Yamada and his friend visit a lake near Kyoto to see about exorcising what might be the ghost of a woman who died mysteriously. (3,672 words; Time: 12m)

The Hummingbird Temple, by C.C. Finlay

[BCS]

★★★★☆ Fun Characters, Clean Plot, Plenty of Action and Tension

(Silkpunk) When the Dynast dies, his daughter Lin flees before her older siblings can kill her. She has a place of safety in mind, but she’s never been there herself and needs help to get in. (14,968 words; Time: 49m)

Song of the Water Bear, by Laine Bell

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Alien SF) Cel takes leadership of her aquatic people just as they’re attacked by amorphous creatures that seem immune to all forms of attack. (3,444 words; Time: 11m)

Only the Messenger, by Emily C. Skaftun

[BCS]

★★★★☆ Engaging Characters in a Moving Story

(Space Opera) When Astrill finds a cat-like alien attached to the outside of their spaceship, things get complicated for him and the other smugglers, and the more they learn about their visitor, the worse it gets. (10,142 words; Time: 33m)

Where the World Ends Without Us, by Jason Sanford

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Post Apocalypse; Blood Grains) Six years ago, after the slaughter of anchors by Frere-Jones, Alexnya was made the new anchor, but now the grains have decided to try her for Frere-Jones’s actions—even though she had nothing to do with it. (16,573 words; Time: 55m)

Truth as a Prize, by R.Z. Held

[BCS]

★★★★☆ Plenty of Excitement and Surprises

(Mixed Genre) Naomi has been trapped ever since she lost her contest with the Game a long time ago, but a new player has come, and she hopes maybe this will be the one to defeat it. (6,490 words; Time: 21m)

The Sniper and I, by Rich Larson

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Military SF) Dwet has come to New Warsaw to evaluate a special kind of sniper—an augmented human with neural connections to a special kind of rifle. (3,463 words; Time: 11m)

The Glassblower of Galilei, by Katrina Smith

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Future Fantasy) Dim’s master creates thralls for the other masters who rule Galilei, and he defers to no one—not even the king. So the arrival of a woman who does command his respect promises to be something interesting. (5,342 words; Time: 17m)

My Sister's Wings Are Red, by Christine Tyler

[BCS]

★★★★☆ Entertaining and Horrifying all at the same time.

(Future Fantasy) Olive’s life changes when her hated little sister’s red wings become visible in her chrysalis, and everyone knows she’ll be the new queen when she emerges. (8,911 words; Time: 29m)

The Spoils, by Aliya Whiteley

[BCS]

★★★☆☆

(Fantasy) When the locals find the first Olme in two generations, they’re eager to butcher it and share out the best pieces. (5,540 words; Time: 18m)

The Mermaid Astronaut, by Yoon Ha Lee

[BCS]

★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Future Fantasy Adventure) Until a visiting starship arrived, the other mermaids thought Essarala was silly for wanting to explore the galaxy. (6,009 words; Time: 20m)

Recommended By: 👍ABrown+1 👍MHaskins+1 (Q&A)