One thing I’ve always missed about online reviews is that they are normally only taking into account novels – with anthologies as a distant second (There are exceptions of course – IO9 being one of them. See for example this article for some excellent suggestions.) But in general short stories per se are seldom given the spotlight, no matter their quality or their authors. Now, if this is bad in general, it is even worse in a genre, like speculative fiction, that literally thrives in them.
This is true even though SFF&H lovers normally read, appreciate and often write themselves short fiction. So I do wonder why reviews about it are so scarce in the blogosphere. It can’t be only a matter of $ (or lack of): many of the ezines are free, even excellent venues like Strange Horizons, only to name one (I would be really interested to hear from other bloggers about this mysterious fact).
So what I have decided to do from now on is to post some snippets about short stories I read every week or so. You may well recognise a few names, but the focus here will be on stories – by famous authors or perfect inconnus likewise.
Where they are likely to come from? Here my essential list:
Magazines: Asimov, Analog, F&SF, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Apex, Strangelet, Interzone, OSC Intergalactic Medicine Show, AHMM, Crossed Genres, Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Nature:Futures.
Ezines/ Websites: Strange Horizons, Drabblecast, Perihelion SF, EscapePod, Terraform, DSF, EveryDay Fiction, Grievous Angel, Freeze Frame Fiction, T. Gene Davis’s Speculative Blog, Unlikely Stories, Abyss and Apex, Flapperhouse.
And Tor.com – everything that appears on its website.
Disclaimer: These are the magazines and ezines I normally read, so obviously there’s a bias here – my taste (I do venture out of this list, but only when I stumble in something interesting – i.e., I don’t constantly monitor other venues than the ones above. I have also left out the two ezines I am slush reader for, out of fairness). I also don’t aim at being exhaustive, only providing suggestions for a reading you can complete whilst waiting for your bus or in a lunch break. Feel free to post additional links in the comment area, or DM me on Twitter.
Next week I will start with the first one. Stay tuned.
Great idea! I agree some of the best writing out there is in the former of short stories. I wish I took the time to read more of them, but I rarely do unless a publisher offers me an anthology to review. I’m looking forward to your posts. And wait, I want to be a slush reader!!
Hi Tammy, anthologies are good, but magazines are even better 😉 Slush reader: I can give you a couple of suggestions if you want to go this way – send me an email and let’s talk in private.