2019.06.01 – Story Recommendations

I can’t believe how far behind I am with my story recommendations. It’s been more than a month since I posted the last batch, and the ones served today have been sitting in my inbox for far too long.

Unfortunately, this also means I’ve only had time to read Daily Science Fiction short stories lately (lately as in nearly two months). Luckily though, DSF always has some goodies on the menu. So without further delay, here they are.

Before the Lights go Out by Andrew Sanger (DSF): A story about the world ending. We’re never told why, and it’s not really important anyway. What’s important are the character emotions which are practically dripping off the page. The charachters’ love for one another is so clearly depicted, I couldn’t help hoping for a last second salvation even as the last stars began to fade.

Body Scanning by Michelle Lindsey (DSF): This is a very short one, which is, I guess, why I could overlook there not really being any plot resolution, character arc, or theme. The story did however show a cool twist on the common science fiction trope of mind transfer. And having an expert trying to explain something basic about his field of expertise to child, something he never fully understood himself, makes for an interesting conflict and, despite the seriousness of the scene, a quite funny read.

The Marionette’s Daughter by Michelle Muenzler (DSF): This one is an original twist on the Pinocchio story, but it’s also so much more than that. It’s a story that goes dark places and explores themes like rape and body shaming. The themes, characters, and plot tie together very nicely, and if I could only recommend one story this time around, it would probably be The Marionette’s Daughter.

Cursed Timeline by Xavier Lastra Martinez (DSF): A classical time travel story but with the twist that, according to the characters, making small changes in a timeline has just as little impact on history and the world at large as the small changes we make in our everyday lives. The story was funny in itself (drunk characters often are), and I really enjoyed this new take on one of the often used rules of time travelling, even though the joke at the end twists the story back on itself.

The Second Julia by Amanda Helms (DSF): A robot story where the robot in question is an android made to replace the deceased mother/wife of a family. This story has it all. It’s character driven, and the characters feel very real and fleshed out for a flash fiction piece. The speculative element is fairly original and so is the conflict, both of which are tied nicely together. But most importantly, the character’s emotions feel real, and the ending goes right in the feels.