Story Recommendations February 2021

I’ve gone back to an old favourite of mine and read a bunch of flash fiction these last couple of month. So all the recommendations for February comes from Daily Science Fiction. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did.

Fragments of a Falling-Out by Florijs M. Kleijne (DSF): This is a story about relationships and dinner table arguments, which, granted, doesn’t sound all that interesting, but Kleijne somehow manages to turn it into a great story. There’s a speculative element in that the MC lives in fragments of time out of order, but it’s never really explained why or has much impact on the story.

I honestly think I would’ve enjoyed this piece as much if it had just been a regular family drama. Kleijne captures the core of those everyday quarrels so well, and even his author note at the end “Most couples who fight don’t have different fights, but consecutive instances of the same one” rings very true. On top of that, the prose is beautiful, and Kleijne uses some poetic elements to great effect as each scene ending melts together with the opening of the next scene.

Necronomiromcom by Liam Hogan (DSF): With a title like that, it should come as no surprise to anyone that this is a comedic piece, specifically one playing on romcom tropes and the Necronomicon.

The premise is funny, the writing is more than solid, and there are a few funny lines as well (a few more wouldn’t have hurt the story, though). On top of that he story depicts the painfully familiar moments of dying relationships and break-ups in very detailed and realistic images.

The plot is pretty straight forward, the narrator’s way of saying sorry for being a bad boyfriend and/or girlfriend. There’s no real conflict in the story, but the emotional impact is there, and it’s an original enough blend that it made for an interesting and funny read.

Horseplay by Rich Larson (DSF): This is a story about a member of the maintenance crew of on a space station trying to deal with a new coworker.

I found it a bit difficult to care about the MC since they bitch and whine a kit and act like an idiot. However, their attitude is also part of what was an absolute strong point in the story, the narrative voice. There’s a crude, informal voice from start to finish which fits very well with the MC and the kind of job they do. The plot also has just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

What Sadie Saw by Michelle M. Kaseler (DSF): The premise of this one is so-so, a murder mystery solved by the replaying of memories. However, the sentence level writing is more than solid, and the story does what all the best murder mysteries do, it twists and turns the plot in satisfying yet unexpected ways. I won’t reveal too much, but the twists in What Sadie Saw don’t just turn the plot around but also twists the overused premise into something original and interesting.