Story Recommendations – August 2021

Summer is coming to an end which, for some reason beyond my understanding, means I’m finding more quality stories. Or maybe the two aren’t related at all. Who knows? Either way, the monthly recommendations are back with a full roster of stories. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Clouds Gleam Across Her Eyes by Beth Cato (DSF):

This one was recommended in the comment of the July recommendations by user Redcvccc. If you have story recommendations of your own, feel free to post them in the comments and I will give them a read.

The writing was very telling, which almost put me off the story. However, I did love the premise, the story focusing on what it’s like to be the mother of “The Chosen One”. I love how the author showed us what it might be like for the MC, knowing their kid might leave on their quest any day, trying to prepare the kid for a life so unlike their own. And the ending really hammered it home.

Coast Sunset Express by Alice Towey (DSF):

This was a small story, barely more than a scene, where we follow a woman on her train ride north along with an alien passenger. The conflict is light, more a sense of unease, really, of sitting alongside someone truly alien, of being in a world changed forever by war. Yet it was a very effective story and a hopeful one as well.

At times, it was a little annoying that most of the story took place in the backstory. On the other hand, I love the amount of worldbuilding the author managed to slip onto the page and the positive message at the end in regards to finding hope in a broken world and seeing similarities between people instead of differences.

If the world brings you down and you need a cheer-me-up, this might be the story for you.

The Songs Her Mother Used to Sing by Aimee Ogden (FFO):

Another short but great story by Aimee Ogden. She really is one of the very best authors out there when it comes to writing flash fiction.

This one is yet another piece about the hardships of motherhood and how much one must give of oneself to raise a child, especially when no one else seems to chip in. All this is brilliantly shown through the speculative element where the protagonist of the story literally has to build her child from scraps of meat, pearl, and whatnot.

It’s another small story when it comes to the scope of the plot, but it was so well executed. And as always, Ogden’s prose moves from simply good to stunning throughout the story. It was probably my favourite read this month.

The 10:40 Appointment at the NYC Derpartment of Superhero Registration by Chris Helper (Unidentified Funny Objects 8):

The title really gives it all away: a comedic superhero story.

The plot focuses on a doctor who, after suffering radiation from a flash pasteurizer, have gained the ability to heal himself by drinking milk. So, naturally, he wants to live out his childhood dream and applies for an international superhero license. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, though, and our protagonist have to struggle through the perils of modern bureaucracy to learn what it really means to be a hero.

The premise might be whimsical, but the story had me laughing all the way through and was surprisingly profound.

Sadly, I don’t have a link to the story, as it can only be found in the UFO 8 anthology (so here’s a link to the author’s website instead). If you like humorous SF&F, though, I can definitely recommend the anthology. As I’m writing this, I’m only four stories in, but each story has drawn smiles and chuckles from me. Sure, some of the stories have stronger plots than others and not every story will make the monthly recommendations. But so far this is one of the best magazines/anthologies I’ve read in years, so expect to see many recommendations for UFO 8 in the coming months.

That’s it for August. I’ll see you in the comments and in the September recommendations.