It’s time for the last set of story recommendations for the year, just in time for the holidays. A I bring you very strong setup.
I finally got around to reading some of last stories Daily Science Fiction are going to publish (for now, at least), and, of course, I found a few golden nuggets including First Dates and Other Action Items which is probably my favorite piece of flash fiction from 2022.
On top of that, I bring you some very different but also excellent stories from two magazines I should probably read more often: Metastellar and Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Drunkard’s Walk by James Enge (Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, no. 5&6 2021):
This was a strange and somewhat creepy mystery involving math based magic.
The protagonist stumbles into a village that is somehow caught in a inter-dimensional loop which prevents anyone there from leaving. The village is running out of food and, more importantly for the protagonist, alcohol as well, so they have to find the answer to the mystery soon. Together with a mathematically gifted boy, the protagonist sets out to do just that.
This wasn’t the kind of story that offered much in the sense of theme or deeper meaning, but that aside, it was great entertainment. The mystery had me hooked all the way through, the math-based magic was an interesting touch, and Enge did a masterful job when it came to creating the story world and setting the tone.
The village felt eerie and real despite the absurdity of the situation and the people living there.
First Dates and Other Action Items by Jenn Reese (DSF):
I loved the comedic tone which was established right from the start as Reese shows and exaggerated version of a stressful IT office where the boss is a danger to be avoided.
The prose does stretch from exaggerated for comedic effect to down-right overwritten. But then the author makes a comeback with writing like this: ‘Tara is already pouring sludgy black liquid into her “Debug or Die” mug, which has become an un-ironic witchery in recent days.’ That both had me laughing and also painted an all to familiar and real image of the work space occupied by the MC and their colleagues.
This was a sweet love story, a bitter reminder of how corporate workplaces will devour you whole if you let them, and a hilarious read.
After the War by Karl El-Koura (DSF):
The opening feels a little clunky even if the staccato sentences and initial confusion makes perfect sense in the context of the story. Once you move past the first paragraph or two, though, the prose becomes much smoother and the story quickly proves itself to be worth reading .
The MC is recovered after their spaceship was blown up. However, they are not sure which side of the war they were fighting picked them up, and the wrong word could get them thrown out into the coldness of space as quickly as they were picked up.
It’s quick little tale about the pointlessness of war and the trivial little differences that pit humans against one another.
Disgruntled by Sam Pisciotta (Metastellar):
This was one of the funiest stories I’ve read all year.
It’s the story of one very disgruntled subscriber to the Spells and Hexes Monthly email list. Attempting to make her husband more attentive, the MC followed several of the spelsl she received as part of her subscription. Without reveraling too much, things didn’t go as she had planned. In fact, she ends up killing her husband, and things just go down hill from there.
That’s all from me. I hope you’ll enjoy the stories above and that you will have a great transition to 2023.
Toby Backman 