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 … Continue reading Story Recommendations – August 2021
Story Recommendations – July 2021
So... July has been another slow month, both when it comes to the amount of short stories I managed to read and in regards to finding gems amongst those stories. I really should stop being surprised by this since it's the same issue every summer. Though, I still can't quite wrap my head around why … Continue reading Story Recommendations – July 2021
Story Recommendations – June 2021
June's short story recommendations are not only late, they also horrible short. And for that I'm sorry. I haven't had great luck with the stories I've read the last couple of weeks, but mostly, the short, late list is do my summer holiday. The holiday is coming to an end, though, so hopefully July's recommendations … Continue reading Story Recommendations – June 2021
Love and Monsters – Story Structure
Why story structure matters but isn't everything. In this essay, I’ll be looking at story structure and how it can work for or against a given story depending on how the author uses this tool. I’ll be using the Netflix movie Love and Monster as an example. I found it a fairly entertaining movie, but … Continue reading Love and Monsters – Story Structure
Story Recommendations – May 2021
Better late than never. Here are the story recommendations for May. Economic Principles of the Zombie Apocalypse by Wendy Nikel (DSF): I loved the concept of this story, where people are trying to just have a normal life and get by after the zombie apocalypse has hit. Which, of course, is exactly as difficult as … Continue reading Story Recommendations – May 2021
Story Recommendations April 2021
Most of my short story reading lately has focused on the value pack of Asimov's magazines I got for Christmas and my old favourite, Daily Science Fiction. So, not surprisingly, April's recommendations are all from those two magazines. I hope you'll enjoy the stories as much as I did. The End of the War by … Continue reading Story Recommendations April 2021
Story Recommendations – March 2021
And at the very last minute, here are my short story recommendations for March. And why not start out with one masters of speculative short fiction. Ken Liu. His second short story collection, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, came out about a year ago, and I've been listening to the audio book edition lately. … Continue reading Story Recommendations – March 2021
2021 Nebula Award Nominees
SFWA recently announced the nominees for the 2021 Nebula Award, and the lists look very exciting. Susanna Clarke and N.K. Jemisin who've published some of the best books I've read in recent years are both nominated in the best novel category. And for once only half the nominees in the novella category were published at … Continue reading 2021 Nebula Award Nominees
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 … Continue reading Story Recommendations February 2021
2020 Locus Recommended Reading List
To anyone who's interested in even more reading recommendations, including everything from short stories to novels, Locus is out with their 2020 recommended reading list, here. The list highlights some of the best fantasy, science fiction, and horror to come out during the last year. You can also vote for your favorite speculative stories for … Continue reading 2020 Locus Recommended Reading List
Toby Backman 