On earth, in heaven, and within, Three wars to lose, three wars to win. Cut the path. Mark the days. Turn the tides. Three tasks before the season dies: Turn rotten fruit to flower, Slay the god-bride still unloved, Press the son to fell the sire. Victory then to the Carrion King who in winning
Only five Hugo-nominated short stories reviewed this year; Baoshu’s “Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times” is another Chinese-language work, and I haven’t been able to locate a copy of the translated version. Hit me up if you know where to find this, since it sounds interesting. The other five entries cover a wide range of
The ghoul choked out, “I didn’t know you were a…” “Say it.” Kai smiled. “…a demon.” “You idiot.” Kai leaned closer to whisper, “I’m the demon.” Kaiisteron – Prince of the Fourth House of the underearth, of the tent of Kentdessa Saredi – wakes up in a glass coffin in an underground, underwater chamber, with
“While Earth’s children live, the enemy shall fear us.” Kyr (Valkyr to, well, not her friends, since she doesn’t actually have any), has been raised to be the perfect soldier. One of the last of the genetically-tailored Warbreed, she’s faster, stronger, and a better fighter than almost everyone else on Gaea Station (the last holdout
Two of this year’s Hugo-nominated novellas are included in one short story collection, (Adventures in Space (Short stories by Chinese and English Science Fiction Writers). Both stories also feature Earth’s attempt to seed life on another planet, but in completely different ways. Neither attempt goes to plan, and it’s left up to the reader to
“Men find it easier to believe they have been swindled by a witch than outwitted by a woman.” From the grand storytelling tradition of Sinbad the Sailor comes Shannon Chakraborty’s Medieval-era tale of Amina al-Sirafi. Sailor, adventurer, pirate, witch. Famous and infamous (depending on who you talk to) for her ability to fight, explore, steal,
“I’m going home to the Singing Hills abbey…” Nghi Vo’s latest installment in the Singing Hills Cycle is a bit of a departure from the previous novellas. Cleric Chih isn’t travelling to an exotic location to collect new stories. Instead, they’re returning to the Singing Hills abbey to be reunited with their old friend Cleric
…she didn’t know what had happened to the stranger either, but she found her inclination was that he hadn’t dropped off the edge of the settlement into the featureless and crushing gasses of the planet. Or at least, if he had, it hadn’t been by choice. Humanity has been transplanted to space in Malka Older’s
The last three of the 2024 Hugo-nominated novelettes go from dystopian to near-utopian (with a lot of work from devoted neighbors), to a fantasy set in the outskirts of the jazz area. I AM AI – Ai Jiang My hands shake at the prospect of finally getting rid of the one thing outside of my