Three Short Story Recommendations

I've been a little busy and haven't been keeping up with my usual speculative fiction magazines. This means my reviews/recommendations have been lacking as of late. However, there are three speculative fiction short stories that I've bought for my Kindle that I would like to recommend. Two of them can be had for 99 cents apiece and the third is free! I have rated them all 5 stars at Amazon.

1. Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast by Eugie Foster
My Amazon Review: Wow... Shocking, disturbing, stunning, brilliant. This is a story that cannot be described in words other than its own. You must read it to understand.

Further Thoughts: This is a story that stayed with me for several days after reading it. It is all of the things I wrote in my Amazon review and so much more. I still cannot come up with sufficient words to explain or describe it; it simply must be read. I had read a few of Eugie Foster's stories before this and felt that she could easily become one of my favorite short story authors. This work made it happen. It is no surprise that this story won the  2009 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.

2. Cryoskip's Footprints by Jason G. Anderson
My Amazon Review: Action-Packed and Gritty Tale This is the second story I've read from Mr. Anderson's Atomic Wasteland Tales (the other being The Outsider). I have to say, I really enjoyed The Outsider but I was completely absorbed by Cryoskip's Footprints. It has everything one could want in a story: action, mystery, suspense, sorrow and an ending that is hopeful but uncertain (laying the groundwork for a sequel which I would read in a heartbeat).

I've downloaded his novel, Gears of Wonderland, and am interested to see how he writes in a different genre but as far as post-apocalyptic science fiction goes, Mr. Anderson is a master. I look forward to further installments in this series.

Further Thoughts: I have since read Gears of Wonderland and it is fantastic. Mr. Anderson only has a handful of works currently available but he is a writer to watch! He has a new science fiction novel in the works called On Ice which I will definitely be buying as soon as it's available.

3. Island Ghosts: A Will Castleton Adventure by David Bain
My Amazon Review: A Quick, Thrilling Read  I'd read one story by David Bain previously and enjoyed it so when I saw that this was free I grabbed it. Despite being a very short story, this quick and thrilling read manages to flesh out the characters quite nicely, something that is often lacking in shorter fiction. It's also a great introduction to Will Castleton. He's a character that intrigues me; after such a brief glimpse I want to know more about him. I'll definitely be picking up the other stories in the series. 5 Stars.

Further Thoughts: David Bain is just a fun writer, plain and simple: irreverent, unpredictable, occasionally offensive, and one who makes me laugh out loud while reading. He has a smart, casual style that makes it easy to keep the pages turning.

I hope you choose to check out some or all of these stories. If you have any short story recommendations, I'd love to hear about them. Leave a comment below!

Best,
Michael

Review: "Requiem Duet, Concerto for Flute and Voodoo"by Eugie Foster

     Over at Daily Science Fiction "Requiem Duet, Concerto for Flute and Voodoo" by Eugie Foster can now be read. Daily Science Fiction sends a free story to your inbox every day. A week after that the story is available on the website. So, I have waited until now to review "Requiem Duet...."

A Reboot

     Well, anyone who's visited my blog in the past (all three or four of you) will notice that all previous content has been removed. This is because I am rebooting the blog and returning to a focus on speculative fiction (meaning science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc.) I mostly write science fiction but have written a few stories in the other genres.

     In this blog I will discuss my writing, writing in general, great stories and books that I read as well as the business of publishing fiction (or difficulty that lies therein).