Saturday 30 September 2017

100 Short Stories Challenge: Stories 1 to 10

Here is an overview of the first ten stories I read as part of my short story reading challenge. Remember, I've also been tweeting them under #ReadShortStories and anyone who wants to join in — even if they don't want to commit to reading as many stories — is more than welcome. The more the merrier.


  1. Dummies by Hon Lai-Chu, translated by Karen Curtis — a story of a city without facial expressions and dummies for matchmaking. Apparently this story was from a themed collection about different fictional cities and I can see how it would slot in well in that context. Source: https://paper-republic.org/pubs/read/dummies/ 
  2. You, an Accidental Astronaut by Sonja Natasha — lesbians and space travel. Flash. Source: http://mothershipzeta.org/2016/04/04/you-an-accidental-astronaut-by-sonja-natasha/
  3. Please Look After This Angel by Tansy Rayner Roberts — A story about an ordinary life which happens to intersect with an angel a few times. Source: Please Look After This Angel: and other winged stories by Tansy Rayner Roberts (available free to newsletter subscribers)
  4. The Raven & Her Victory by Tansy Rayner Roberts — a creepy, magical, Poe-inspired story about lesbians. Source: Please Look After This Angel: and other winged stories by Tansy Rayner Roberts (available free to newsletter subscribers)
  5. The Curse Is Come Upon Me Cried by Tansy Rayner Roberts — a weird story. A blend of fairytale, the modern world, Arthurian themes and horror. Source: Please Look After This Angel: and other winged stories by Tansy Rayner Roberts (available free to newsletter subscribers)
  6. Of War & Wings by Tansy Rayner Roberts — steampunk angel women fighting off alien invaders in a Blitz-like London (but set earlier than WWII). My favourite story of the collection. Gorgeous and terribly sad. Source: Please Look After This Angel: and other winged stories by Tansy Rayner Roberts (available free to newsletter subscribers)
  7. Dance, Princes, Dance by Tansy Rayner Roberts — fairytales and reporters and a lot of queer characters. Source: Sheep Might Fly podcast.
  8. Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers by Alyssa Wong — The story of a woman who eats dark thoughts and some of her relationships. Source: http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/hungry-daughters-of-starving-mothers/ 
  9. This is Not a Wardrobe Door by A. Merc Rustad — The perils of growing up on Earth in the context of traditional portal fantasies. Short and sweet and queer. Source: https://firesidefiction.com/issue29/chapter/this-is-not-a-wardrobe-door/
  10. Paradox by Naomi Kritzer — an amusing and entertaining, er, rant by a time traveller at the reader, or, I suppose, someone in a bar. Published this year, so I must remember to nominate it for a Hugo next year. Source: http://uncannymagazine.com/article/paradox/ (May/June 2017 Uncanny)

So I might be a little behind, but I'm not too worried about not meeting my goal yet. There's three months left and, well, short stories are short. It'll be fine *blasé hand wave*


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