I don’t know if I’ll get a second roundup in this month or not, but at the mid-point of February here are my recommendations.
Futurefire had a banner issue. All the stories are worth a read.
These are my favorites: Vanessa Fogg’s Before We Drown, Marie Vibbert’s poem Return to the Cities, and Jennifer R. Donahue’s Every Quivering Fold of Flesh.
Another story by Vanessa Fogg appears in Lightspeed: An Address to the Newest Disciples of the Lost Words
The story echoes Sofia Samatar’s style but Vanessa’s voice and hope make this story wholly original. ‘An Address’ is lyrical, evocative, and creates a rich future history. A lovely and impressive piece I think deserves serious ballot consideration.
Every Next Day, by Rebecca Burton at Translunar Traveler’s Lounge
A different take on a familiar heartbreaking story. It will break your heart in a different and better way.
Gentle Dragon Fires, by T. K Rex and Lezlie Kinyon at Strange Horizons
This is a complex story that envelops you in another place. The setting is voice. Poetic. “She chants the taste of blackberries…”
We are the Moor by Sylvia Heike at new publication Haven Speculative
A haunting little story, in which I mean both haunting and little in the best possible ways.
Somewhens, by Mari Ness at Kaleidotrope
A flash piece with that Weird Fiction vibe I like. A story about guilt it captures what it means to suffer from tragic guilt.
Ascenkins Roots also at Haven Speculative
A terrific poem by Ai Jiang.
Kevin J. Fellows 