As glad as I am to see the last of 2024, I’m also not exactly looking forward to 2025. So let’s stay here in the cozy liminal space of transition a little longer, shall we? It may be January, but I’m here to shout about ten excellent short science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories I read from December (and a couple from November and October that I missed). We’ve got monsters, murder, and queer angst.
“A Book Is a Map, a Bed Is a Country” by Angel Leal
Our narrator’s tío has a book that changes as he ages. When the narrator is little, the book is made of water and later plants; it is fluid and changing, growth and turmoil. Later it becomes a map of all the places tío has been and cannot let go of. As the narrator points out, tío can’t seem to get a firm grasp on living, instead slipping into the wildness and passion of youth and the stillness and contemplation of age. He cannot live his life as it’s happening. A bittersweet story about drowning in memories, dreams, and searching. (Uncanny—November/December 2024; #61)
“Cold, Unmoving Stone” by Emlyn Meredith Dornemann
Two beings stalk each other across time. “I think I was born in you. The first dream of yours I remember was one where you were your childhood dog. The you that wasn’t you was playing fetch with the you that was the dog. I was a river in the park.” It takes a bit to get settled into the looping, staccato text, but I love the way Emlyn Meredith Dornemann mirrors the uncomfortable intimacy of the premise in the structure and narrative style. Sometimes we are our own worst nightmare. (Trollbreath—Winter 2024; #2)
“Euonym” by Ria Hill
“Names are precious things, but you’ve never been dear with yours.” Our narrator has a name that doesn’t fit them. It lives in a little box inside their chest, ill-fitting and temperamental. Until one day someone offers to find them one that fits better. This story asks the reader “who are you, really?” One of the best parts about figuring out I was queer—genderqueer, asexual, aromantic—was letting go of all those names and descriptions other people had put on me and discovering new ones. And coupled with that, the discovery of other people with their own new names offering care and compassion instead of rigidity and rules. (Inner Worlds—November 2024; #5)
“The House Guest” by Archita Mittra
Rosa, the young daughter of our narrator, finds a kraken and brings it home. Our narrator struggles with this new addition at first. She’s still grappling with the violence and abuse heaped on her by her husband and the void he left behind when he finally abandoned them for the sea. As the kraken grows, it becomes a part of the family in a lovely way. Archita Mittra’s cozy monster fantasy was a warm hug on a chilly day. I hope she writes more in this world in the future. It’s very compelling. (Luna Station Quarterly—December 2024; #60)
“Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure” by KÁNYIN Olorunnisola
I’m a huge fan of short fiction that breaks all the rules of short fiction. This one is written like a transcript from a video game, down to the DOS-esque font. The game gives you several scenarios (which reference real-world police killings of Black people) and the same set of responses to choose from. Yet even though you think you have a choice in how to respond, you really don’t. This is hard satire that digs into not only police brutality but the response to it by white people, both liberal and conservative. Let the name of the game be a clue as to what you’re going to get with this brilliant entry. (khōréō—Winter 2024; #4.4)
“Local Extinction Hotline” by Jason Baltazar
A listener to a local radio station calls in to a show where the host reads off lists of extinct animals and how they died. The listener and the host strike up a conversation that turns personal. Turns out the listener has a personal extinction of their own in the form of a dead partner. Seeking kinship, the two people bond over radio waves. What I liked most about this story was how little description there is outside the dialogue. We know nothing about what these people look like, where they are, nothing. It’s an entire story of dialogue, yet it works. I felt like I was right there with the listener and the host like a fly on the wall. (Bourbon Penn—December 2024; #34)
“The Night Market” by Chinelo Onwualu
Drake may have been born on Earth, but he’s spent his life in space. He was a child soldier whose love of gardening was beaten out of him. Now he tends a garden and pines after Bella, a beautiful Acolyte who longs to be something other than who she is. The two sneak off to visit the Night Market. He detests its “filthy pathways were a churn of mud and garbage and it smelled like a mix of oozing sewage and the oily clog of fried and roasted fish,” but Bella thrives in its chaos and intensity. A great story with action and heart. The world Chinelo Onwualu has crafted is really interesting and makes me want to learn more. (Omenana—December 2024; #10)
“Paid Time Off” by L.M. Guay
The employees of SLVTN wear their PTO as beads growing out of their skin. The more growths they have, the more they can demonstrate to the Powers That Be their commitment to the job. Our narrator can never seem to please the higher ups enough, until one day they’ve had enough. Collective action is the best action. L.M. Guay’s story takes a sharp and insightful look at labor exploitation hustle culture. And if that wasn’t enough enticement, the stunning cover art by Nickolej Villiger is inspired by this story. I want a print of this cover, seriously, it’s that fantastic. (Hexagon—Winter 2024; #19)
“Sailor Moon Is Tired of Fighting Evil” by Angela Liu
I was not an anime kid, but I remember being intrigued by Sailor Moon on the rare occasions I encountered it on TV. If I was more of a fan, I’d probably get more of the references in here, but even as a casual viewer I still got a kick out of this story. The premise is exactly what the title says: Sailor Moon is tired of fighting evil. She dreams of traveling to distant lands and being someone normal. Or maybe just someone who gives into her violent impulses more. (Hex Literary—December 17, 2024)
“What Kind of Monster are You?” by Tina S. Zhu
Despite this being very short, I enjoyed the choose-your-own-adventure style Tina S. Zhu employed. The story opens with a little girl who wakes up one day to find she has “scales on your legs and snakes in your hair.” She’s sent to the doctor and encounters a fork in the road of life. She can have the scales removed and live a normal if uneventful life of someone else’s choosing, let herself become a monster who shuns all humanity and responsibility, or something in between. What do you want to be? A monster to others, a monster to yourself, or both? (Baffling—October 2024; #17)
