i've been reading a lot of speculative fiction lately esp from nightmare magazine. here are some hits i've read in the past few days:
57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides by Sam J. Miller
i love the list format of this story! i've been looking for stories that play with form, and the way this narrative loops around to the title thru a numbered list was very satisfying. the ending also kind of felt like a gut punch.
We, the Girls Who Did Not Make It by EA Petricone
a choral voice of a group of women murdered by two serial killers. i've noticed that this is a common mode for stories abt the victims of misogynistic violence - to bring them together into a group and have them speak almost as one. it works here, partially bc the story is so careful to individualize the women within the group even as they speak together. also was holding my breath for a lot of this story.
Bleed for Me, Bro by Sharang Biswas
what if you could reanimate ppl... what would that do for s&m.... i loved the premise omg.
The Sound of Children Screaming by Rachael K. Jones
gun violence portal fantasy. classrooms have portals that take hiding children to a magical world. really adored this one. kind of gave me chills if i'm being honest.
Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker
unconventional formats my beloved!! told through an entry on a website abt folk songs, with the different users arguing and sharing lore and researching the song.
Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island by Nibedita Sen
another unconventional format and my FAVORITE on this list. about a girl who's taken from her home by british colonizers who massacred her island. it's told through an annotated bibliography, and it's such a sharp story that plays with the idea of the Other and historical reality and how history is formed. it's beautifully written too. i read it twice and then sent it to my boyfriend to read.
takes place in germany after wwii and has maybe my favorite zombie i've ever come across. i'm not really into zombies so that's both saying a lot and very little.
The Life and Times of Alavira the Great as Written by Titos Pavlou and Reviewed by Two Lifelong Friends by Eugenia Triantafyllou
two friends duel it out thru what are basically goodreads reviews for a strange fantasy series. once again unconventional formats my beloved <3 <3 <3
Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Mae Prasad
such a sweet story about a robot who gets into an anime. i love stories abt fandom bc i'm so tumblr ig. IDC. i'm free.
Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers by Alyssa Wong
a woman goes on a terrible tinder date and turns the tables on her serial killer date. it gets crazier and more fun and more upsetting from there! another gut punch ending.
Angel, Monster, Man by Sam J. Miller
a group of gay men during the aids crisis invent a man using the writings of their dead friends and colleagues. he takes on a life of his own. it was a story filled with the rage and grief of its characters. also realizing this is the second sam j. miller on the list!
