This latest story from Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space) hits that "Time" part and presses fast-forward rather than rewind, "The Dead Pirate's Cave." In it, a young woman and a young man are both held captive by pirates, the woman because her father was the only person whose blood was cleared for … Continue reading Sunday Shorts—The Dead Pirate’s Cave by Soumya Mukherjee
short stories
Sunday Shorts—Make My Bread by Sarah Caulfield
This tale, found in A Few More Winter Tales, is more of the sad and sorrowful 'A Christmas Carol' sort, and it, too features a ghost. It begins with a Midwife, Kelby, calling for a bone collector, Rusalka, to come to her village and deal with a man who is wandering about in spirit form … Continue reading Sunday Shorts—Make My Bread by Sarah Caulfield
Sunday Shorts—A Smuggler’s Pact by Su Haddrell
If there's a single complaint I could make against Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space), it's this: I want more. That's faint criticism, though, and makes me want to check out other authors, including Su Haddrell, which brings me to "A Smuggler's Pact." Here we meet a pirate captain's mate, a woman who … Continue reading Sunday Shorts—A Smuggler’s Pact by Su Haddrell
Sunday Shorts—The Patchwork Girl by Evelyn Deshane
This story, from We Shall Be Monsters, is so intrinsically queer and—something I freaking adore—queerly empowering that I basically fell in love from pretty much the get-go. From the nonbinary lead POV, to the slow revelations of the narrative, this is a contemporary fantasy with the perfect amount of magic and fantasy to counter the … Continue reading Sunday Shorts—The Patchwork Girl by Evelyn Deshane
Sunday Shorts—Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky
As someone who writes contemporary spec-fic, I'm a little embarrassed to admit it took me almost until the end of this short story from Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction to spot the science fiction. The story here is a woman visiting her niece on her niece's birthday, bringing a present, and being very nervous as … Continue reading Sunday Shorts—Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky
Sunday Shorts—Rib of Man by Geonn Cannon
Found in Scourge of the Seas of Time (And Space), "Rib of Man" reads like the start of an adventure, and while it did make me wish there was more, that's not meant to be a criticism. We meet a pirate captain heading her crew back to port after what has been a successful streak, … Continue reading Sunday Shorts—Rib of Man by Geonn Cannon