Every month I read a couple dozen or so short speculative fiction stories from 60+ publications in order to put together my monthly short SFF/H column. That’s a lot of reading! It’s always impossibly hard to narrow down to just my ten favorite pieces; if I had the time and energy, I’d do a massive list every month. So this year, instead of doing a best of list, I thought I’d put together a little collection of my alternates, one story from each month that I loved but that didn’t make my original spotlight. Let’s take a walk back through last year and some absolutely epic short fiction.
“Song of the Balsa Wood Bird” by Katherine Quevedo
Teenage Alondra joins her mother at the market where she encounters a carved figurine of Etsa, the ruler of birds. She wishes for a song from the jungle and when she gets it, she carries it in her heart forever. A short story about remembering who you are even as you become someone new. 2022 saw several short SFF publications shuttering or going on hiatus, including Fireside. Lucky for us, they gave us amazing stories all the way up to the end.
Fireside (January 2022)
“Small Town Androids Never Have Much Fun” by Peace Kathure Mundia
An android that looks like a young woman arrives in a small town. The locals aren’t sure what to make of her, until she jumps to their defense when aliens attack. Like the title says, this is a fun little story. As short as it is, Peace Kathure Mundia manages to squeeze in a lot of worldbuilding and character development.
Translunar Travelers Lounge (February 15, 2022; issue 6)
“Alistair Catfish” by Cindy Phan
A light yet engaging story about a “magical, wish-granting” catfish living in a water feature in an apartment complex. Colin is frustrated by the limitations on and rules around the way Alistair Catfish grants wishes, but not so frustrated as the catfish himself who has been waiting to be freed by Colin for ages now. If I had a wish, Cindy Phan would write another entry in the strange life of Alistair Catfish and his human wishers.
Luna Station Quarterly (March 2022; issue 49)
“The Heroine Kokofe” by Ife J. Ibitayo
On a distant planet, Kokofe prepares for the Agba ceremony. She must kill a demon to become an adult in her village, otherwise she’ll be banished forever. Ife J. Ibitayo takes readers along for the hunt. This is an exciting, intriguing blend of West African folkloric traditions and space-set science fiction.
Escape Pod (April 21, 2022; 833)
“Hoodie” by Tonya Liburd
““A hoodie is what a Soucouyant give birth to when she trick a Midnight Robber.” Or so Rose calls herself.” An orphan living on the streets offers songs in exchange for money. On one of her ramblings, she encounters a Moco Jumbie who unlocks a secret from her past. This story is rooted in West Indian folklore and traditions. It’s a visceral story with a fascinating hook.
Apex Magazine (May 2022; issue 131)
“An Atlas of Wandering Bones” by Kaitlin Tremblay
Kaitlin Tremblay’s gorgeously written story has been stuck in my brain for months. Rereading it for this spotlight has made me fall in love all over again. There isn’t much plot, per se, just descriptions of strange human bones and the locations where they were found, but the main draw is the vivid language. “They remained, steadfast and opulently weathered, impossible as it were…Known by the curses invoked in their name, the superstitions hallowed around them, the sermons written in worship, the wandering bones persisted before we could speak their name and will persist after the universe forgets to speak ours.”
Lackington’s (Spring 2022; issue 25)
“Still Life — A Review” by Guan Un
An art critic covers a hauntingly lifelike exhibit, with an ending that will leave you breathless. The exhibit, created by an eccentric artist, features the twelve Lost Girls, “young American women, all of differing background, [who] went missing without a trace. They are presumed to have been abducted.” One of those girls is the critic’s daughter, and seeing her looking so real and alive makes the critic feel like they are also part of the artist’s exhibit.
The Dread Machine (issue 2.2)
“The Karitela” by Io Carpiso
Twelve-year-old Miguel encounters a merchant who offers him a chance to get away from his chaotic homelife. But something is unusual about this merchant and his clients. This merchant trades in wishes, and the prices he charges are very high. A great story from a great writer.
Anathema (August 2022; issue 16)
“A Little More Kindness” by Prashanth Srivatsa
A caste-less laborer living in a space colony returns to Earth, the first in seven generations, with a photobot to record the illegal journey. They visit Delhi and the Taj Mahal, but all the while the laborer can’t stop thinking about Alekha, their daughter who was left behind on the colony and who was left alone for years while the photobot was being secretly built. A searing meditation on home and homelands and the way being in the diaspora can feel both connective and liminal.
Reckoning (September 18, 2022; issue 6)
“Old Solomon’s Eyes” by Cheryl S. Ntumy
“No one was surprised when Old Solomon’s eyes were taken. He was always turning them towards other people’s backyards and windows, stealing glances and sneaking peeks and seeing things he had no business seeing.” Two kids, Ludo and Bliss, decide to try and get them back, but instead they find something much, much worse. Like Old Solomon, they’ll never be the same. A story that will give you goosebumps.
FIYAH Literary Magazine (October 2022; issue 24)
“All Good Children, Come Out to Play” by Karlo Yeager Rodriguez
All Marta wanted for her birthday was a little space from her twin brother Lázaro. What she gets is his tragic death. One evening while playing in a cemetery, the ghosts of dead children surround Marta. Lázaro’s spirit comes to her rescue. The ending is one of my favorites of the year. It’s chilling and unexpected.
khōréō (November 2022; volume 2, issue 3)
“Curses and Cake” by Sara Beth Durst
Let’s end this on a cute note. Sara Beth Durst looks at monsters and magic, heroes and curses. After the Curse War, the curses the wizards left behind act as magical landmines, targeting innocent people with terrible consequences. Zette sets up a haven for the cursed who seek safety and respite from the throngs of do-gooder heroes trying to kill them and “save” the town. “Curses and Cake” is a sweet confection, not too sugary but with a homey feel that makes you want to savor it again and again.
Sunday Morning Transport (December 4, 2022)
Alex Brown is a Hugo-nominated and Ignyte award-winning critic who writes about speculative fiction, librarianship, and Black history. Find them on twitter (@QueenOfRats), instagram (@bookjockeyalex), and their blog (bookjockeyalex.com).
