Casual by Koji A. Dae – 4.7
Summary Casual is a near-future dystopian novel that follows Valya, a pregnant woman in her late twenties living in Old Sofia, as she navigates anxiety, depression, trauma, and difficult choices…
Handsomest Gentlest by M.R. Robinson – 4.6
Haven Spec Magazine, March 2025 This tender ghost story follows Jackie, an eleven-year-old boy who has recently died and finds himself alone in the woods. Frightened and grieving his own…
Firestarter by Dan Peacock – 3.5
Phano, May 2025 “Firestarter” is a poignant science fiction story about grief, guilt, and redemption set in Earth’s orbit. The narrator, Nick, works as a “firestarter”—a satellite technician whose job…
Babies Don’t Grow In People by Peter Nena – 3.6
Will This Be A Problem, Issue 2 In a dystopian future society called Jupiter, Acacia Sidai falls mysteriously ill with severe vomiting and fatigue. Medical androids, equipped with advanced bio-imaging…
The Nine Crashes of Flight Lieutenant Hilla Quinn by Louise Hughes – 3.4
Kaleidotrope, October 2025 Flight Lieutenant Hilla Quinn was once the best pilot in her division—someone who could outrun Wasps, survive near-fatal encounters, and make it home against all odds. But…
The Jealous Wives of the Sea by Alaya Dawn Johnson – 4.5
Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, 2025 In a post-apocalyptic future where rising seas have forced humanity into underwater cities called SeaCities, Oriana—a twenty-three-year-old settlement woman—travels to SeaCity Oranto to…
Steel Holds the Heat’s Memory by Rick Hollon – 3.6
Kaleidotrope, Summer 2025 A nameless girl travels with her father, a stage conjurer who performs under false names while teaching her the secrets of illusion. Their journey takes a dangerous…
Emilio’s Tale by Bruce McAllister – 3.8
Kaleidotrope, Spring, 2025 Twelve-year-old Emilio lives in a tiny fishing village on the Ligurian coast with his mother, a sex worker who refuses to identify his father. Emilio stands out…
Let the Gods Drown With Us by R.K. Duncan – 2.4
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, January 2026 In a dying coastal settlement called the narrow shore, the Favored—descendants of a people whose green land was drowned by the gods—cling to ritual and…
Cinder House – 4.5
Summary of Cinder House by Freya Marske Summary of Cinder House by Freya Marske Tordotcom Publishing, 2025 by Freya Marske This is a Cinderella retelling featuring a ghost, a cursed…