Author Archives: Ben

February Reads, Part 1

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Ben

Forgiveness, by Leah Cypress (Asimovs February) is a thoughtful and well-characterised YA story of relationship violence, and the impact on the mental state of the victim. It’s a smart, emotionally complicated story. The Sound of Useless Wings by Cecil Castellucci (tor.com) … Continue reading →

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January stats

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Ben

Just in case anyone is interested, a couple of stats. During January, we recorded 213 short stories published in the venues we follow. Of those, I’ve read or partly read 73. The distribution of my scores for the stories I’ve … Continue reading →

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January Reads, Part 3

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Ben

I enjoyed Headwater LLC, by Sequoia Nagamatsu (Lightspeed), a sad fantasy story about a young girl who discovers a group of mythic creatures and winds up being the cause of their enslavement. Gentle and well-characterised, with some nice fantasy touches. … Continue reading →

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January Reads, Part 2

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Ben

The Apartment Dweller’s Bestiary by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld) is a list of imaginary pets, pests and other creatures that share the apartments of people. It’s not so much a story as it is a snapshot of various moments and feelings. … Continue reading →

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January Reads Part 1

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Ben

So it’s the new year! Welcome to 2015, gentle reader. (/s?)   Here are a couple of stories I’ve enjoyed in the very early stages of the year.   Ninety-Five Percent Safe by Caroline Yoachim (Asimovs January) A sad YA-feeling … Continue reading →

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Posted on October 27, 2014 by Ben

*tap tap* Is this blog still working? It’s been a while, right? Is anyone still following it, or did you all lose it when bloglines shut? I’ve suddenly found myself reading short fiction again, after a long break. So I … Continue reading →

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Is it May already then?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Ben

How time flies! I intended to post an update once a month but a couple of months seem to have flown by. In any case, here are a few of the stories I’ve enjoyed since my last post:   Stiltskin… … Continue reading →

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Stories I have liked

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Ben

Well the year is marching on, and as usual the January-March reading started slowly. But I have nevertheless come across a few stories that I would recommend: Ernesto… Alec Nevala-Lee (Analog March) Murder Born… Robert Reed (Asimovs February) The Angry … Continue reading →

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Pleased to meet you how’s by you nice talking with you keep in touch

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Ben

Oh hello, I didn’t see you there. Well it’s been a few months since I rejoined the LSS crew (as they’re colloquially known when sailing or beatboxing) and I suppose it’s about time I did an introductory post. My aims … Continue reading →

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