The Best Free Short Speculative Fiction of 2022

 

Image Credit: mskathrynne at Pixabay

Welcome to my fourth annual Best Free Short Speculative Fiction list! I saw some success in my own short story writing accomplishments this year. Dark Recesses Press published both “The Grotesque Truth” on the web in February and my flash fiction “With Teeth” in the October print edition. Paradox Ghost Press published my sci-fi horror short “One Hundred Million Mouths” in its October issue of Bleed Error and my story “His Hands May Be Dirty, But His Brain Is Freshly Washed” was published in the December issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly. As all writers should, I spent just as much time reading the past twelve months as I did crafting my own work. My tastes still dwell in the darker corners of genre fiction so with that in mind, I highly recommend the following ten best free speculative short stories of 2022. They’re all available to read at the links below.

 

Beyond the Shore

In a future where viruses have nearly wiped out all humanity, one doctor must face the possibility that extinction is not just inevitable, but enviable. Writer Tania Fordwalker’s melancholy tale can be found in the November issue of Lightspeed.

 

Charlie Eats the Paper Gods

This fun little tale tells of a kindergartener’s belief in and ultimate proof of a mischievous deity who wreaks havoc on the exclusive private school he attends. Author H.L. Fullerton’s vivid picture of religious inclusivity meeting all-powerful reality is found in the Fall issue of Underland Arcana.

 

Sharp Things, Killing Things

This story about small town bullies being haunted by their past cuts deep. Work by author A.C. Wise can be found in most of the top genre lit mags on the market, but this one in the October issue of Nightmare might be my favorite. 

 

Sweetbaby

Author Thomas Ha made my list last year and he’s done it again with this sci-fi tale found in the October issue of Clarkesworld. It’s got interplanetary travel, rebellious robots, monstrous siblings - rebirth has never felt so dismal.

 

Bramblewilde

This short story by author Jordan Taylor could be taken as a prequel to the traditional three witches in a cottage trope. I think any fan of fairy tale witches will enjoy it and it’s found in the July/August issue of Uncanny.

 

To Build Eternity, With Bones

This tale by Gunnar De Winter grabs you with its opening sentence and refuses to let go. A necromancer spurs her crew across the icy sea toward a dark purpose only she can understand and only she is likely to survive in the May issue of The Deadlands.

 

Beginnings

Kristina Ten is another author who showed up on my 2021 list and is back with a story in the April issue of Fantasy. This sad all-too-real tale of toxic masculinity and a lack of acceptance of otherness is sweetened with just the right amount of poetic magic to make it go down like honey followed by a sting.

 

The Bear Across the Way

Fellow Atlanta-based writer Emily Rigole’s first published story landed in one of the best online markets out there and for good reason. Published in PseudoPod 801, this tale of an unusual neighbor brought down by mistrust and deceit hits hard given some of the top news stories of the day.

 

Seven Vampires: A Judge Dee Mystery

Lavie Tidhar’s latest tale of his vampire detective Judge Dee was published in February at Tor.com. Two of his earlier stories made my list last year. This time the Judge and his steadfast human companion Jonathan are escaping Paris with a pack of vampires who wind up murdered one by one. It’s up to the Judge to determine who is behind the deeds and why.

 

To People Who’d Never Known Good

I try to spread the praise across a wide selection of authors in my year-end reviews, but sometimes a writer is so good he/she/they need to be mentioned twice. Thomas Ha delivers again with a tale in the February issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies. This story of a mother and son who protect planets from plant-like monsters that poison everything their tentacles touch feels like Jeff VanderMeer taking a shot at writing an extended Star Wars universe episode. I loved it.

 

If any of these stories entertain you, you can find more like them at these 20 websites.

https://www.3lobedmag.com/

https://apex-magazine.com/

https://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/

http://thedarkmagazine.com/

https://darkmattermagazine.com/

https://thedeadlands.com/

https://www.diabolicalplots.com/

https://escapepod.org/

https://ethereamagazine.com

https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/

http://www.kaleidotrope.net/

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

https://magazine.metaphorosis.com/

http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/

http://pseudopod.org/

http://www.strangehorizons.com/

https://www.tor.com/

https://uncannymagazine.com/

https://www.underlandarcana.com/

Five Times the Screen Version of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Character Was Clearly Superior (and five times it wasn’t)

 

Photo Credit: Matt Handle

I finished the first book in author Andrzej Sapowski’s Witcher Saga, The Last Wish over the weekend. As I read it one thing that jumped out at me is that while the Netflix series tends to stick pretty close to the storylines and characters in the book, I like Henry Cavill’s stoic version of the sword-wielding hero better than the original. The version in the book is more talkative, even friendly at times and some of the literary version’s dialogue is so old fashioned it’s downright corny. Try this line on for size: “Thank you for the spread. A hundred thanks, dear host. And now, if you permit, we’ll get down to business.” Ugh. The quieter, meaner screen version is more my speed. It got me thinking. Which other screen versions of sci-fi/fantasy characters are superior to their originals and more common, which screen versions are disappointments?

 

Five Times the Screen Version of a Character Was Clearly Superior

Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) – Why speak when a simple grunt will do? The Netflix version of the white-haired Witcher lets his sword do most of the talking and I think the character is better for it. It’s not that I don’t appreciate dialogue. It’s just that Cavill’s gritty portrayal of the main character is less traditional and therefore more compelling than the version that shows up in the first book of the series.

Rick Deckard (Blade Runner) – Harrison Ford’s portrayal of nihilistic bounty hunter Rick Deckard remains one of my favorite film characters ever, but if you read the source material, Phillip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? You’ll find a much weaker man who’s more focused on obtaining the perfect pet rather than falling in love with his beautiful replicant target.

Missandei (Game of Thrones) – Say what you will about the storylines of the later seasons of this huge hit show, but one thing they definitely got right was the expanded role of Daenerys’s counselor, Missandei. The book series depicts this slave-turned-interpreter as younger and of minor importance, but the HBO show really fleshed out the character and made her a fan favorite.

William Cage (Edge of Tomorrow) – Translating Japanese manga to an American film doesn’t work all that often. As evidence, see Ghost in the Shell below. However Tom Cruise’s version of the hero known as Keiji Kiriya in the source material All You Need is Kill outshines the original as more heroic and with a more satisfying character arc.

Camina Drummer (The Expanse) – My favorite character from the recent sci-fi series The Expanse was “Belter”, rebel, and eventual ship captain, Camina Drummer. Played by actress Cara Gee, the show expanded (pun intended!) the role to combine several different characters from the novels in order to streamline the story. This allowed Gee more screen-time and made the series that much more fun.

 

Five Times It Wasn’t

Major (Ghost in the Shell) – Casting Caucasian American actress Scarlett Johansson as the Japanese cyborg protagonist set off plenty of alarm bells before the 2017 film version of the manga series arrived and rightfully so. Johansson has a solid action hero track record, but she was badly miscast here and the movie suffered as a result.

Abraham Van Helsing (Van Helsing) – You can’t blame Hugh Jackman for the lousy script, but you can blame him for accepting a lousy role when he clearly wasn’t hurting for money. You know those X-Men paychecks were nice. Jackman plays an action hero version of Bram Stoker’s famous vampire hunter in this poorly conceived and largely forgettable 2004 film.

Walter (The Dark Tower) – Plenty went wrong with the 2017 adaptation of the first book in Stephen King’s classic dark fantasy series, but one of the film’s worst sins was casting Matthew McConaughey as the villain. McConaughey has done plenty of great work over the course of his career, but if you enjoyed the novels, I bet he isn’t the evil wizard you imagined.

Duncan Idaho (Dune) – No, I’m not knocking Jason Mamoa’s portrayal of the loyal Atreides warrior in the 2021 version of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi tale. I’m still laughing about the 1984 version where Richard Jordan played the part. Jordan may have been handsome and slick, but a fearless badass? I don’t think so.

Moreau and Montgomery (The Island of Dr. Moreau) – And finally I couldn’t choose which portrayal was worse, so I’m awarding a tie to Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer for their awful performances in the 1996 version of the H.G. Wells classic tale of medical malpractice, genetic mayhem, and murder. Both are remarkable actors, but if you believe the stories of the troubled production of this film neither actor wanted to be there and it shows.

The Best Free Short Speculative Fiction of 2021

 

Image Credit: Enrique Meseguer at Pixabay

Welcome to my third annual Best Free Short Speculative Fiction list! In regard to my personal writing accomplishments, 2021 was another period of minor victories but still no major breakthrough. My flash fiction piece “The Stony Gaze of Eternity” can be found in the new horror anthology 99 Tiny Terrors alongside stories by authors Cat Rambo, Seanan McGuire, Scott Edelman, Meg Elison, and more. I also sold a story entitled “Children of the Moon” that will come out next year. My tastes still dwell in the realms of horror and darker/grittier sci-fi and fantasy so with that in mind, if you’re looking for more stories to read, I highly recommend the following ten. They’re all free to read and every one of them is excellent. Here is my list of the best free speculative short stories published in 2021.

 

Orla, Always

I’ve read and enjoyed multiple short stories written by Thomas Ha this year. All of them are dark, otherworldly, and thoroughly engrossing. This tale in the latest issue of Metaphorosis explores how far a father will go to save his only child from a horrific disease and death.

 

White Ribbon, Grey Fur

Uncharted is a welcome new entry in the short story market and this twisted tale of living through a deadly epidemic in a world that’s both similar yet weirdly different from our own by Marisca Pichette hits particularly hard given our current COVID plight.

 

The Lonely Box

The Fall issue of Underland Arcana features this melancholy piece of flash fiction by Manfred Gabriel. I think anyone familiar with the heartache of seeing relationships die as time marches past can relate.

 

Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre

Combine Dracula with Sherlock Holmes and what do you get? It might be something like author Lavie Tidhar’s character, Judge Dee. This tale found on the Tor website of a vampire detective and his long-suffering human familiar Jonathan is highly entertaining and will leave you wanting more.

 

The Nature of Things in Motion

A single-minded robot in post-apocalyptic America befriends a curious boy, doing its best to protect him to the (very) bitter end. Marlan K. Smith paints a dark picture of mindless industry and the fragility of man in the premier issue of Etherea Magazine.

 

We Will Weather One Another Somehow

This tragic sci-fi tale by writer Kristina Ten will ring especially true for anyone who has watched a loved one suffer from a debilitating illness. Poignant and touching, it can be found in the June issue of Diabolical Plots.

 

Brightly, Undiminished

This tale of mourning and magic by Sarah Grey was published in the March issue of Lightspeed Magazine. I don’t know if so many of my picks this year are sad and reflective because of my feelings about the pandemic or because so many great writers out there felt much the same, but this story fits right in.

 

Cleaver, Meat, and Block

Maria Haskins’ post-apocalyptic tale of a young woman coming to terms with the cannibalistic murder of her family is harrowing in a way few short stories can manage. Originally published in 2020 by Black Static, it is available for free in PseudoPod 745.

 

Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels

That’s right, author Lavie Tidhar and Tor.com not only earned two places on my list; they did it with the same characters. I can’t get enough of vampire detective Judge Dee’s adventures with his sidekick Jonathan. I could easily picture this becoming an animated series on Netflix or HBO Max in the near future. Sign up Tim Burton to direct, Johnny Depp to voice the judge, and I’m ready to binge watch!

 

Mr. Death

And finally this tale of a harbinger of the afterlife and the moral quandary he must face written by Alix E. Harrow and published in the resurrected Apex Magazine hit me right in the feels. I challenge you to finish this one dry-eyed.

 

If you enjoyed these stories and want to find more great short fiction, check out these 20 websites.

 

https://apex-magazine.com/

https://www.apparitionlit.com/

http://arsenika.ink/

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/

http://thedarkmagazine.com/

https://darkmattermagazine.com/

https://thedeadlands.com/

https://www.diabolicalplots.com/

https://www.dreamofshadows.co.uk/

https://ethereamagazine.com

http://www.kaleidotrope.net/

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

https://magazine.metaphorosis.com/

http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/

http://pseudopod.org/

http://www.strangehorizons.com/

https://www.tor.com/

https://uncannymagazine.com/

https://www.unchartedmag.com/

https://www.underlandarcana.com/

The Best Free Short Speculative Fiction of 2019

Image Credit: Blackrabbitkdj at Pixabay

As another year comes to a close I look back on it with the pleasure of knowing I’m 25,000 words into writing an occult detective novel that I really like, but also with the knowledge I could and should have written more. I knocked out a few short stories on the side, but I only managed to sell one, “The Money Changer”, to The Weird and Whatnot. Of course just because I didn’t publish much doesn’t mean others didn’t produce a ton of great stories. Keeping in mind that my taste runs toward horror and darker/grittier sci-fi and urban fantasy, here is my list of the best free speculative short stories published in 2019. Grab a beverage, find a comfortable seat, click the free links and enjoy.

Dislocation Space

Published just a few weeks ago on Tor.com, author Garth Nix’s Stalin-era tale of a Russian assassin forced to go on a strange mission does a great job of building suspense.

No Folly of the Beast

Wren Wallis shares a tale that’s equal parts Moby Dick and Pirates of the Caribbean in the November issue of Mithila Review.

Polaroid, 1979

All three stories (and narrated recordings) available in PseudoPod 668 are fun, but my favorite is the second one on the page by Lora Gray. It’s my kind of creepy.

Daughters of Silt and Cedar

The Autumn 2019 issue of Kaleidotrope includes this dark fairy tale written by Rebecca Mix that tells of a young girl abandoned in the swamp only to find a strange new family to call her own.

It Is Not So, It Was Not So

Megan Arkenberg’s ghost story takes some interesting twists and turns. It was published in the August 2019 issue of Dark Magazine.

Body and Soul

Filip Wiltgren’s short sci-fi tale of love and loss was published in July 2019 by Daily Science Fiction.

Threnody for the Little Girl, with Tuna, at the End of the World

I’m cheating a bit since this wonderful piece by Seanan McGuire was first published on her Patreon site in 2016, but to my knowledge, the first time it was offered for free was in the July 2019 issue of Nightmare Magazine.

Black Matter

PseudoPod published some great short horror this year. This tale of a grisly plane crash investigation was included in Pod 655 and was written by Vivian Shaw.

All the Hidden Places

Author Cadwell Turnbull tells the story of a father and daughter trying to survive a post-apocalypse world in the March 2019 issue of Nightmare Magazine.

Burrowing Machines

This tale of a subterranean menace in London was written by Sara Saab and published in the February 2019 issue of Dark Magazine. 

If you enjoyed these tales, you might want to check out the host of websites I reviewed when I made this list. I bet you’ll find even more to enjoy.

https://www.apparitionlit.com/

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/

https://dailysciencefiction.com/

http://thedarkmagazine.com/

http://escapepod.org/

https://everydayfiction.com/

https://flashfictionmagazine.com/

http://www.kaleidotrope.net/

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

https://mithilareview.com/

http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/

http://pseudopod.org/

http://www.strangehorizons.com/

https://www.tor.com/

https://uncannymagazine.com/

Review: Blade Runner 2049

Image Credit: Matt Handle

Hollywood churns out large amounts of crap every year. There’s no secret as to why. Crap sells. Just look at the Transformers franchise. Or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or the Avengers. You don’t need a good script, talented actors, or beautiful cinematography to sell tickets. You just need plenty of explosions, silly costumes, and fast-food toy tie-ins.

Given the paragraph above I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Blade Runner 2049’s opening weekend was only $32M on a budget of $150M. I’m just disappointed. The film deserves a lot better. In an era of unnecessary reboots and sequels, this movie proves to be an exception. Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best films I’ve seen in years. Even people that aren’t familiar with the 1982 cult-classic that spawned this follow-up will enjoy Blade Runner 2049. It’s sci-fi for smart people. It’s a film that makes you think while also acting as amazing eye candy. Yet fewer people paid to see it this past weekend than paid to see much lesser recent sequels like Kingsman: The Golden Circle or Annabelle: Creation.

Like the original Blade Runner, this movie asks some interesting questions. Does where we come from define us? If you’re human in virtually every aspect other than the nature of your birth, does that difference give someone the right to own you? Is our species’ prioritization of profit over planet doomed to destroy us?

Director Denis Villeneuve deftly took the reins from Ridley Scott and with the help of cinematographer Roger Deakins and screenwriter Hampton Fancher has created a worthy successor to what I consider the greatest sci-fi film ever made.

I won’t give away any of the plot, but the cast including Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, and the original blade runner, Harrison Ford are all excellent. Hans Zimmer’s score retains the flavor of Vangelis’ fantastic work from 1982, and if Roger Deakins isn’t nominated for an Oscar for his camera work, there is no justice come awards season.

I saw the movie in IMAX and I’m glad I did. Yes, the tickets aren’t cheap, but this is one of those films that’s so chock full of stuff to look at, the bigger the screen, the better.  With the amount of critical praise it’s receiving and a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 89, maybe Blade Runner 2049 will prove to be a slow burn. I hope so. It’s the type of movie I’d like to see Hollywood make more of.  It deserves a bigger audience.

If you enjoyed films like the original Blade Runner, Interstellar, Moon, Gattaca, or Villeneuve’s other recent sci-fi effort, Arrival, go see this one. It’s 2 hours 43 minutes well spent. 

The Top 10 Sci-Fi Films of All Time

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

It seems like sci-fi has been riding high at the cinema lately. In the past year we’ve seen such major releases as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Trek Beyond, Arrival, and Passengers. With the highly anticipated Ghost in the Shell opening this weekend and movies like Blade Runner 2049 and Alien: Covenant scheduled to be released later this year I thought it was as good a time as any to list my favorite sci-fi films of all time. Here they are from number 10 to number 1.

10. Jurassic Park (1993)

Written by Michael Crichton, directed by Steven Spielberg, and featuring some of the coolest-looking dinosaurs you’ve ever seen, this one was bound to please and it didn’t disappoint. It’s spawned three sequels so far with more on the way, but this one starring Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern is still the best of the bunch.

9. Interstellar (2014)

Matthew McConaughey stars as a single father and space traveler charged with leading a mission to save the Earth but torn by the fact his journey will likely result in never seeing his daughter grow up. Emotional, thought-provoking, and well written, this film is the best sci-fi Hollywood has produced in the last few years.

8. Moon (2009)

Sam Rockwell puts on a one-man show under the excellent direction of Duncan Jones and an assist from Kevin Spacey who voices his robot sidekick. There are no big action scenes or expensive CGI. This film is simply a magnificent study on what it is to be human and how easy it is for corporations to dehumanize us all.

7. Aliens (1986)

Sigourney Weaver proved guys weren’t the only badass sci-fi heroes in Ridley Scott’s Alien. In James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, she was even bigger and badder. This time she’s up against a whole slew of the space monsters and when she finally comes face to face with their queen, it’s a battle you won’t soon forget.

6. Gattaca (1997)

Ethan Hawke and Jude Law try to find their place in a future where your DNA determines your lot in life. Hawke plays a flawed young man willing to do anything to fulfill his dream of space travel while Law plays a genetically superior man that’s destroyed his potential but might just be able to help Hawke achieve his own.

5. Star Wars (1977)

The film that proved sci-fi could appeal to the cinematic masses and that hooked a certain seven-year-old boy in Ohio on the genre for life. As I sat in my parents’ car watching Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, and Darth Vader on the big screen at the drive-in I knew I was watching something special. Forty years later, it’s spawned a host of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs that show no sign of losing steam.

4. Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolen, director of the best superhero movie ever, also directed two of my favorite sci-fi films. Interstellar is great, this one is even better. Leonardo DiCaprio leads a fantastic cast deep into the mind of an industrial scion to complete a complex mission with one very simple goal: to plant an idea.

3. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Sequels rarely do the original justice, but this one did that and more. As great as Star Wars is, this follow-up is even better. Creator George Lucas handed over the director and screenplay reins to Irvin Kershner and Lawrence Kasden and those two men took Lucas’s vision to the next level. Boba Fett, the carbonite freeze scene, the lightsaber duel, the big reveal concerning the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader… simply awesome.

2. The Matrix (1999)

The Wachowski’s mind-bending film blew away audiences at the turn of the century with its excellent script, bullet-time cinematography, and iconic performances by Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, and Hugo Weaving. The concept, the pacing, and the action in this film make it one you can enjoy again and again. The movie’s two sequels didn’t measure up, but this one is an all-time great.

1. Blade Runner (1982)

Simply the best sci-fi film ever made. It wasn’t a big hit when it was released, but over time it’s grown into a classic. Based on a novel by Philip K. Dick, this futuristic noir features stand-out performances by Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer. It also includes a great cast of secondary characters played by Edward James Olmos, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, and William Sanderson. In my opinion, it’s the masterpiece of director Ridley Scott’s long and stellar career.

And to avoid short-changing some other favorites, here are a dozen Honorable Mentions: Alien (1979), The Road Warrior (1981), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Stargate (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), Cube (1997), Contact (1997), Dark City (1998), Pitch Black (2000), Minority Report (2002)