With the deadline for the 2016 Hugo Awards nominations fast approaching (Thursday, March 31st), I thought I’d help out prospective voters by generating a list of recommended reads to guide them through the myriad titles released in 2015.
In the past, I could have put together a rundown of potential Best Novels but, alas, the past year kept me very busy, much too busy for extensive reading, and I realized that the list I’d offer up would be woefully incomplete.
Being a voracious and fairly quick reader, I thought of tackling the Best Novella or Best Novelette categories but, again, my show running duties on Dark Matter made that impossible. And so, after careful consideration, I decided instead to take on the Best Short Story category reasoning there was plenty of opportunity in the downtime between set-ups, scripts, and sleep. As it turned out, I was right and, in the preceding month, I’ve read A LOT of shorts stories – more than I’ve read in any given month.
Yes, even though I read a lot, I’m well aware that I covered but a tiny fraction of all of the eligible short stories out there. I tried to be as sweeping as possible, selecting titles from varied publications, drawing on suggestions from all over, choosing writers irrespective of politics or personality.
What follows is a list of MY Favorite Genre Short Stories of 2015. If any of these make the short list for the Hugos, I’ll be giving them a re-read and ranking. I’ll do the same for any other nominees I may have missed. And then, I’ll vote for what I consider the Best Short Story of 2015. If the best short story I read is among the five nominees, then I’ll vote for that. If what I consider the Best Short story doesn’t make the list, I’ll be voting No Award. Fair? I think so.
Well, here you go, for those interested. My Top 13 Short Stories of 2015:
***
“A Murmuration” by Alastair Reynolds (Interzone)
An isolated scientist’s research into the flocking behavior of birds yields surprising results.
—
***
“Calved” by Sam J. Miller (Asimov’s)
Amidst the backdrop of a world altered by ecological disaster, a father makes a desperate bid to reconnect with his son.
Read it here: http://samjmiller.com/publications/calved/
***
“Dialed-Up” by Tom Maughan (Terraform)
In the near, performance-enhancing drugs give office workers the edge they need to compete.
Read it here: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/dialed-up
***
“Re-Homing” by Debbie Urbanski (Terraform)
A couple looking to adopt find the perfect match in a remaindered child.
Read it here: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/re-homing
***
“Re: re: Microwave in the break room doing weird things to fabric of spacetime” by Charles Yu (Terraform)
An unattended burrito instigates a cosmological crisis.
Read it here: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/re-re-microwave-in-the-break-room-doing-weird-things-to-fabric-of-spacetime
***
“Some Gods of El-Paso” by Maria Dahvana Headley (Tor)
In future Texas, two outlaws deal in the currencies of sex and emotions.
Read it here: http://www.tor.com/2015/10/28/some-gods-of-el-paso-maria-dahvana-headley/
***
“The Ninth Seduction” by Sean Mcmullen (Lightspeed)
A goblin crafts weapons and other technological marvels in advance of a coming battle.
Read it here: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-ninth-seduction/
***
“The Sixth Day” by Sylvia Anna Hivén (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
A young girl, gifted with the ability to grow corn, receives a dire prediction from her older sister, gifted with the ability of prophecy.
Read it here: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-sixth-day/
***
“So Much Cooking” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld)
The bird flu apocalypse as related through perky Natalie’s food blog.
Read it here: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_11_15/
***
“The Ticket Taker of Cenote Zaci” by Benjamin Parzybok (Strange Horizons)
Eduardo, a ticket taker at a popular tourist attraction, begins to suspect that the Cenote Zaci may be claiming some of its visitors.
Read it here: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2015/20150202/cenote-f.shtml
***
“The Way Home” by Linda Nagata (Lightspeed)
A squad of U.S. Soldiers must fight their way out of Hell.
Read it here: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-way-home/
***
“Things You Can Buy For A Penny” by Will Kaufman (Lightspeed Magazine)
According to legend, the wet gentleman that resides at the bottom of a mysterious well will grant you a wish for a penny…
Read it here: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/things-can-buy-penny/
***
“Today I Am Paul” by Martin L. Shoemaker (Clarkesworld)
An android caregiver to an Alzheimer’s patient mimics the personalities of her prospective visiting relatives.
Read it here: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/shoemaker_08_15/
If you have time, give them a read – and then report back. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Leave a Reply