Wow, we’re already at the end of February? I hope that’s a good sign, that the year isn’t going to drag on. My work’s certainly got busier—it’s a combination of routine surgery starting up again, and academic writing that had previously gone on the back burner. I’m also commuting more frequently, which means that I have more time to read on the train 🙂 . Here are the reviews I’ve posted since last time.
Highland Court Chronicles (Almendra’s Quest #1) by Farida Mestek
Talented Found (Talented #1) by P. W. Browning
Fantastic Flash Fiction by Liz Tuckwell
Legacy: A Justice Belstrang Mystery by John Pilkington
How to Defeat a Hero by J. Bennett
Valiance: A Collection of Short Stories of Courageous Women by Melion Traverse
Plague of the Dreamless: A Slipstreamers Adventure by Jennifer Shelby and J. D. Ryot
And now for a few more very short stories.
logic
“No luck.” The thief scowled at his broken tools.
The mage smirked. “Clearly, this puzzle requires logic, not nefarious skills.”
“How about brute force?” The warrior flexed his muscles.
Moments later, the Rubik’s cube lay shattered on the floor.
Image by Lars Plöger from Pixabay
morphism
Ivan puffed out his chest. “Once I grasped magical morphism, lycanthropy was trivial.”
“I bet you’re a real beast,” breathed his date.
He grinned. “Same number of limbs, simple redistribution of hair…”
“But where does the tail come from?”
“Er…” He blushed.
rendered
jentacular
Despite a worldwide shortage of meat, the Jentacular Cafe did a roaring trade. It supplied laden plates of fry-ups at rock-bottom prices. So what if an occasional customer disappeared? Everyone agreed it was worth the risk.
Image by Gaertringen from Pixabay
ulotrichous
Ewenice admired her pelage. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most ulotrichous of them all?”
“Snow White Fleece is, O Queen.”
She stomped a cloven hoof. “That does it! Send for Mr Woolf.”
toxic
The detective studied the grave. “Funerals for toxic waste cost less than legal disposal?”
“Apparently.” The rookie poked a limp bouquet.
“At least a cemetery—”
“Sir?”
“—won’t contaminate—”
“Sir!” The rookie backed off from the man-eating mutant plant.
sunset
Kat pouted. “Why do I always have to be home by sunset?”
“It’s safer,” said her father. “Only the dead walk by night.”
“Dumb superstition.”
“Yes, but…” Her brother checked his fangs in the mirror. “We shouldn’t let on that we thrive in the daytime too.”
That’s all from me for now – all the best for March!
Speculative stories 