Short Forms

It seems like shorter science fiction has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years. Maybe it's me. Maybe I've just been paying attention to it again. But after a long time when I read nothing shorter than a full novel, and often trilogies or longer, I've been rediscovering the pleasure of succinct storytelling.

Science Fiction cut its teeth on the short form. Pulp magazines published them monthly and anthologies collected the best stories for annual volumes. Important stories like Foundation were first serialized in magazines before they were stitched together with enough continuity to make a novel. Then there were theme anthologies like Dangerous Visions or I, Robot. It seemed to me like those had fallen off in recent years.

As I read and reviewed Moggies in Space for this newsletter, though, I reflected on how many good short stories I've read lately. A lot of them have been published standalone, like Everything But the Squeal by John Scalzi or Compulsory by Martha Wells. I've also been reading the bi-monthly Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine, which usually has a couple of gems in it.

In the midst of this short-form revival, I'm excited to have a short story appearing in the upcoming Of Gods and Globes III anthology. The previous two volumes have had some excellent works, and I'm pleased to be accepted into the next volume.

What short science fiction stories have captured your interest lately? I'd love to hear your new discoveries and fresh finds. You can reply to this newsletter or send me mail at chuck@lamp.works.