Continuing my short fiction recs, I have a few more I've enjoyed lately. These are all available to read online, at least as of this blog post publication date. My tastes tend to skew towards fantasy, sci-fi and horror so you can expect my recommendations to be from those genres (though not necessarily all the time!).
If any of these links break please let me know so I can fix it or find an alternative.
Brother Prince Snake, by Cecil Castellucci. A bittersweet fairy tale based on a story from Scandinavian folklore. Never judge a prince by their skin. Sometimes all it takes is for one person to believe in you for you to become your real self.
There were many things that I longed for, mostly to be a boy, like my brothers. I did not know if I was up to the task of living my life as a monster. But that was too large a wish and I could only think of one thing that could be cured by a witch’s magic.
Langsuir by Nadia Mikail. This story also feels like a fairytale, full of sorrow and pain but a beautiful and hopeful twist. The writing is stunning and it has an unusual POV which is refreshing.
She made a beeline for me and I felt my wings, my talons, my ears, my beating heart: all mine but somehow not wholly mine anymore. I felt myself extend my wings, this cold, fierce joy of flying but not a moment to recognise it: she made straight to where we heard a baby’s cry.
In Real Time, by Avra Margariti. This is about stopping time long enough to figure out who you are and want to be, but it also feels like a love story spread out over many years. Really unique and gorgeously written.
Sometimes months pass before we meet again. On one occasion I’d rather not repeat, nearly a year. That first meeting should have been an outlier. I’m not naive enough to think I’m the only one capable of manipulating time with my mind.
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