Item 202

“The Stars Look Away From This Vessel” by dave ring [1517 words] After receiving a mysterious broadcast, two working stiffs enter a derelict ship for salvaging, and discover too late what the message means.

“Slayer of Dreams” by Auston Habershaw [12520 words] In the city of Avissos, the Onierarch, or Dream Tyrant, taxes the dreams of its citizens whether asleep or awake.

“The Star Where We Meet” by Sam W.

“The Knacker Man” by Scott Dalrymple [1258 words] Though slightly longer perhaps than what is usually considered flash fiction, “The Knacker Man” more resembles that form in that it is more of a vignette than a story.

Yesterday I saw a post from Scalzi pushing back at some rando who claimed Hugo voters don’t read all the nominated works.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

“The Sparrow Tree” by Alma Alexander [3308 words] The Padishah Emperor is a lover of life and nature, and wants his successor, the Young Emperor, to follow in his footsteps.

“Tatterdemalion” by Michael Cisco [7515 words] ***Recommended*** Temedy, an archetypal ne’er-do-well in Alak folklore, is tricked into stealing a dangerous “Deed”, leading to a downward spiral into despair and tragedy.

#454 “How Gods Feed” by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor [10623 words] ***Recommended*** The author uses the familiar “Groundhog Day” conceit effectively to build an ever-increasing sense of dread and despair.

So today saw the Hugo Award shortlist announcement, published on LA Worldcon social media feeds at 10am PST.