Things Worth Reading
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Things Worth Reading: Shadow Play
Shadow Play: Ten Tales from the In-Between by Sarina Dahlan is a collection of short stories that all have an element of the otherworldly. Most of the stories have a death or ghost element and they are all filled with emotion. Through many of them, you are waiting for a reveal that never lets you down. My personal favorite is the first, and titular, story. You are dropped in a world rich with details and have to figure out its secrets. I actually got to beta read The Bench after meeting Sarina on Twitter. That story won an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future contest. As wonderful as…
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Things Worth Reading: Samantha Mills
This edition of Things Worth Reading is actually a Someone Worth Reading, short story writer Samantha Mills. I first encountered Samantha Mills on Twitter. She would say something witty and I would like it. Then one day she announced that she had a story in Strange Horizons so I had to check it out. I cried. Then I accidentally ran across another of her stories in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I cried again. I was wary when I found out she had another story online on Diabolical Plots but I decided I loved her style and creative stories so much I’d read it anyway. This time I didn’t cry but I…
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Things Worth Reading: The Apothecary’s Curse
I was fortunate enough to meet Barbara Barnett at Capricorn 39 this past February. She was on a panel called Indistinguishable from Magic where they discussed the blurred line between some science fiction and fantasy stories. As part of the discussion she described her book and I knew I had to read it. She said she couldn’t firmly put it into any one category and she’s never even dreamed of trying. It has magic, science, history, and a touch of horror. How could I resist? I must say, it didn’t disappoint. While I have no problem firmly placing this book under fantasy, I can see where she was coming from.…
