I’ve got a wide mix of stories for you for this short fiction spotlight. Mermaids and vampires, droids and dukes, gods and devils, hope and vengeance, survival and surrender. Of all the short science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories I read in May, these ten were the ones that stuck with me the most.
“Apostasy in Fruit” by Moustapha Mbacké Diop
When her older sister Kana disappears, our narrator is distraught. A week before, she seemed to foretell her own disappearance with a story about strange children and women with donkey legs. But the crime is much more ordinary: wicked people doing cruel things simply because they can. Our narrator seeks a solution that is as extraordinary as Kana’s urban legends, yet somehow even more horrible. The deal she strikes will change her, psychologically and physically. I’ve not read anything by Moustapha Mbacké Diop before, and this was a great introduction. Thoroughly creepy and kinda gross but beautifully written. (The Dark—May 2025; issue 120)
“The Case Against Raven Mail” by Wen Wen Yang
A farmer has had enough. Duke Muptus has abused his position of power one too many times. Our narrator sets off to appeal to the Imperial Prince, and gains followers as her journey progresses. The trip isn’t easy, but by the time they reach the fortress, they have an army of denizens who have also been slighted by the Duke. When the time comes to make her demands, the farmer chooses the option that allows her to help as many people as she can. A sweet albeit very short story about kindness in the face of tyranny and community resilience. (Worlds of Possibility—April 2025; version 2)
“Dare Seize the Fire” by Jennifer R. Donohue
“This isn’t how I’m supposed to die.” Jennifer R. Donohue starts this story off with a great hook. Instead of superheroes flying around rescuing people, in this story the heroes are sirens, creatures with fragile bird bones and huge wings and talons on their feet. They’re organized under a boss who sends them out on rescue missions. Amabel keeps getting into trouble for going off script during her missions, but she only does it because she can’t not help people. Besides, she knows how she’s going to die, so until that moment comes, she’s going to keep tip-toeing right up to the edge. I loved the way this story centers on compassion for those most vulnerable and finding ways to use your privilege to help the helpless. (The Future Fire—May 2025; issue 2025.75)
“Deliver” by Safiya Cherfi
“The women in Màiri’s family sometimes lost their babies to the sea.” Màiri lives in rural Scotland in a little cottage near the ocean. Her mother lost several newborns to the sea, and even though Màiri and her mother have learned to accept this fate, each loss still eats at them. Their family is bound to the sea in ways Màiri doesn’t yet understand. Meanwhile, outsiders try to sensationalize her sorrow. Safiya Cherfi’s story is full of Scottish folklore and that haunting feeling you get standing on the moors in the highlands with nothing but heather and fog around you. (Inner Worlds—May 2025; issue 7)
“Full, Empty Houses” by Plangdi Neple
In Plangdi Neple’s version of Abuja, Nigeria you visit a place “where the dust devils from the Sahara transform into actual devils who will gladly trade and barter your skin for whatever they want.” The house is brimming with dark magic, and inside is a man who is not a man. The protagonist wants power in exchange for a human sacrifice, power for revenge, power to sate a broken heart, power over those who had power over you. I love a bloody queer revenge story. “Fully, Empty Houses” examines anti-gay violence and the patriarchy through horror fiction (Kaleidotrope—Spring 2025)
“Kamisama no Kami no Kami o Kamu” by H. E. Shippas
Shino wants to make a name for himself. He’s a nobody in a small village who dreams of greatness. So one day Shino sets out to find a god. When he finally tracks down the god of written history, he doesn’t quite get what he wants, or he does but not in the way he expects. Shino keeps striving for more, and the god sends him off with more questions. A sharp story about learning to appreciate what you have and that success doesn’t have to mean wealth or fame or power. Unfortunately for Shino, those are lessons he learns far too late. (State of Matter—Q2 2025; issue 17)
“The Library of the Apocalypse” by Rati Mehrotra
As a librarian, I’m always going to read short stories about libraries. This one is set in a dystopian near future in Ontario, Canada. The apocalypse has come and gone, leaving ruin in its wake. Our narrator is part of a large group, one of the last people who survived, but they seem not quite human. Rati Mehrotra gives us little hints that they’re different without outright telling us just how much until later. The group searches for a Library that comes and goes of its own accord. When they enter the Library, not all of them leave it. Despite the sadness and desolation of this world, the story ends on a hopeful note. Lovely all around. (Clarkesworld—May 2025; issue 224)
“Pale Serpent, Green Serpent” by Ewan Ma
For centuries, Tsing and Bak have played this game. They live on Earth but are not human, and when one gets desperate enough they reach out for a meeting. They chat and flirt then try to kill each other. This was such a neat take on vampires. It’s a darkly playful tale, a little bit violent, a little bit sexy. Not long after reading this story I also got to read another one of theirs, “Where the World Goes Sharp and Quiet,” in the new anthology Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity. Cannot recommend it enough! (Uncanny—May/June 2025; issue 64)
“Spandex, Sporks, and Space Vampires” by Marie Vibbert
Speaking of new takes on vampires, in her new story, Marie Vibbert asks what happens when you put a vampire on a spaceship. A vampire is a passenger on a spaceship headed toward Saturn when they’re boarded by pirates. She’s trying to pass as human, but another passenger figures out what she is pretty quickly. The two come up with a plan: “Eat the pirates. Be a hero and get an all-you-can-eat buffet.” If you want a space opera with some gallows humor, this is the story for you. It’s quirky and clever. (Uncharted)
“Tell Me I’m Wonderful” by Kelly Robson
This story opens in a near future Los Angeles after everyone but the poor have fled the region due to all the fires. The people who are left live on the streets, all except the brain of a wealthy patron living with an incapacitated body and an active mind. He hires twin sisters, Eve and Beulah to take care of him. Instead of tending to his every need, they show him the beauty of life. Kelly Robson’s story was a stressful but necessary read for me. I’ve lived through several California wildfires, and live not far from the fires that hit the LA area in January. Even in all the destruction, this place, this state is home. There may be suffering, but there’s also so much joy. (The Sunday Morning Transport—May 11, 2025)
