My March round-up is always late because I got distracted by Bingo. It’s an annual occurrence. But I read things, let me share my thoughts and recommendations!

Short Fiction

As usual, I started with two separate short fiction posts, one on Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus and the Magazine Minis post dipping into five different zines. I won’t repeat those here, but they both have several stories worth reading, so give them a look. Now to the miscellany (if you notice a theme, you can blame Short Fiction Book Club):

March Favorites

• The Island of Sea Turtles and Blood (2026 short story) by Angela Liu. If I keep recommending horror, people are going to stop believing me when I say I don’t like horror. That said, this is an effective, atmospheric (and a bit bloody) tale of a group of friends vacationing on an isolated shore, where the local legends may have a bit of truth to them. Is that a normal horror premise? Sure. But Liu writes it wonderfully.

Strong Contenders

• Draco Campestris (2006 short story) by Sarah Monette. An uncanny tale about a museum full of dragon bones, and perhaps also dragon ghosts. And tithe-children, whatever they are. It’s not always easy to track a central plot, but the fascinating setting is enough to carry the story a long way.
• Orm the Beautiful (2007 short story) by Elizabeth Bear. The last dragon sings among the bones of his fellows, wondering how to protect their resting place from those who would disturb their death song. The magic imbues the story with urgency, and the lead’s unexpected gambit does the rest.

Others I Enjoyed in March

• The Day Before the Revolution (1974 short story) by Ursula K. Le Guin. A character study of an elderly woman in a position of influence due to her writing and political imprisonment, reckoning with her place as the next generation adds their own contributions–perhaps even executing the long hoped-for revolution.
• Dragon Brides (2016 short story) by Nghi Vo. Another character study, or close to it, of a woman who had once been rescued from a dragon’s lair returning to find it empty and herself changed.
• Andromache and the Dragon (2018 short story) by B. Pladek. The story of a village that offers their desires as food for a dragon, and the brief friendship of the titular woman and said dragon.
• Dragons I Have Slain (2016 short story) by B. Morris Allen. A woman moves on from unrequited love to become a dragon-slayer–a profession whose emotional impact is quite different than she’d reckoned.
• Gentle Dragon Fires (2022 short story) by T.K. Rex and Lezlie Kinyon. A story drawing clear inspiration from native burning practices, following an old woman deciding to turn back to her ancestral dragon bond in a fire-plagued city that had nearly exterminated them.

Novels and Novellas

Reviews Posted

• Daughter of the Forest (1999 novel) by Juliet Marillier. A fairy tale retelling that is both a fantasy romance and a trauma-recovery story, with a fantastically-wrought setting and shockingly good secondary characterization.
• Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023 novel) by Brandon Sanderson. A whimsical tale of a girl braving dangerous not-waters and unfamiliar magic systems to save her love. Imagine “Brandon Sanderson does The Princess Bride” and you’ll get pretty close.
• Outlaw Planet (2025 novel) by M.R. Carey. A stylized Western in an alternate universe populated by non-human mammals and their arthropod steeds, all with a sci-fi secret lurking in the background.
• The Faith of Beasts (2026 novel) by James S.A. Corey. The sequel to The Mercy of Gods keeps the wonderfully weird aliens and somewhat underwhelming intrahuman politics.
• Foreigner (1994 novel) by C.J. Cherryh. The fish-out-of-water story of a human ambassador on an alien planet provides a fascinating series setup but a lead that’s a bit too passive in the opening book.
• Protector of the Small (1999-2002 series) by Tamora Pierce. An uplifting, borderline-middle-grade series about a relentlessly kindhearted girl trying to break into the male-dominated knighthood.

Other March Reads

• Psychopomp and Circumstance (2025 novella) by Eden Royce. A Reconstruction Era fantasy of manners with little action but plenty to explore about family, choices, and magics. Full review to come.
• The Poet Empress (2026 novel) by Shen Tao. Something of a cross between romantasy and a “village girl comes to power” tale set in a fantasy China analogue. It’s readable and well-characterized, with a romantic setup that will feel familiar but pointedly avoids a quick redemption arc for the dangerous potential love interest. Full review to come.
• Dawn (1987 novel) by Octavia E. Butler. A first contact story that explores power imbalance in a very Butler way. Less visceral than something like Kindred or Clay’s Ark, but engaging and thematically fascinating. Full review to come.

Bingo

I turned in my themed 2025 Bingo card! r/Fantasy has also released the 2026 card, so keep an eye out for my annual Bingo-inspired TBR shuffle, plus a crossover 2025/2026 post.