It was a short month, and this will be a short post (relative to the usual at least), because I spent a lot of my reading time on series and rereads. Did I also read new short fiction? Of course I did. Let’s take a look!
Short Fiction
As always, I started with a review of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus. Was particularly pleased with Clarkesworld this month, with three excellent stories and one–Claire Jia-Wen’s “A Sleeper Ship Is Like a Game of Go” that I’m definitely marking down for reread later in the year.
Strong Contenders
- Courtney Lovecraft’s Book of the Dead (2025 novelette) by Sam J. Miller. An epistolary story formatted as a podcast episode, featuring an enigmatic drag queen who purports to speak to spirits–spirits that are getting increasingly restless and understandably angry. Vibes are absolutely on-point here.
- Carina (2026 short story) by Anna Khan. I wanted more from the ending, which is the only reason I’m not saving this one for a late-year reread. It’s an absolutely enthralling tale about people who find themselves involuntarily body-hopping, spending the intervening time in a possibly-infinite tower that seems to be disconnected from anything in the known world. It’s a fascinating premise, and the deep-seated arguments about how to live without control over your own body set up an intriguing read.
Others I Enjoyed in February
- Precipice Sun (2026 novelette) by Ewen Ma. A second-person tale in which a thief visits the home planet of a former companion, weaving the story of her search for a big score with snippets of her absent audience’s perhaps more harrowing journey of imprisonment and a fight for survival.
- The Memory Hounds of Bak-Ankham (2026 novelette) by A.W. Prihandita. A story of resistance in a labor camp that keeps workers in line by wiping their memories after every shift. The broader arc doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the slow piecing together of pieces of backstory makes for a compelling read.
Novels and Novellas
Reviews Posted
- When We Were Real (2025 novel) by Daryl Gregory. A speculative litfic travel tale set in a simulation full of impossibilities, with strong characterization but a plot that tends toward the thriller.
- The Rainseekers (2026 novella) by Matthew Kressel. Another road trip story with a large cast, though this one traverses the deadly Martian wilderness. The present-day storyline and thematic work are compelling, but the flashbacks can run together a bit too often.
- The Cellar Below the Cellar (2026 novella) by Ivy Grimes. A weird, small-scale, horror-adjacent coming-of-age tale set after a magnetic storm knocks out the bulk of contemporary technology, leaving the lead to rely on a no-nonsense grandmother who won’t stop badgering her to come into her ability to lead in a world short on modern conveniences and strangely long on magic.
- The Everlasting (2025 novel) by Alix E. Harrow. A time loop romance with lovely prose and plenty of commentary on propaganda and historiography.
- Platform Decay (2026 novella) by Martha Wells. It’s the eighth Murderbot book. If you’re still reading, you know what to expect. This is very “Episodes in the Life of Murderbot,” but that still makes for an entertaining read.
Other February Reads
- The Protector of the Small (1999-2002 series) by Tamora Pierce. An often heartwarming series that starts firmly in middle-grade and follows the doggedly caring protagonist as she grows in wisdom and stature. There are some pacing issues in the early books, as it covers far too much too quickly, but this reminds me a lot of Inda, which is a high compliment. Full review to come.
Miscellaneous
Instead of a mere update of my 2025 Recommended Reading List, I worked up a Short Fiction Top Ten as well. This is where a lot of my rereading energy has gone. There are some wonderful stories from last year that I highly, highly recommend checking out.