The Witch is the Body by Farah Rose Smith

Interweaving universal experiences of love, loss, and uncertainty with urban legends, folk horror, and the fantastical, Smith offers a series of stories set in the liminal zone between human concerns and the incomprehensible other. This collection gathers eleven of Smith’s short stories. ‘Dead in September’: the last person Morton wants to see at his mother’s …

His Black Tongue by Mitchell Lüthi

Lüthi tells four tales of very different people facing threats in very different worlds that are united by a sense of how fragile humanity’s control is in the face of a vast universe. This collection contains two novellas and two short stories, spread across genres but united by a sense of dread. His Black Tongue: …

Stay Mediocre, Scrub

One of the main theories for why we like fiction, especially speculative fiction, is we enjoy experiencing lives we don't—or even can't—lead; a theory that resonates with me, and resonates doubly for roleplaying games as they allow some choice of how one experiences that other life. Over the last few days, I've been reminded that …

The Burdens by William Meikle

Meikle blends the metaphor and shifting rules of dream and memory with solid action, creating a short story that is both spiritual quest and dark fantasy adventure. When John heard his wife tell the doctor to turn off his life support, he thought he’d slipped into the darkness forever; instead, he awakens at the top …

The Glass Gargoyle by Marie Andreas

Combining archaeology and world-threatening mystical artefacts without either copying the well-known character or deliberately avoiding echoes, Andreas creates a fantasy novel that balances intelligent interaction with fast-paced high-stakes plot. All Taryn wants to do is delve into the ruins left when the elves vanished a thousand years ago. Unfortunately, her noble patrons seem to either …

Breaker by Amy Campbell

Combining a solid wild west setting and interesting magic with a nuanced portrayal of how lifelong distrust can affect people’s characters, Campbell creates a character-driven fantasy where you can taste the dust. Blaise was born with the power to literally destroy whatever he touches, a power he can’t control, a power that makes him at …

Tabitha’s Death by Jordan Elizabeth

Elizabeth blends the intimacy of despair with the universal resonance of fairy tales, creating a bleak yet engaging young adult fantasy novel. While Elizabeth handles the topic sympathetically rather than seeking to titillate or shock, readers should be aware this book contains overt mentions of self-harm and suicide. The death of her best friend unravels …

Of Myth and Shadow by Matthew S. Cox

Cox combines accessible characters and sweeping plots to create epic fantasy that has breadth and depth without feeling dense. The Kingdom of Aegaan has been at peace for decades. However, a growing number of towns and villages along one border report attacks by small bands of elves. For Anrael, a half-elf, this is just one …

A Growing Trepidation

The Fears of a Clown submission window has been open for slightly over a week now and I've already received some very creative perspectives on the theme. However, there's still plenty of opportunity to submit; I'm interested in great fiction not whether or not someone can get a story to me as fast as possible. …

Sophie’s Light by Matthew S. Cox

Cox weaves the tropes of ballads and fairy tales with a fine focus on individual character to create a darkly fantastical tale that adapts to its readers’ perceptions and life experience. For the last two years, Sophie has lived with a troll in the centre of the Forgotten Forest. Forced to clean never piles of …