I had a piece of flash fiction published at a site called Suddenly and Without Warning. It’s a melancholy little piece about a guy returning to his hometown and seeing the changes. It had been rejected twelve times since last July. I realize it’s not Pulitzer Prize material. I was getting ready to retire itContinue reading “Story Published: The Dugout”
Tag Archives: flash fiction
Review of “Optic Covenant” by Katherine Ley
Plot: There really isn’t a plot to this flash fiction piece. It’s a portrait of a person held captive by a robot who loves him. (I use “him” for the sake of simplicity. The character’s sex is never indicated.) It’s for his own good that he’s tied to a chair and fed spoiled Brussels sprouts.Continue reading “Review of “Optic Covenant” by Katherine Ley”
Review of “The Raleigh Temple of Artemis” by Caroline Diorio
Plot: The reader is told that the Temple of Artemis closes at midnight, and it’s now 11:52. The narrator apologizes to the snake-headed girl in the UNC Chapel Hill sweatshirt who’s cleaning the statue of Artemis. She’s waiting for someone. Not that she has an appointment. She tells the reader she just knows the otherContinue reading “Review of “The Raleigh Temple of Artemis” by Caroline Diorio”
Review of “How Tolkein Saved the World” by Ahmed A. Khan
Kai Lung II unfurls his mat and gets set to regale the lad and lasses with tales filled with monumental happenstances, awe-inspiring wonders, and dubious morals. The dolphins, he tells his listeners, had had enough of humanity’s pollution of the ocean and sent an android scout to get the lay of the land. Its missionContinue reading “Review of “How Tolkein Saved the World” by Ahmed A. Khan”
Review of “Three Reasons Why Your Experimental Planet Needs Humans” by Intisar Khanani
This story reads like advertising copy for those seeking to buy their own play planet. It’s unlikely the owners will visit the planet but will observe the doings on it, like a kid with an ant farm. The reader can conclude the creatures who would invest in such projects are not afraid to spend moneyContinue reading “Review of “Three Reasons Why Your Experimental Planet Needs Humans” by Intisar Khanani”
Review of “Leaving Earth for Love” by Irene Montaner
The Fermi Paradox, the reader is told, is resolved when aliens hijack Tinder. Most people assumed the odd profiles were a joke. However, one lonely girl in a Scottish suburb made a connection. Her date could have passed for human even with his rows of sharp teeth were it not for the cone on hisContinue reading “Review of “Leaving Earth for Love” by Irene Montaner”
Review of “Say ‘Cheese!'” by John Francis Keane
The story opens with an invitation: “Let us go to the place. It is time for us to live forever.” This could mean a couple of things. It becomes especially intriguing when the reader learns the tribe’s children stay behind in the care of “old Sundoo” because they cannot sit still long enough to liveContinue reading “Review of “Say ‘Cheese!’” by John Francis Keane”
Review of “It Will Be Under the Next Stone” by Jennifer Linnaea
She is the best, Hananh tells the reader. Her name is Gwenneth. Among her sensitivities are the ability to “overhear a conversation between spirits in a gurgling brook or overturn those rare rocks with djinn correspondence carved on the bottom.” Hananh herself is sensitive. She knows the acacias have been talking about her, but sheContinue reading “Review of “It Will Be Under the Next Stone” by Jennifer Linnaea”
Review of “The Space Radio (Isaac and Sarah and the Star)” by Wayne Haroutunian
Aging Mortimer Cain still sits on a rocking chair on his back porch, gazing out over the waves at a particular star. The beach by his home is empty now, but a young man—hardly more than a boy—used come to the shoreline in all sorts of weather with a radio. Eyes fixed toward the sky,Continue reading “Review of “The Space Radio (Isaac and Sarah and the Star)” by Wayne Haroutunian”
Review of “Pieces of Me” by Hope Terrell
This is Ashley’s first solo jump as a teletrooper. “Focus,” the instructor tells the line of troops. “Concentrate on where you want to go and make the jump.” The instructor has explained there are two dangers of getting lost during a jump. The first is physical death, which is painful but quick. The second isContinue reading “Review of “Pieces of Me” by Hope Terrell”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 