written by David Steffen
Strange Horizons is a freely available online speculative fiction zine that also publishes nonfiction and poetry. Their editors-in-chief are Jane Crowley and Kate Dollardhyde. Their senior fiction editors are Lila Garrott, Catherine Krahe, An Owomoyela, and Vajra Chandresekera, and their podcast is edited, hosted, and usually read by Anaea Lay. They publish a variety of styles of stories and have regularly attracted award nominations in recent years. All of the stories and poetry in the zine are published in the podcast. In 2018, Strange Horizons published about 50 stories .
Stories that are eligible for this year’s Hugo awards are marked with an asterisk (*).
The List
1.“The Fortunate Death of Jonathan Sandelson” by Margaret Killjoy**
Hacker uses compromised drones to harass high-level executives of world-wrecking corporations, but is accused of murder.
2.“Some Personal Arguments In Support of the BetterYou (Based On Early Interactions)” by Debbie Urbanski*
This is a really interesting point of view piece, in favor of the “BetterYou”, a copy of yourself that fits some definition of an ideal you who joins your family.
3.“Variations On a Theme From Turandot“ by Ada Hoffman*
Very meta-story about evolving permutations of a play repeated over and over.
4.“Copy Cat” by Alex Shvartsman and K.A. Teryna*
What could a cat do to keep its home after its owner dies?
5.“Venus Witch’s Ring” by Inda Lauryn*
Make a deal with a devil, and the bargain is never what you expect.
Honorable Mentions
“The Trees of My Youth Grow Tall” by Mimi Mondal*
“Dying Lessons” by Troy L. Wiggins*
“Her Beautiful Body” by Adrienne Celt*
