Short Fiction Review — January 2024

by Danai Christopoulou in Issue Thirteen, January 2024

"For as Long as You Want It" by Kanishk Tantia (Apex 142)

Atha, a dying Oldie, part of a near obsolete generation who doesn't believe in downloading their consciousness to "the collective," makes his Promisor, a Modern called Ryegrass, take care of his garden after he dies. The Modern is content to let the garden dry out, until he spots a new sprout and feels called to water it. In this short but poignant piece of flash fiction that conceals more than it reveals, Kanishk Tantia... Continue →

Short Fiction Review — June 2022 (online only)

by TJ Price in Issue Four, May 2022

"The Gull Heart" by Constance Fay (Crow & Cross Keys)

Delicate and rugged all at once, Fay breathes new life into old golems with this story. Devastatingly vivid imagery coupled with brisk pacing lifts this out of the realm of simply retold folktales and into something much more complex and lyrical. At its core, this is a cautionary tale, a "be-careful-what-you-wish-for" whispered as a charm against Eros itself—beware of wanting and, as always, beware the inconstant, fickle... Continue →

Short Fiction Review — May 2022 (online only)

by TJ Price in Issue Four, May 2022

Thanks for checking out our column, the Short Fiction Review, here at Haven Spec! For me, there's always a shifting set of criteria when it comes to what constitutes a really great story. It could be that the characters are distinctly well-drawn and that I find the emotional stakes moving. It could be that the world-building is top-notch and integrated seamlessly into the text of the story, providing a rich and vibrant setting for a piece. It could be that the writing itself, on a sentence level, is so stunning that it makes my jaw drop. It could be a combination or something entirely... Continue →