SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases discussion

In December we will read short stories and novelettes, published in 2021 and available online. In this thread I, and any other member if they desire, will post links to the stories and their discussion.

The first short story I've chose is David D. Levine “Best-Laid Plans”, which can be discussed here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Fun little story. I liked the resourcefulness of the protag and the world-building, while minimal, was good enough for the story and really well done.

This story was recently read by another group in this thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Ryan wrote: "This story was recently read by another group..."

Yes, it was one of the sources for my decision to choose it. And let's take story-specific comments at their threads, this one working as a direction guide for all of them

The seconв work is a novelette by Suzanne Palmer "Bots of the Lost Ark", which is a sequel for her “The Secret Life of Bots,” that won Hugo for best novelette in 2018

discussed here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Another day another story, this time Sarcophagus by Ray Nayler

The discussion is here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And one more from fresh (Dec'21 issue) Lightspeed: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

How many stories are you planning to post? I think we might have higher engagement with fewer stories. I won't be able to keep up with more than a few stories for the month.

Ryan wrote: "How many stories are you planning to post? I think we might have higher engagement with fewer stories. I won't be able to keep up with more than a few stories for the month."

A nice question and I don't know an answer. I assume that with novels are over 40k and short stories up to 7.5k words, so our usual 2 novels per month means like 10 short stories would be fine. However, so far I added novelettes, which are larger (7.5-17.5k).

The real issue that I guess our members want to read the best, not every short published in 2021 and this is harder. I so far got over several issues of Analog and Asimov's magazines, they have several good pieces but they aren't free yet (after they nominate the year's best, they temporary post pdf with nominees). I used http://www.rocketstackrank.com/p/2021... for a selection but their highest rated were meh for me, so I shifted to best by publication

So
1. no strict limit but up to 10 works
2. suggest 2021 stories you enjoyed, for selection is the real issue

Have folks read Metal Like Blood in the Dark? I'm thinking of reading it during my breaks this week but I can simply post a review once I'm done on my profile if no one else has in on their TBR.

Rebecca wrote: "Have folks read Metal Like Blood in the Dark? "

I haven't yet. I started at the beginning of the month with a surge of enthusiasm but getting almost not posts in stories' threads I slowed down, now going thru my annual subscription of Analogs and Asimov's. So far several interesting stories but nothing award worthy (even if I don't thing that all this year nominees were award worthy as well)

Ya sorry I haven't been active in this thread, trying to clear out a lot of library loans that came in early in the month to prepare for the next Wheel of Time book, haha. I think I may have committed myself to too many challenges 😂

I'll post my thoughts here once I'm done reading it later in the week.

Rebecca wrote: "Ya sorry I haven't been active in this thread, "

No prob!

Rebecca wrote: "Have folks read Metal Like Blood in the Dark? I'm thinking of reading it during my breaks this week but I can simply post a review once I'm done on my profile if no one else has in ..."

I'm reading it now. Quite interesting at the halfway point. If there's a topic for it I will post in it.

I read MLBitD when the Hugo shortlist was announced. It was my favourite novelette this year, and I'm quite glad that it won. I'd be happy to join in a discussion about it.

Is it classified as a novelette? I believe novelettes are usually defined as over 7500 words, which MLBITD falls just short of.

Ryan wrote: "Is it classified as a novelette? I believe novelettes are usually defined as over 7500 words, which MLBITD falls just short of."

Here is plus/minus 20% rule, often decided by where it got more nominations, because quite often in shorter works readers are unsure

Ryan: there already exists a thread for Metal like Blood in the Dark: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Ah thanks. I don't think it was posted here before.

Well, obviously, I have to read Metal Like Blood in the Dark because I love Kingfisher. I will get to it eventually, since all of her stuff is on my "To Read" list automatically