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Bewildering Stories

Bewildering Stories’
Third Quarterly Review, 2014

Year 13 of Bewildering Stories

The Editors’ Choices: issues 578-589

The Quarterly and Annual Reviews are like lighthouses on the chaotic sea of the Internet.
They signal not danger but “Good landfall” and “Safe harbor.” Welcome ashore!

Everything in green is a link.
Pages other than those of the QR open in a new window, so you won’t lose your place.

Bewildering Stories ends the season — summer or winter, depending on your hemisphere — with the Review Editors’ selection of favorites from the Third Quarter of 2014. New readers will have easy access to the recent best of Bewildering Stories, and veteran readers will have a chance to catch up on anything they may have missed.

The Quarterly Reviews are not a contest, competition or poll. And there are no quotas: anything — from everything to nothing — may qualify in any genre. Rather, they answer a practical question: “If a friend asked you to recommend something special from the past quarter of Bewildering Stories, what would you choose?”

As always, the Review Board’s discussions have been extensive and lively. A big Thank You to Bill Bowler, Charles C. Cole, Bertil Falk, Heather J. Frederick, Gary Inbinder, Marina J. Neary, Carmen Ruggero, John Stocks and Lewayne L. White.

At Bewildering Stories, no one is the proverbial tree falling unheard in a forest. All contributors know that real people have given their works a thoughtful reading, regardless whether we send regrets or they quaify for the Mariner Awards.

The Review Editors and Associate Editors — our review readers — have functions that are entirely different but equally important. The Review Editors determine how Bewildering Stories shall carry its flag. The Associate Editors enable us to converse with our contributors. They determine what Bewildering Stories shall be.

For that reason we also express special gratitude to our Coordinating Editor Bill Bowler and the Associate Editors. Their insightful and detailed critiques of submissions help us set what we like to think is an Internet standard for editorial practice and for service to our contributors and readers.

The Quarterly News

In the past 12 weeks, the Review Editors cast 626 votes on 76 titles, 32 of which have qualified as Editors’ Choices. We congratulate the authors represented here. We hope they will inspire all our contributors.

We think our Review Editors reflect the range of opinion to be found among our readers. The Order of the Hot Potato is shorter but hotter than ever, with nine titles. The Order of Merit is continued for reader interest and as a special acknowledgment to our contributors. It links to the most highly rated works in genres represented by more than one title in this Quarterly Review.

We will resume regular publication with issue 590 on September 29, 2014.

Titles selected of titles eligible
Novels
Novellas
Serials
Short Stories
Flash Fiction

1 of 1

11 of 36
8 of 9
Poetry
Short Poetry
Drama
Essays & Memoirs
7 of 19
3 of 9
1 of 1
1 of 1

Novellas

Tantra Bensko, Equinox Mirror

Short Stories

R. C. Capasso, In the Economy of Life
Jessica Down, You™
Leah Erickson, House of Clouds
Bertil Falk, A Total Rejection
Mike Florian, An Illicit Incident at the Imperial
Heather J. Frederick, The Scientist’s Garden
Channie Greenberg, Unlike Her Children
Abha Iyengar, The Man with Heart
Thomas E. Lange, A Vicar’s Baptism
Henry F. Tonn, The Turtle and Juan Sanchez
Ron Van Sweringen, The Last Empty Seat

Flash Fiction

Michael D. Brooks, Slow-Speed Follow
Charles C. Cole Heather J. Frederick

Drama

Charles C. Cole, The Platonic Friends Society

Poetry

Zane Blom, Armand and Katherine
Boris Kokotov, A Model of Bliss
Thomas R., Afterwards
Alyssa D. Ross, View from a Height
John Stocks Tom Wylie, Vacant Lot

Short Poetry

Oonah V. Joslin, Maybe the Brave
Alyssa D. Ross, The Gucci Glass Slipper
John Stocks, St. Catherine’s Day

Essays and Memoirs

Charles C. Cole, Alien Abduction Abduction

Departments

Selections are listed in chronological order. Reviews and Interviews are indexed separately. If no author or discussion contributor is named, the author is the Managing Editor.

Special Feature

Natan Dubovitsky, Without Sky

Discussions & Challenge Responses

Challenges

Life on Jupiter
Time, and Again
Accidents in Common
Who’s Got the Circlet?
An End to a Means
And Some Drops to Drink

The Order of the Hot Potato

Here are the most controversial works of the quarter, the ones on which the Review Editors’ opinions diverged significantly for one reason or another. The titles are listed in descending order with the most controversial first. Five of the titles appear among the Editors’ Choices. Challenge to the readers: why might these nine titles be on the list?

  1. Gary Clifton, Perception of Frailty
  2. Thomas E. Lange, A Vicar’s Baptism
  3. Jedd Cole, Eyes for the Inquisitor’s Children
  4. Jessica Down, You™
  5. Boris Kokotov, A Model of Bliss
  6. Patricia Tyrer, Reminiscent of Copper Cove
  7. John Stocks, St. Catherine’s Day
  8. Michael D. Amitin, Big Brown Chuckle Bites
  9. Zane Blom, Armand and Katherine

The Order of Merit

Here are links to the top winners, the most highly rated works in each genre represented by more than one title in this Quarterly Review. The categories are listed according to their normal order in the Readers’ Guide. Ties are listed in chronological order.

In keeping with Bewildering Stories’ astronomical motif, the winners are indicated by the names of space telescopes. The most highly rated title in the quarter is indicated by the name of an arm of the Galaxy.

Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Poetry
Short Poetry

The Orion Arm

Available at Bewildering Press

Bewildering Press
Jack Alcott, Grim Legion
Sam Ivey, Gilboy’s Quest
Martin Kerharo, The Dohani War
Harry Lang, The Mountains of the Eldritch Sea
Danielle L. Parker, In a Pig’s Eye
Slawomir Rapala, Aezubah, the Crimson General
Bertrand Cayzac, Floozman in Space
Michael E. Lloyd, Donna’s Men
Michael E. Lloyd, Missing Emilie
Michael E. Lloyd, Observation One
Michael E. Lloyd, Observation Two
Michael E. Lloyd, Observation Three

Bewildering Press

Grim Legion   Gilboy's Quest   The Dohani War   Mountains of the Eldritch Sea

Donna's Men Missing Emilie   Observation One   Observation Two   Observation Three

In a Pig's Eye   The Crimson General   Floozman in Space   Floozman dans l'espace

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