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Bewildering Stories

Bewildering Stories’
Third Quarterly Review, 2021

Year 20 of Bewildering Stories

The Editors’ Choices in issues 908-919

Lighthouse

Lighthouse
by Richard Ong

The Quarterly and Annual Reviews and Bewildering Stories itself
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. A few links are standard (blue, underlined). The genres in the “Titles selected” table are anchor or alert links. Links to pages other than the QR open in a new window; you won‘t lose your place.


Bewildering Stories ends the season — summer or winter, according to your hemisphere — with the Review Editors’ selection of their favorites from the third quarter of 2021. 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 or competition; they are a special poll. And there are no quotas: anything — from everything to nothing — may qualify in any genre. They answer a practical question: “If a friend asked you to recommend something outstanding from the past quarter of Bewildering Stories, what are your favorites? What would you choose?”

As always, the Review Board’s discussions have been extensive and lively. A big Thank You to Edward Ahern, Bill Bowler, Gary Clifton, Charles C. Cole, Jeffrey Greene, Andrew L. Hodges, Gary Inbinder, Bill Kowaleski, John Stocks and Lewayne L. White.

At Bewildering Stories, nothing is the proverbial tree falling unheard in a forest. Every week, we receive thank-you notes from contributors acknowledging that real people have given their works a thoughtful reading, regardless whether the authors agree with the readers. Those notes are appreciated because they tell us we’re fulfilling our mission.

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 determine what Bewildering Stories shall be. 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.

Our special editors also deserve a vote of thanks: Coordinating Editors Edward Ahern, Heather J. Frederick, and Bill Kowaleski; Flash Fiction and Drama Editor Charles C. Cole; Poetry Editor John Stocks. They provide the kind of personal touch Bewildering Stories takes pride in, and they make the administrative work not only easier but possible.

The Quarterly News

We think our Review Editors reflect the range of opinion to be found among our readers. In the past 12 weeks, the Review Editors cast 659 votes on 71 titles, 31 of which have qualified as Editors’ Choices. We congratulate the authors and hope they will inspire all our contributors.

The Departments include an exchange of letters about the resources that Bewildering Stories makes available to writers.
The Order of the Hot Potato is cool this quarter, with 8 titles.
The Order of Merit is a special acknowledgment to our contributors. It’s a kind of “surprise package” that links to the most highly rated works in this Quarterly Review.

Looking ahead: We resume regular publication with issue 920 on September 27, 2021. Issue 921 has been designated Bewildering Stories’ 1,000th official issue (regular issues plus special issues). Our Review Editors have been planning a celebration.

Titles selected of titles eligible
Novels
Novellas
Serials
0 of 1
0 of 2
0 of 2
Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Drama
14 of 35
8 of 9
1 of 1
Poetry
Short Poetry
Essays
4 of 10
4 of 11

• Serialized works are eligible only in the quarter in which they conclude.
• All selections are listed in alphabetical order by author unless noted otherwise.
• Multiple titles and the Departments are listed in chronological order.

Short Stories

David Barber, Politics After First Contact
Shauna Checkley, The Waiting Game
Laura Cody, Ridding the World of Vice
Angelisa Fontaine-Wood, The Historian‘s Debt
Jeffrey Greene, Gary Inbinder, A Friendly Game
Joseph Lagorio, Hereditary Expressions
Tris Matthews, Bella and Anima
Molly Osborne, Boss Babe
Huntley Gibson Paton, The Alphabet Cage
James Rumpel, There Goes the Neighborhood
John Ryland, The Man With a Hundred Wives
Ronald Schulte, The Problem With Expansion Packs

Flash Fiction

Gary Clifton, Charles C. Cole, Julie Wornan, Waiters and Roses

Drama

Charles C. Cole, Magic Night at the Farm

Poetry

Mimi Ferebee, Jessica Lee McMillan, Reflections on Glass

Short Poetry

Mike Acker, Edward Ahern, Fire Tending
Oonah V. Joslin, Sunspots

Departments

Books and Other Reviews

Challenges

Thunderclouds
Behind the Signs
Over Eating
Keeping Time
Drawing Inconclusions
Double and Nothing
Over the Bridge

Discussions and Challenge Responses

Not a Normal Holiday
Writers’ Resources

Memoirs

Gary Clifton, Chickens Indeed
Douglas Young, Filling That Vase

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 or more reasons. The titles are listed in descending order with the most controversial first. Two of the titles appear among the Editors’ Choices. Challenge to the readers: why might any of these titles be on the list? Discussions are welcome and may appear in a future regular issue.

  1. Ginny Hogan, The Cessation
  2. Jessica Lee McMillan, Reflections on Glass
  3. Channie Greenberg, Darkling
  4. John Ryland, The Man With a Hundred Wives
  5. Michael Burnett, The Crystal Library
  6. Kaci Curtis, All That Stood Between
  7. James Rumpel, Earth Camp
  8. Channie Greenberg, The Property of Modest Ambition
  9. J. H. Zech, Ilysveil: Den of Delirium

The Order of Merit

Here are links to 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 Index and Readers’ Guide.

In keeping with Bewildering Stories’ astronomical motif, the winners are indicated by the names of space telescopes. Multiple listings are ties. The most highly rated titles in the quarter are designated by the name of arms of the Galaxy.

Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Poetry
Short Poetry

The Sagittarius Arm
The Perseus Arm

Return to Quarterly News

Featured 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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