Bewildering Stories’
Fourth Quarterly Review, 2023

Bewildering Stories ends the season — autumn or spring, according to your hemisphere — with the Review Editors’ selection of their favorites from the Fourth Quarter of 2023. 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?”

The Quarterly and Annual Reviews also make a public statement: Bewildering Stories takes itself very seriously. And they answer a general question: What is a “truly Bewildering story”? Our webzine’s semi-humorous title refers to writing that provokes thought and raises questions; in that sense, the title is an example of itself. Stories that merely raise questions about themselves are “befuddling stories.”

As always, the Review Board’s discussions have been extensive and lively. A big Thank You to Edward Ahern, Amita Basu, Bill Bowler, Gary Clifton, Charles C. Cole, Jeffrey Greene, 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 who are grateful that real people have given their works a thoughtful reading, regardless whether the authors agree with the readers. Those notes are appreciated all the more 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 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 Managing Editor gladly expresses gratitude to Michael E. Lloyd, the manager of Titles, Authors, Genres — our master index — for producing the first print edition of the critical translation of Cyrano de Bergerac’s L’Autre Monde — The Other World. The print edition is admirable for its readability and accuracy. It enables readers to see easily how literary scholarship needn’t be dry; it can be quite enjoyable, even fun. Thank you, Mike, for your kind words and comprehensive introduction!