Department header
Bewildering Stories

Bewildering Stories’
Fourth Quarterly Review, 2023

Year 22 of Bewildering Stories

The Editors’ Choices in issues 1014-1025

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!

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!

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 661 votes on 73 titles, 34 of which have qualified as Editors’ Choices. We congratulate the authors and hope they will inspire all our contributors.

The Order of the Hot Potato is cool this quarter, with nine 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: The 2023 Annual Review is scheduled for December 25. We resume regular publication with issue 1026 on January 1, 2024.

Titles selected of titles eligible
Novels
Novellas
Serials
0 of 1
0 of 1
0 of 1
Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Drama
12 of 32
15 of 20
Poetry
Short Poetry
Essays
2 of 6
5 of 10
0 of 2

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

Gabriel S. de Anda, When the Student is Ready
J. T. Green, Roswell
Jeffrey Greene, Asenath Grey, Suitable Skin
David Henson, A Danger Within
Lyle Hopwood, Hang On To Yourself
Bill Kowaleski, Just a Minor Firmware Upgrade
Katherine Mezzacappa, The Dome
P. Fern Phillips, The God of Chickens
Anna Villegas, When We Were Civil
Martin Westlake, Best Friends

Flash Fiction

Gary Clifton, Charles C. Cole, Jeffrey Greene, A Year of Rain
Huina Zheng,

Poetry

David Barber, Frankenstein Days
Bobby Cranestone, The Meadow Found Anew

Short Poetry

Edward Ahern, LindaAnn LoSchiavo, Dracula Plans His Halloween Soirée
James Tweedie, Leo, at the Beach

Departments

Books and Other Reviews

Gary Robbe, Not Buried Deep Enough excerpt

Selected Challenges

Sweeping Up and Down
Form and Function
New Songs
It’s So Old It’s New
Being and Somethingness
Artificial Wisdom
Question the Answer
The Rules? Guess

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. Three 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. Shauna Checkley, The Miniaturist
  2. Ron Sanders, On the Other Side
  3. Huina Zheng, Just Let It Be
  4. Gabriel S. de Anda, When the Student Is Ready
  5. Patrick Honovich, Kolchoan Blue
  6. Shauna Checkley, Mother Nature
  7. Lyle Hopwood, Hang On To Yourself
  8. Jeffrey Greene, He Is Other
  9. Edward Ahern, Mind Swirls

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.

Short Stories
Flash Fiction
Poetry
Short Poetry

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

Return to top
Go to the All Issues index
Go to the Schedule “In Times to Come”

Copyright © December 18, 2023 by Bewildering Stories

Home Page