Bewildering Stories’
First Quarterly Review, 2025
Year 23 of Bewildering Stories
The Editors’ Choices in issues 1074-1085
![]() Lighthouse |
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).
- Links to pages other than the QR itself open in a new window; you won‘t lose your place.
- The genre names in the “Titles selected” table are either anchor or alert links.
Bewildering Stories ends the astronomical season — northern winter or southern summer, according to your hemisphere — with the Review Editors’ selection of their favorites from the First Quarter of 2025. 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 bring you the editors’ answers.
The 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 their coherence are more properly known as “befuddling stories.”
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, Gary Inbinder, Bill Kowaleski, Marina J. Neary, 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 agreed 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 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 Ed Ahern and Jeff Greene; Flash Fiction Editor Charlie 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. Our special gratitude goes to Michael E. Lloyd, the designer and manager of the indispensable Titles, Authors, Genres Index master index of all of Bewildering Stories. As an index, it’s a work of art, and the Managing Editor, who consults it every day, recommends it to everyone.
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 785 votes on 84 titles, 41 of which have qualified as Editors’ Choices. We congratulate the authors and hope they will inspire all our contributors.
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.
We expect to resume regular publication with issue 1086 on April 7, 2025.
Titles selected of titles eligible | |||||
Novels Novellas Serials |
1 of 1 2 of 2 |
Short Stories Flash Fiction Drama |
10 of 37 12 of 20 |
Poetry Short Poetry Essays |
7 of 10 8 of 13 1 of 1 |
• Serialized works are eligible only in the quarter in which they conclude. |
Novellas Jeffrey Greene, The Naked FaceSerials Gary Clifton, All the Fine TombstonesMarina J. Neary, The Most Promising Cases Short Stories Brian Brestovac, Isolation for OneShauna Checkley, Finding a Home Gary Clifton, Tom Durwood, Jayani’s Big Gamble Marco Etheridge, To the Lifeboat Jeffrey Greene, The Summons Harrison Kim, When I Lay My Goodness Down Doug Stoiber, Sustenance and Verse E-M. de Vogüé, The Portrait in the Louvre Flash Fiction Shauna Checkley, Booty CallGary Clifton, Charles C. Cole,
A Writer’s World Beckons
David Whippman, The Best Day of Your LifeSwain and Althea Payson’s Succubus Swain Clatchee Pumps Gas Peter Van Brakel’s Life The Day a Rabbit Crossed the Road A Break from Solitary Huina Zheng, The Price of Words Poetry Bill Bowler, Oonah V Joslin, Sssmaug About SsscarvesTom Lagasse, The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet is Closing Sina Chau-Pech, Seven Old Cambodian Ladies... Jonathan Chibuike Ukah, The Valley Short Poetry Edward Ahern, The Dog WhistleBill Bowler, In the Middle of the Night Richard Fleming, The Rapture Oonah V. Joslin, Liu, Hongping, Wintertime Robert Witmer, The Rattle of Bones... Essays David Margolin, The Toys of My YouthLinks to the issues in the First Quarter |
Departments Link to: Index of Books and Other Reviews Excerpts Edward Ahern, As Noir As It GetsGary Beck, Molecular Distortion Channie Greenberg, Miscellaneous Parlor Tricks: an Omnibus LindaAnn LoSchiavo, Apprenticed to the Night L. L. Richardson, David and Victoria Rachel Rodman, Mutants and Hybrids David Rudd, Blood Will Out & Other Strange Tales Eric Webb,
Home to Fork: Victory Gardens in the Valley of Eden,
in Sacramento in World War II Prairie City, in Lost Gold Rush Towns of Sacramento Selected Challenges
Challenge Responses
Discussions Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé’s Le Portrait du Louvrewith Patricia Worth Memoirs Barbara Krasner, At the Edge of the WorldLeonard Henry Scott, The Ice Cream Lady 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 with the most controversial first. Seven 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.
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The Order of MeritHere are links to the most highly rated works in each genre represented by more than one title in this Quarterly Review. 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 works in the quarter are designated by the names of arms of the Galaxy. | |
Serials
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Short Stories
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Flash Fiction
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Poetry
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Short Poetry
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The Sagittarius Arm The Perseus Arm |
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