Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels by Lavie Tidhar ★★★★★

 “The truth was that mysteries were bunk: murder was straightforward and everyone did it, from the emperor down.”  

The Count had disappeared and three of his enemies are claiming they killed him, claiming inheritance by vampire law.  

Another clever offering from the Judge Dee series!

Read it yourself: https://www.tor.com/2021/02/10/judge-dee-and-the-three-deaths-of-count-werdenfels-lavie-tidhar/

Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law by Lavie Tidhar ★★★★★

Karen has again mined Tor for the good stuff!  

Vampires have few laws, but those they take deadly serious.  Directed by the Council, Judge Dee travels the medieval world with his human companion and acts a judge, jury, and executioner for his kind.  He is old, powerful, and respected - but that doesn’t mean he cannot be fooled.  

This was clever, fun, and addictive!  I will continue the series.

Read it yourself: https://www.tor.com/2020/11/11/judge-dee-and-the-limits-of-the-law-lavie-tidhar/

Twelve Tomorrows ★★★★★

Fields of Gold by Liu Cixin ★★★★★★

"Are the stars very far?"
"They’re getting closer." 
Six stars.  Jaw droppingly good.  I gasped!  

Elric of Melniboné: The Elric Saga Part 1 by Michael Moorcock ★★☆☆☆

Poor Cymoril.  A practical noblewoman with the misfortune to fall in love with Eric - a skinny, asthmatic philosophy major addicted to a paranormal blend of meth and dark magic.  An albino prince completely unwilling to listen to reason.  

The stories are Eric getting into trouble for not listening to Cymoril.  Eric running away and proclaiming he misses and loves Cymoril - while impregnating Oone the Dream Thief.  Eric accidentally killing Cymoril, like she told him he would.  Eric destroying everything in sadness and then sleeping around some more.   

Sometimes classics let you down :(

Fire: An Anthology

Letter of the Law by Pat Aitcheson ★★★★½ 
Whoops!  Hahaha 😈, best typo ever.

Imagine 2200

The Secrets of the Last Greenland Shark by Mike McClelland ★★★★★ 

“Survive. Survive. Survive.” 
And then I cried.  I cried and cried while walking my dog, unable to explain to passing strangers that I had just read something beautiful.
Read it Yourself: https://grist.org/fix/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-secrets-of-the-last-greenland-shark/

The Cloud Weaver’s Song by Saul Tanpepper ★★★★½ 

Oh that was excellent!  Future survivalist Native American’s get stuck in their new ways, but one woman dares to remember her roots - The Earth needs water too.
Read it Yourself: https://grist.org/fix/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-cloud-weavers-song/

Afterglow by Lindsey Brodeck ★★★★☆ 

This read like a prequel to Emergency Skin - enjoyable!
Read it Yourself: https://grist.org/fix/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-afterglow/

Those were best stories of this free Solarpunk Anthology.

Cabin Porn: Inside by Zach Klein ★★★★½

A feast for the eyes, a balm for the soul.  Take a mental vacation friends and pick up some Cabin Porn.

Cover of Night by Linda Howard ★★★★☆

Linda Howard wrote the fantasy handyman and gave him an extreme situation to show off his deadly skills.  Good times.

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta ★★★★★

I found this monster porn gem in Karen’s to-read list, she finds the best titles in smut. 

It did not disappoint 😉.  Best of monster porn, five stars.

The Sword & Sorcery Anthology

Undertow by Karl Edward Wagner ★★★★½   

Oh friends, a full short story: beginning, middle, and oh-shit ending.  We start with stereotypes and bloom into layered, desperate, characters.  This is my favorite “green ribbon” story.

The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams by Michael Moorcock ★★★★½ 

Decades before the Targaryens hit the shelves there was “a race which loved pleasure, cruelty, and sophistication for its own sake. The race of Melnibonéans.”