A woman discovers a haunted Camaro and uses it to take revenge on her ex-fiance. This is a very Stephen Graham Jones story – nods to horror movie lore, working-class characters in…
Author: Michael Hartford
“The Volcano Dances” by J.G. Ballard
A man waits in the shadow of an active volcano while everyone around him evacuates. This is an odd little story; it feels of a piece with The Delta at Sunset and…
“The Repugnant Conclusion” by Elif Batuman
College students ruminate on love and sex through the lenses provided by their classes in literature, language, philosophy, and ethics. Not bad for a New Yorker story about affluent young people –…
“Ten Things I Didn’t Do” by Maria Haskins
A girl recounts her encounter with a monster who wasn’t a monster but a man, which didn’t kill her except maybe it did. This is a dark little story, couching generational abuse…
“Mothers, Watch Over Me” by Maria Haskins
A mother dog sets out on a perilous journey to save the runt of her litter. This is an interesting post-apocalyptic story as seen from the perspective of dogs who have taken…
“Hare’s Breath” by Maria Haskins
A girl is puzzled by her friend’s mysterious disappearance and apparently magical origins. This is a beautiful and haunting story that weaves together fantasy, myth, and a horrible true history of exploitation.
“No Stronger Than a Flower” by Robert Aickman
A woman seeks advice on changing her appearance at her husband’s suggestion, and transforms herself beyond his ability to comprehend. Like most of the Aickman stories I’ve read, this one is subtly…
“Just a Little Fever” by Sheila Heti
A bank teller starts up a May-December romance with a customer and ruminates about it. Occasionally “The New Yorker” runs a story that makes me think, “I’m really glad I subscribe to…
“Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula Le Guin
A celebrated harper loses her instrument in an accident, and follows a domestic path that is no less musical than her previous life. This is a lovely and poetic story about music…
“She Unnames Them” by Ursula K. LeGuin
A woman (possibly Eve?) liberates animals, and herself, from their common names, and walks off into a world of poetry and specificity. This story has the feel of a fable or parable,…