The Last Arcadian by Z.S. Joseph revolves around Addy, a birthday girl whose only major problem is coming to terms with an impending transition to boarding school and the pressure that comes with it. As her day proceeds with friends Eli and Luka, strange occurrences...

Taking Flight: Short Stories of the Unexpected by Jacques Sardas presents a collection of original tales that, while connected in different ways through a character named Avi, can be comfortably read individually, which is how I approached the anthology myself. These stories include Longevity, in...

The Mission and Three Other Stories by Don Pizzarello is a collection of stories that depict characters ensnared in their situations. They explore themes of faith, friendship, love, and identity. In The Mission, a follower is troubled with a test of deceit, free will, and...

The Christmas Letter by Pat Wahler is a heartwarming short story that beautifully weaves themes of friendship, loss, and the power of love. The novella follows Zoe Kendrick, a new mathematics teacher struggling with a heavy emotional burden. Her friend Viola is gravely ill, and...

Town and Country is an enthralling collection of short stories by Carl Parsons. These tales are set in the Mid-Ohio Valley in America and feature a colorful array of characters. An old man returns to his hometown where he grew up, hoping to reconnect with...

Trio: 3 Tales of Dark Urban Fantasy by Phillip Johnson is a collection of stories that explore grief, identity, and existential questions. They have science fiction and supernatural elements, with tales of immortal beings, interdimensional ships, and time travel. The first story, Aaron’s Last Day,...

Table for Two by Eliot Parker is a collection of ten short stories, each focusing on the conversations between two people. Set in Appalachia, these stories dive into how people connect—or fail to connect—with each other. The collection starts with "From the Stars Above," where...

Tales From the Texas Timberlands by J. Andrew Rice comprises five short stories inspired by those told on Texas porches. They present very different characters and deal with many themes and situations. In the first story, we are on a farm where we meet Billy and Jim...

The Legend of Kalaj is the second installment in the Skaluni series by Bruce E. Arrington. Old and tired, Kalaj struggles to forgive the hunters of her tribe for their role in the death of her adopted son, Skaluni, who created the flying island that...

The Mission by Karen Crawford is a crime thriller that follows a serial killer obsessed with proving a theory. She believes that people with odd, awful names have bad lives and interesting stories. After each killing, she collects information to use for her first nonfiction...