The Call of the Pancake Factory by Ken Liu (Science Fiction)
... Cthulhu and I did indeed have a “dream-conversation,” as Otto would say. It’s not so much conversing in words as showing each other pictures—a skill I’m very good at, as the Pancake Factory is a big believer in not using words where pictures will do, considering we have visitors from across the globe. They don’t call us “imagineers” for nothing.
Domotica Berserker! by Paul Di Filippo (Science Fiction)
The Domotica units all began to print the simplified forms of mini-cathedrals at an accelerated speed that would destroy the printheads before too long. Polychromatic buttresses and gargoyles began to sprout in crazy confusion.
The Narrow Escape of Zipper-Girl by Adam-Troy Castro (Horror)
I’m a neck man. Some guys notice breasts first. Others are first taken by long shiny legs. I notice necks. I’ve always noticed necks, the most beautiful and most vulnerable attribute women have. Hers had a zipper. I had seen any number of studs and implants and piercings on women, but had never seen a zipper.
Scenting the Dark by Mary Robinette Kowal (Horror, Science Fiction)
Lifting the stopper from the vial to his nose, Penn inhaled slowly. Against the neutral backdrop of his ship’s cleanroom, he picked out aromas of quince, elderberry, and bright Martian soil that hinted of blood, with undercurrents of cinnamon and Zeta Epsilon’s fragrantly sweet longgrass. He sighed, blowing the scents out again. The perfume was still out of balance.
Absolutely Inflexible by Robert Silverberg (Science Fiction)
“You see,” Mahler said, tapping his desk. “They’ve just found another one. We’re constantly bombarded with you people. When you get to the Moon, you’ll find a whole Dome full of them. I’ve sent over four thousand there myself since I took over the bureau. And that was eight years ago—in 2776. An average of five hundred a year. Hardly a day goes by without someone dropping in on us.”
Monsters by James Patrick Kelly (Science Fiction)
Henry hated looking so vanilla. There was nothing terrifying about him except the bad thoughts, which he told no one, not even God. But this morning the monster was cagy. It wanted to get loose and he was tired of holding it back. Something was going to happen. He decided not to shave.
To the Moon by Ken Liu (Fantasy)
Long ago, when you were just a baby, we went to the Moon.
It’s All True by John Kessel (Science Fiction)
I might be on the outs, but the story of the wild goose chase for Orson Welles was all around town. Four times talent scouts had been sent back to recruit versions of Welles, and four times they had failed.
I’ll Follow the Sun by Paul Di Filippo (Science Fiction)
He took one final look around at the aggressive future, then rotated via the Davis Equation back into Dormammu-space, or D-space as he was already mentally calling it.
Hot Times in Magma City by Robert Silverberg (Science Fiction)
No one expected volcanos to sprout up in and around Los Angeles. Cal Mattison has to deal with the aftermath.