Short fiction recs! January--March 2026
Well, I fell way behind on my short fiction reading over the last few months, for a number of reasons. But here are a few stories that I did manage to get to--a mix of old and new-- that I loved. Stories of Love and Darkness Last Flesh Ice-Skaters by Claire Jia-Wen in Khoreo The first time I saw you, you laced up your skates, adjusted your knee mods, and I was just another unremarkable face as you fluttered to the ice. My mother snapped at me to watch you, but it was like asking a mallard to observe a flamingo. Our legs didn’t work the same. You’d been competing across the national circuit, in Boston and Orlando and Frisco, and this was my first competition. A near-future science-fiction tale about two figure skaters—both Chinese-American, both from Southern California, and both using the latest in sports body modifications. A propulsive sports rivalry story about competition, obsession, attraction, and love for the sp...