4 Short Stories I've Enjoyed
"A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage." - Lorrie Moore
I have a short story being published next month in Slate’s Future Tense Fiction, a monthly series of short stories from Future Tense and Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination about how technology and science will change our lives.
It’s fair to say that I’m excited about it! Not only is it a nice fiction writing byline before my novel is released, but I love the fun, “out there” subject matter: the story of the first judge on the Moon.
The ruthless efficiency of short stories is both the challenge and the reward. With so many forces vying for our attention these days, perhaps short stories will emerge as the ideal literary form.
If you haven’t read a short story in a while, here are five that I recommend with accompanying links.
1. “The Big Four v. ORWELL” by Jeff Hewitt
Clearly I have a soft spot for science fiction with legal themes, but I really enjoyed this short story about a lawsuit against a prolific A.I. author. The A.I. in question has written several bestselling novels, but plaintiff’s counsel alleges that the A.I. has infringed on copyrighted materials of human authors. Can the lawyer successfully make the case that the A.I.’s products are fundamentally different than human creative works? As with other entries in Future Tense Fiction, this short story comes with a response essay. Novelist Ken Liu reflected on Hewitt’s short story and included a hopeful prediction: new A.I. systems will learn to imitate reader’s tastes and not just mimic the style of human authors.
2. “Master and Man” by Leo Tolstoy
I came across this one in George Saunders’s craft book A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, in which he teaches the art of the short story by reviewing the work of the Russian heavyweights: Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol. This story by Tolstoy introduces a wealthy and self-centered landowner, Vasili, who is determined to finalize a business deal despite blizzard conditions. By the end, Tolstoy shows how even a jerk can experience a realistic inner transformation. Recommended for those of us who still haven’t gotten around to reading War and Peace.
3. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
This story has been a favorite of mine since college. It centers on a self-righteous grandmother who convinces her son and his family to take a detour during a family road trip. When I was rereading it recently, I noticed how O’Connor foreshadows trouble with “the Misfit” as early as the first paragraph, helping the author signal the dark themes.
4. “If the Martians Have Magic” by P. Djèlí Clark
Clark’s story featured in last year’s Best American Science Fiction anthology, and I was struck by its original premise. It takes place in a very different timeline where H.G. Wells’s Martians have invaded several times. Humans have developed magical systems to help combat the Martians, with the main character coming from the Caribbean magical tradition.
Until next time . . .
I have been partnering with the new start-up Lace to share audio versions of some of my previous journalism. Check out one of my “greatest hits” in audio form: "Who Updates Celebrity Deaths on Wikipedia?”
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