“I like to keep the lake looking neat and tidy. You wouldn’t know it from the surface, but my lake is spotless, with excellent water circulation and the best crop of brown trout in western England. Even my frogs look smarter than those in inferior lakes, though they taste much the same. I may not... Continue Reading →
Terms of Endearment by Larry McMurtry
“As usual, after one of her mother’s visits, Emma found herself feeling antagonistic, not merely toward her mother but also toward her husband and herself. Flap should have been there to defend himself, or her, or them. Her mother hadn’t really been on the attack; she had just been exercising her peculiar subtle genius for... Continue Reading →
The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow
“‘As for you, Medha Yankaran”- I turn towards the girl, her burnished skin and sharply cut profile making her look like an apsara come alive- “from this day forth you are mine.” Harun hurries forward with a tray of paints in his hands. I sketch the Star of Rashmatun on her forehead, as I have... Continue Reading →
The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
“By the time Twyla and Frank arrived on the scene, two miles from the barracks, the flare had landed. They found themselves on a flattened plain, nestled in the jagged foothills of the Dragon’s Teeth mountain range. The flare’s harsh light glared across the landscape, outshining their saddle lanterns and casting everything in bright pinks... Continue Reading →
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
“I manage because I have to. Because I've no other way out. Because I've overcome the vanity and pride of being different, I've understood that they are a pitiful defense against being different. Because I've understood that the sun shines differently when something changes. The sun shines differently, but it will continue to shine, and... Continue Reading →
These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low
“The Island tracked everything that washed ashore.An invisible barrier surrounded it, a shimmering wall a hundred kilometers in every direction. Canoes sank in crossing; navigators lost sight of the stars. Later, trawlers and airplanes split themselves against nothing, and the probes they sent into the water returned out of sync or cracked precisely down the... Continue Reading →