Monday, January 1, 2024

2024: The Year In Shorts

As with the past several years, I'm going to attempt to read a number of shorter works (primarily fiction, if the past is a guide) equal to the number of days in the year (365). These will mostly be from anthologies (single author or multiple author), as the number of periodicals that I subscribe to shrinks.

Number of Stories Read: 493 (out of 365) as of November 2, 2024.

Poul Anderson: Technic Civilization 05—Captain Flandry—Defender of the Terran Empire. Made up of: Enter an Adversary, Charismatic and Ruthless (Hank Davis); The Day of Their Return; Outpost of Empire; Tiger by the Tail; Honorable Enemies; A Message in Secret; The Game of Flory; Appendix—Chronology of Technic Civilization (Sandra Miesel) (0 entries, continuing to read). 

Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey (editors): Thieves' World Collection Volume One. Made up of: Thieves' World: Introduction (Robert Asprin); Editor's Note (Robert Asprin); Sentences of Death (John Brunner); The Face of Chaos (Lynn Abbey); The Gate of the Fying Knives (Poul Anderson); Shadowspawn (Andrew Offutt); The Price of Doing Business (Robert Asprin); Blood Brothers (Joe Haldeman); Myrtis (Christine DeWees); The Secret of the Blue Star (Marion Zimmer Bradley); The Making of Thieves' World (Robert Asprin). Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn: Introduction (Robert Asprin); Spiders of the Purple Mage (Philip Jose Farmer); Goddess (David Drake); The Fruit of Enlibar (Lynn Abbey); The Dream of the Sorceress (A.E. van Vogt); Vashanka's Minion (Janet Morris); Shadow's Pawn (Andrew Offutt); To Guard the Guardians (Robert Apsrin); The Lighter Side of Sanctuary (Robert Asprin). Shadows of Sanctuary: Introduction (Robert Asprin); Looking for Satan (Vonda N. McIntyre); Ischade (C.J. Cherryh); A Gift in Parting (Robert Asprin); The Vivisectionist (Andrew Offutt); The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn (Diana J. Paxton); Then Azyuna Danced (Lynn Abbey); A Man and His God (Janet Morris); Things the Editor Never Told Me (Lynn Abbey) (17 stories, continuing to read). 

Arthur C. Clarke: The Collected Stories. Made up of: Foreword; Travel by Wire!; How We Went to Mars; Retreat from Earth; Reverie; The Awakening; Whacky; Loophole; Rescue Party; Technical Error; The Fires Within; Inheritance; Nightfall; History Lesson; Transience; The Wall of Darkness; The Lion of Comarre; The Forgotten Enemy; Hide-and-Seek; Breaking Strain; Nemesis; Guardian Angel; Time’s Arrow; A Walk in the Dark; Silence Please; The Road to the Sea; The Sentinel; Holiday on the Moon; Earthlight; Second Dawn; Superiority; “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth…”; All the Time in the World; The Nine Billion Names of God; The Possessed; The Parasite; Jupiter Five; Encounter in the Dawn; The Other Tiger; Publicity Campaign; The Deep Range; The Morning After; Big Game Hunt; Patent Pending; Refugee; The Star; What Goes Up; Venture to the Moon; The Pacifist; The Reluctant Orchid; Moving Spirit; The Ultimate Melody; The Next Tenants; Cold War; Sleeping Beauty; Security Check; The Man Who Ploughed the Sea; Critical Mass; The Other Side of the Sky; Let There Be Light; Out of the Sun; Cosmic Casanova; A Slight Case of Sunstroke; Who’s There?; Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting; I Remember Babylon; Trouble with Time; Into the Comet; Summertime on Icarus; Saturn Rising; Death and the Senator; Before Eden; Hate; Love That Universe; Dog Star; Maelstrom II; An Ape About the House; The Shining Ones; The Secret; Dial F for Frankenstein; The Wind from the Sun; The Food of the Gods; The Last Command; The Light of Darkness; Playback; The Cruel Sky; Herbert George Morley Robert Wells, Esq.; Crusade; Neutron Tide; Reunion; Transit of Earth; A Meeting with Medusa; Quarantine; ‘siseneG’, The Steam-Powered Word Processor; On Golden Seas; The Hammer of God; The Wire Continuum (with Stephen Baxter) (99 stories, collection completed).

Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener: Atomic Robo 081Atomic Robo & the Savage Sword of Doctor Dinosaur. Made up of: A Voyage of Discovery; The Cave of the Ancients; Lands Beyond; The Fall of Tesladyne; Crystals Are Integral ( stories; collection completed).

Avram Davidson: The Avram Davidson Treasury. Made up of: Oh, Avram, Avram, What a Wonder You Were! (Robert Silverberg); Starship Avram: A Writers' Memorial Party (Grania Davis); Introduction: My Boy Friend's Name Is Jello (Robert Silverberg); My Boy Friend's Name Is Jello; Introduction: The Golem (Damon Knight); The Golem; Introduction: The Necessity of His Condition (Karen Anderson and Poul Anderson); The Necessity of His Condition; Introduction: Help! I Am Dr. Morris Goldpepper (by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre); Help! I Am Dr. Morris Goldpepper; Introduction: Now Let Us Sleep (Gregory Benford); Now Let Us Sleep; Introduction: Or the Grasses Grow (Alan Dean Foster); Or the Grasses Grow; Introduction: Or All the Seas with Oysters (Guy Davenport); Or All the Seas with Oysters; Introduction: Take Wooden Indians (John M. Ford); Take Wooden Indians; Introduction: Author, Author (Melisa Michaels); Author, Author; Introduction: Dagon (John Clute); Dagon; Introduction: Ogre in the Vly (Peter S. Beagle); Ogre in the Vly; Introduction: The Woman Who Thought She Could Read (Martha Soukup); The Woman Who Thought She Could Read; Introduction: Where Do You Live, Queen Esther? (Kate Wilhelm); Where Do You Live, Queen Esther?; Introduction: The Sources of the Nile (Gregory Feeley); The Sources of the Nile; Introduction: The Affair at Lahore Cantonment (Eileen Gunn); The Affair at Lahore Cantonment; Introduction: Revolver (Bill Pronzini); Revolver; Introduction: The Tail-Tied Kings (Frederik Pohl); The Tail-Tied Kings; Introduction: The Price of a Charm; or, The Lineaments of Gratified Desire (Henry Wessells); The Price of a Charm; or, The Lineaments of Gratified Desire; Introduction: Sacheverell (Spider Robinson); SacheverellIntroduction: The House the Blakeneys Built (Ursula K. Le Guin); The House the Blakeneys Built; Introduction: The Goobers (James E. Gunn); The Goobers; Introduction: The Power of Every Root (Thomas M. Disch); The Power of Every Root; Introduction: Selectra Six-Ten (Edward L. Ferman); Selectra Six-Ten; Introduction: Goslin Day (Jack Dann); Goslin Day; Introduction: Polly Charms, the Sleeping Woman (Gene Wolfe); Polly Charms, the Sleeping Woman; Afterword: Polly Charms, The Sleeping Woman (Harlan Ellison); Introduction: And Don't Forget the One Red Rose (Richard A. Lupoff); And Don't Forget the One Red Rose; Introduction: Crazy Old Lady (Ethan Davidson); Crazy Old Lady; Introduction: "Hark! Was That the Squeal of an Angry Thoat?" (Mike Resnick); "Hark! Was That the Squeal of an Angry Thoat?"; Introduction: Manatee Gal, Won't You Come Out Tonight (Peter S. Beagle); Manatee Gal, Won't You Come Out Tonight; Afterword: Manatee Gal, Won't You Come Out Tonight (Lucius Shepard); Introduction: Naples (William Gibson); Naples; Introduction: Full Chicken Richness (Gardner Dozois); Full Chicken Richness; Afterword: Full Chicken Richness (Gardner Dozois); Introduction: The Hills Behind Hollywood High (Grania Davis); The Hills Behind Hollywood High (Avram Davidson and Grania Davis); Introduction: The Slovo Stove (Michael Swanwick); The Slovo Stove; Introduction: The Last Wizard and Revenge of the Cat-Lady (F. M. Busby); The Last Wizard; Revenge of the Cat-Lady; Introduction: While You're Up (Forrest J. Ackerman); While You're Up; Introduction: The Spook-Box of Theobald Delafont De Brooks (Algis Budrys);  The Spook-Box of Theobald Delafont De Brooks; Introduction: Yellow Rome, or, Vergil and the Vestal Virgin (Darrell Schweitzer); Yellow Rome, or, Vergil and the Vestal Virgin; Afterword: Yellow Rome, or, Vergil and the Vestal Virgin;  (Ray Nelson); Night Travel on the Orient Express, Destination: Avram (Ray Bradbury); Turn Out the Lights (Harlan Ellison) (83 stories; collection completed). 

Charles de Lint: Newford 01Dreams Underfoot. Made up of: Introduction; Uncle Dobbin's Parrot Fair; The Stone Drum; Timeskip; Freewheeling; That Explains Poland; Romano Drom; The Sacred Fire; Winter Was Hard; Pity the Monsters; Ghosts of Wind and Shadow; The Conjure Man; Small Deaths; The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep; In the House of My Enemy; But for the Grace Go I; Bridges; Our Lady of the Harbour; Paperjack; Tallulah (20 stories, collection completed).

Stephen Jay Gould: Eight Little Piggies. Made up of: A Reflective Prologue; Unenchanted Evening; The Golden RuleA Proper Scale for Our Environmental Crisis; Losing a Limpet; Eight Little Piggies; Bent Out of Shape; An Earful of Jaw; Full of Hot Air; Evolving Visions; Men of Thirty-Third DivisionAn Essay on Integrity; Darwin and Paley Meet the Invisible Hand; More Light on Leaves; On Rereading Edmund Halley; Fall in the House of Usher; Muller Bros. Moving & Storage; Shoemaker and Morning Star; In Touch with Walcott; Encounters with Cable Cars; Mozart and Modularity; The Moral State of Tahitiand of Darwin; Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness; The Declining Empire of Apes; The Wheel of Fortune and the Wedge of Progress; Tires to Sandals; Defending the Heretical and the Superfluous; The Reversal of Hallucigenia; What the Immaculate Pigeon Teaches the Burdened Mind; The Great Seal Principle; A Dog's Life in Galton's Polyhedron; Betting on Chanceand No Fair Peeking; Shields of Expectationand Actuality; A Tale of Three Pictures; A Foot Soldier for Evolution (5 essays, continuing to read).

Brian Lumley: The Compleat Crow. Made up of: Concerning Titus Crow; Inception; Lord of the Worms; The Caller of the Black; The Viking's Stone; The Mirror of Nitocris; An Item of Supporting Evidence; Billy's Oak; Darghud's Doll; De Marigny's Clock; Name and Number; The Black Recalled (12 stories; collection completed). 

Alastair Reynolds: Revelation Space 01Galactic North. Made up of: The Great Wall of Mars; Glacial; A Spy in Europa: Weather; Dilation Sleep; Grafenwelder's Bestiary; Nightingale; Galactic North; Afterword (9 stories; collection completed). 

Alastair Reynolds: Revelation Space 02Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days. Made up of: Diamond Dogs; Turquoise Days (2 stories, collection completed). 

Alastair Reynolds: Belladonna Nights and Other Stories. Made up of: Winter Did Come; Belladonna Nights; Different Seas; For the Ages; Visiting Hours; Holdfast; The Lobby; A Map of Mercury; Magic Bone Woman; Providence; Wrecking Party; Sixteen Questions for Kamala Chatterjee; Death's Door; A Murmuration; Open and Shut; Plaque Music; Night Passage; Story Notes (3 stories, continuing to read). 

Alastair Reynolds: Beyond the Aquila Rift. Made up of: Great Wall of Mars*; Weather*; Beyond the Aquila Rift; Minla's Flowers; Zima Blue; Fury; The Star Surgeon's Apprentice; The Sledge-Maker's Daughter; Diamond Dogs*; Thousandth Night; Troika; Sleepover; Vainglory; Trauma Pod; The Last Log of the Lachrimosa; The Water Thief; The Old Man and the Martian Sea; In Babelsberg; Story Notes (* denotes a story read earlier this year in another collection) (1 story, continuing to read).

Spider Robinson: Callahan's 01Callahan's Crosstime Saloon. Made up of: Spider Robinson—The SF Writer as Empath (Ben Bova); Foreword; The Guy with the Eyes; The Time-Traveler; The Centipede's Dilemma; Two Heads Are Better Than One; The Law of Conversation of Pain; Just Dessert; "A Voice Is Heard In Ramah..."; Unnatural Causes; The Wonderful Conspiracy (11 stories, collection completed).

Spider Robinson: Callahan's 02Time Travelers Strictly Cash. Made up of: Foreword; Fivesight; Soul Search; Spider vs. the Hax of Sol III; Dog Day Evening; God Is an Iron; Rah, Rah, R.A.H.!; Ol' Man Heinlein; Have You Heard the One...?; Local Champ; The Web of Sanity; Mirror/rorriM Off the Wall; Serpents' Teeth (13 stories or essays, collection completed).

Spider Robinson: Callahan's 03Callahan's Secret. Made up of: Foreword; The Blacksmith's Tale; Pyotr's Story; Involuntary Man's Laughter; The Mick of Time; (5 stories, collection completed). 

Spider Robinson: Callahan's 01-03 (Omnibus)The Callahan Chronicals. Made up of: Backword; Spider Robinson—The SF Writer as Empath (Ben Bova); Foreword; The Guy with the Eyes; The Time-Traveler; The Centipede's Dilemma; Two Heads Are Better Than One; The Law of Conversation of Pain; Just Dessert; "A Voice Is Heard In Ramah..."; Unnatural Causes; The Wonderful Conspiracy; Fivesight; Dog Day Evening; Have You Heard the One...?; Mirror/rorriM Off the Wall; Involuntary Man's Laughter; Pyotr's Story; Author's Note--Pyotr's Story; The Blacksmith's Tale; The Mick of Time; Post Toast; Author's Final Note (stories from other collections not reread; 4 stories or essays, collection completed).

Spider Robinson: Callahan's 04Callahan's Lady. Some comments by Robinson make it clear that these stories were broken up and published separately, but unfortunately my usual sources (ISFDB) doesn't help. Based on the plot, it appears that this counts as 3 stories, roughly (3 stories; collection completed). 

Spider Robinson: Callahan's 05Lady Slings the Booze. Some comments by Robinson make it clear that these stories were broken up and published separately, but unfortunately my usual sources (ISFDB) doesn't help. Based on the plot, it appears that this counts as 3 stories, roughly (3 stories; collection completed).

Steven Saylor: Roma Sub Rosa 01The Seven Wonders. Made up of: The Dead Man Who Wasn't; Something to Do with Diana; The Widows of Halicarnassus; O Tempora! O Mores! Olympiad!; Interlude in Cornith: The Witch's Curse; The Monumental Gaul; Styx and Stones; The Return of the Mummy; They Do It with Mirrors; Epilogue in Alexandria: The Eighth Wonder (10 stories; collection completed). 

Charles Sheffield: The Compleat McAndrew. Made up of: Introduction; Killing Vector; Moment of Inertia; All the Colors of the Vacuum; The Manna Hunt; The Hidden Matter of McAndrew; The Invariants of Nature; Rogueworld; With McAndrew, Out of Focus; McAndrew and the Fifth Commandment; AppendixScience & Science Fiction (11 stories, collection completed).

Clifford D. Simak: The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak Volume 01I Am Crying All Inside and Other Stories. Made up of: Introduction—Clifford D. Simak—Grand Master Indeed! (David W. Wixon); Installment Plan; I Had No Head and My Eyes Were Floating Way Up in the Air; Small Deer; Ogre; Gleaners; Madness from Mars; Gunsmoke Interlude; I Am Crying All Inside; The Call from Beyond; All the Traps of Earth (11 stories, collection completed). 

Clifford D. Simak: The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak Volume 07--A Death in the House and Other Stories. Made up of: Introduction--The Misunderstood "Hiatus" (David W. Wixon); Operation Stinky; Green Thumb; When It's Hangnoose Time in Hell; The Sitters; Tools; Target Generation; War Is Personal; Nine Lives; A Death in the House; The Birch Clump Cylinder (11 stories; collection completed). 

Clifford D. Simak: The Complete Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak Volume 12The Thing in the Stone and Other Stories. Made up of: IntroductionClifford D. SimakSeeker After Truth (David W. Wixon); The Thing in the Stone; The World of the Red Sun; Skirmish; Aesop; The Hangnoose Army Rides to Town!; Univac: 2000; The Creator; The Spaceman's Van Gogh; Hunch; Construction Shack (12 stories; collection completed). 

Allen Steele: Rude Astronauts. Made up of: IntroductionWeird Scenes From the Beach Party; On the RoadEulogy; Walking on the Moon; Free Beer and the William Casey Society; The Return of Weird Frank; Sugar's Blues; Live from the Mars Hotel; On the RoadPakachoag Hill; Goddard's People; John Harper Wilson; Science Fact—L. G. M.; Hapgood's Hoax; On the RoadWaiting for the End of the World; Winter Scenes of the Cold War; On the Road—Can You Count the Angels Dancing on a Pin?; Trembling Earth (11 stories; stories duplicated in another collection skipped; collection completed). 

Allen Steele: Sex and Violence in Zero-GThe Complete Near Space StoriesExpanded Edition. Made up of: Introduction 1 (1998)The Coming of the Space Age; Introduction 2 (2010)Return to Near-Space; Walking on the Moon; Free Beer and the William Casey Society; The Return of Weird Frank; Sugar's Blues; The Flying Triangle; The Zoo Team; Live from the Mars Hotel; The War Memorial; Moreau²; The Great Galactic Ghoul; The Emperor of Mars; Zwarte Piet's Tale; The Weight; Kronos; The Death of Captain Future; The Exile of Evening Star; 0.0G SexA User's Guide; Working for Mister Chicago; High Roller; Shepherd Moon; Appendix #1"Near Space" Timeline; Appendix #2Space Station and Spacecraft Designs (24 stories or essays, collection completed). 

Diverse & Various Hands: The Dreaming (1996-2001) Issues 01-60 (60 stories, series completed). The Dreaming (2018): Issues 01-18 (18 stories, series completed). The DreamingWaking Hours: Issues 01-12 (12 issues, series completed). 

David Weber & Others: House of SteelThe Honorverse Companion. Made up of: I Will Build a House of Steel (David Weber); The Honorverse Companion (Thomas Pope and David Weber); Building a Navy in the Honorverse (Christopher Weuve and David Weber); Frequently Asked Questions (David Weber) (1 story, continuing to read). 

David Weber (editor): Worlds of Honor 01More Than Honor. Made up of: A Beautiful Friendship (David Weber); A Grand Tour (David Drake); A Whiff of Grapeshot (S. M. Stirling); The Universe of Honor Harrington (David Weber) (2 stories, continuing to read).

David Weber (editor): Worlds of Honor 02Worlds of Honor. Made up of: The Stray (Linda Evans); What Price Dreams? (David Weber); Queen's Gambit (Jane Lindskold); The Hard Way Home (David Weber); Deck Load Strike (Roland J. Green) (5 stories, collection completed).

David Weber (editor): Worlds of Honor 03Changer of Worlds. Made up of: Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington (David Weber); Changer of Worlds (David Weber); From the Highlands (Eric Flint); Nightfall (David Weber) (2 stories; continuing to read). 

David Weber (editor): Worlds of Honor 04The Service of the Sword. Made up of: The Promised Land (Jane Lindskold); With One Stone (Timothy Zahn); A Ship Named Francis (Victor Mitchell and John Ringo); Let's Go to Prague (John Ringo); Fanatic (Eric Flint); The Service of the Sword (David Weber) (3 stories; continuing to read).

David Weber (editor): Worlds of Honor 05In Fire Forged. Made up of: Ruthless (Jane Lindskold); An Act of War (Timothy Zahn); "Let's Dance" (David Weber); An Introduction to Modern Starship Armor Design (Andy Presby); Appendix—Armor Design Figures (William H. Edwards; Thomas Marrone and Thomas Pope) (3 stories; continuing to read).

David Weber (editor): Worlds of Honor 06Beginnings. Made up of: By the Book (Charles E. Gannon); A Call to Arms (Timothy Zahn); Beauty and the Beast (David Weber); The Best Laid Plans (David Weber); Obligated Service (Joelle Presby) (4 stories; continuing to read). 

David Weber (editor): Worlds of Honor 07What Price Victory? Made up of: Traitor (Thomas Pope and Timothy Zahn); Deception on Gryphon (Jane Lindskold); The Silesian Command (Jan Kotouc); If Wishes Were Space Cutters (Joelle Presby); First Victory (David Weber) (3 stories; continuing to read). 

Roger Zelazny: Dilvish, The Damned 01Dilvish, The Damned. Mad up of: Passage to Dilfar; Thelinde's Song; The Bells of Shoredan; A Knight for Merytha; The Places of Aache; A City Divided; The White Beast; Tower of Ice; Devil and the Dancer; Garden of Blood; Dilvish, the Damned (11 stories, collection completed). 


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