I don’t know exactly what makes me love a short story, but it has something to do with humor, surprise, and a “real” ending. I wish I could write them that way! Humor especially seems to escape me, and all too often my short stories turn into first chapters (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), but sometimes they don’t have the ending feel that I want.
Anyway, that being said, I finally got to read the stories in 20,000 Leagues Remembered! And just in time for the Facebook launch party for the paperback.
There’s too many to write about every one, but here are my favorites, in no particular order:
At Strange Depths by Jason J. McCuiston – so clearly written, forgot I was reading. An eerie extension of the book just after Professor Arronax escapes.
The Maelstrom by Maya Chhabra – fantastic character study, dark and moody and richly textured. It braids Nemo’s former life with the present and has a satisfying end emotionally, possibly the best of the bunch for me!
The Silent Agenda by Mike Adamson – ha! A curiously engrossing fireside chat between a publisher and a translator as they plan to edit Verne’s work to oblivion. Great dialogue, makes a writer and book lover and historian just cringe! In a good way.
Fools Rush In by Allison Tebo – Cracked me up. The would-be thieves have great chemistry as a group. I wanted more! Juliette with her single-minded balloonist goals, Lopez depressed and fatalistic, Casper making glorious speeches at inopportune moments… probably the funniest of the lot.
Homework Help From No One by Demetri Capetanopoulos – Okay, wait, maybe this was the best of the bunch for me! I really tasted the ingenuity, danger, and wonder of the original with this one, and a great ending!
I enjoyed others as well, Raise the Nautilus by Eric Choi is great, particularly for hard sci-fi readers, Leviathan by Michael Winkle went all in from a sperm whale (cachalot’s) perspective which was super creative…
Short story appreciation is definitely a matter of personal preference, but it seems like there’s something here for most to enjoy.
Cheers!
Corrie Garrett
Corrie Garrett 
What a wonderful review. Thank you. Readers will adore your story, “A Concurrent Process” as well, which you were too humble to mention. Times being what they are, perhaps your irrepressible protagonist shouldn’t have been investigating those UFO sightings over Chicago. Thanks again for the review, Corrie. I enjoyed co-editing this anthology, truly a labor of love.
Thank you, Steven! I really enjoyed the anthology. And you are so right—anything else sketchy that happens in 2020 should be left STRICTLY ALONE. 😝 Thanks again.
Corrie