So, since I railed against some of the shorter fiction I’ve been reading lately, I thought I should flip that around and share some of the stories I really enjoyed.  These are all from Daily Science Fiction.  (Since I receive the stories via e-mail it’s pretty simple to just move the ones I like into a folder.)

(And if you like them, you can subscribe to the stories for FREE.  Pretty nice.  It was great when I was overseas because they’d arrive at 9 PMish and I’d read them while watching mindless TV, but now that I’m back in the States I’ve kind of fallen behind.  I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to read stories first thing in the morning.  Flirting and fiction reading – both best done after noon.  ANYWAY.)

Without further ado:

Metal and Flesh by Steven R. Stewart:

A little taste:

“Sato lay on the cement floor of the workshop in a pool of his own blood and tried desperately to get Kuro-4’s legs working again. The robot, in turn, tried to deal with the gaping wounds in Sato’s smashed leg and pelvis.”

You’ve Ruined This for Me by Ewan C. Forbes:

And another taste:

“The skies were burning outside my window but I paid them no heed. During a break up, it is amazing how long it takes for information from the outside world to seep through. My phone had been ringing for days but I was in no mood to talk. When I finally noticed the storm outside it seemed fitting. As far as I was concerned it was pathetic fallacy.”

Endgame by  Thomas Canfield

And another (it’s like crack isn’t it?  Just a taste, that’s all…):

“‘Death ensues within thirty seconds.’

The voice conveying this warning was calm, restrained, devoid of any sense of urgency. It was matter of fact. But I was gripped by the same surge of adrenalin as I always was.”

An Old Acquaintance by K.G. Jewell:

And one final taste:

“Tabbitha was out of town.  I turned off the light and stretched out over the entire bed.  Was this a guilty pleasure?  Was my loneliness supposed to quench my enjoyment of such luxurious space?  I closed my eyes and dreamt of the barren vastness of Wyoming.

A yank of my pinkie toe awoke me.  I sat up and scanned the dark room.  There, at the foot of the bed–two bloodshot yellow eyes.”

These aren’t the only ones I liked, but just a few that I thought I’d share.  Because, you know, sometimes it isn’t all about me.  (Most times.  But not all the time.)