FicStack Curation #3
Welcome to the second curation post for November.
FicStack curators have been trawling through Substack and have found the following gems for your reading pleasure this week.
Be sure to give the featured authors a read, a like or two, drop them a comment, and maybe give them a restack.
Tina Crossgrove, Existential Dread and Other Hobbies
This week’s curations are about feeling something—in the heart, in the mind, maybe even a little in the gut. I’ve been drawn to work that’s dark and atmospheric, pieces that linger long after you’ve left them. I was lucky enough to find stories that not only scratched that mental-emotional itch but also took bold chances with form and style. They surprised me in the best ways. I hope they do the same for you.
“The Waltz You Saved for Me” by C.C. Harlow. Writing in second person is a bold move–the author draws the reader in but risks pushing them away. It’s a bit voyeuristic in a disorienting way, as if the reader’s being piloted by someone else–seeing and experiencing but not knowing–and can’t quite tell who’s at the controls. “The Walz You Saved” is a beautiful gothic tale that uses “you” in a most effective way!
“Feast of the Departed” by Luna Asli Kolcu, By Luna Asli Kolcu. A gothic fantasy romance that hurt my heart in all the best ways possible. Love. Longing. Memory. All entwine here in a single moment in which two souls meet for the last time.
“Broken Charm” by Kelly G, Letters from Kell. In her profile, Kelly G. says she writes about, “...the magic of being in your 20s.” I am long past my 20s, yet this poem resonated with me. The pain of unrequited love, and the numbness that comes with emotional detachment is visceral. The ache of intimacy without connection is something that does not lessen with advanced age, and because of that, this poem hit me squarely in the feelings.
Kelly Xan, The Author Wars
With the spooky season just behind us, I wanted to give Stackers a mix of haunting and thoughtful. We haven’t quite reached the holiday times yet, which means we can still bask in the autumnal vibes.
“Chapter 001” in The Strings Of Us by Graeme Brandham, Graeme’s Atlas of Uncharted Stories. This is a serial that truly jumps off the screen with imagery. Graeme weaves a beautiful story with thought-provoking concepts and stunning language that pulls readers in immediately. It’s a whimsical, poignant, exciting sci-fi jam that includes talking rabbits. I think that says it all.
“Halloween [poem]” by MA Knight, Behind the Grin. I. Love. This. Poem. This starts off with that frightful, thrilling energy of the eeriest time of year, and then pokes at the thrill with forewarning that stops a reader in their tracks. I wanted to look over my shoulder after reading this, like I was anticipating a jump scare. I’m still anxious about it. I suspect this poem will linger in the back of my mind for a bit, similar to how the spooky season never quite leaves us.
“The Prophecy | Short Story” by Cecilia Lovos, absentiae | short stories. This is a poignant piece about prophecies. Imagine getting an opportunity to take a glance at your future, and the vision you get is far from anything you thought possible for yourself, to the point where you don’t even recognise yourself. You walk away as the main character does, wondering what he will do with this information, wondering what you would do in his shoes. What a wonderful story of speculative fiction!
Yaba Armah, Wicked Little Fictions
Grab your chocolate-coated digestives and a giant cup of steaming tea. Let’s get into this week’s narrative gems!
“Encore” by DJ Stapleton. This was my first FicStack Portal Find. “Encore” is a Victorian ghost story that glimmers with brass and gaslight nostalgia. This is the kind of short that makes you adjust your seating, because you know you won’t be moving until the thing is wholly consumed. DJ Stapleton, please expand this story into a serial because… come on! What happens to Theodore Thurston and Vivienne?! What do they get up to?? And will I need my smelling salts???
“BloodSmith” in Tales of the Guildless by Richard Pack, Emerald Wyrm’s Den. Richard Pack introduces us to his novel-in-progress by referencing Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. As someone who uses the Alera audiobooks as my nightly lullaby (~3hr timer), that was all I needed to throw myself into “BloodSmith.” And it did not disappoint! This prologue is a fast-paced epic ride that introduces us to a thrilling magic system. There’s blood. Lots of it. But it’s not gruesome so much as it is intriguing. And when you get to the end, worry not, there are ten more chapters waiting. Now I’m just hoping for the voice-over narration so I can give Tavi and co. a much needed rest.
Qibra, Qibra
This month, I found myself returning to stories about longing. The kind that makes us believe we need one more thing, one more chance, or one more correction before we can finally feel whole again.
Diary of a Broken Android by Adrian Fares, Fictional Survival Guide. “I could start by saying I’m just a broken android pacing endlessly through a large house… And it wouldn’t be a lie, but it wouldn’t be the whole truth either.” There is something quietly daring about this serial. Adrian is working in the tradition of Ishiguro and Ted Chiang: the emotional interior life of a non-human mind. Bruno can’t stop walking. Day and night, he paces through his adoptive parents’ house, writing this diary to keep his neural network from collapsing. His pacing isn’t due to a malfunction. It’s an existential symptom after losing his job and girlfriend. In a world where androids are supposed to be perfect, he’s more human than ever because he’s flawed. This series made me think about how thin the barrier truly is between a biological nervous system and an artificial one. In the end, longing feels very similar, whether human or android. Reflective, emotional sci-fi exploring consciousness and what it means to be alive. Serialized in short entries. Perfect for binge-reading.
“The Curse” by Maryellen Brady, Magical Musings with MeBrady. Some people long for love. Some long for justice. Ed Covil longed for one thing: recognition. When his coworker stole his research and took his promotion, he did what any reasonable wizard would do…spent three months planning the perfect curse. Everything was going according to plan until Bartelby showed up. A short, delightful comedy about revenge, cats and the cosmic joke of getting exactly what you asked for.
FicStack curators have their own process for finding posts for curation. Please do not message them or drop links to your posts below. They will be deleted, and your name will be added to ‘The List’.
In case you missed it, the FicStack.com site went live last week. To get your publication listed, fill out the form HERE.
FicStack.com is LIVE!
It has been a long road getting the backend stuff working, validating publications and fetching posts, setting up a classifier, exports and all sorts of craziness, but I am happy to announce that the first iteration of the live site is here!
In addition, the FicStack community Discord has opened its doors. Click the Discord logo below.
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I have been following these posts for the last two, thoroughly enjoying all the recommendations. You can imagine my wide-eyed childish smile then when I stumbled upon my name in this one. @theauthorwars , what a great intro. I hope you don't mind if I borrow that sometimes, because that is a gift of a blurb!
I cannot wait to keep reading these posts and discovering new people along the way. I get the sense this is going to be a really EPIC community to be a small part of.
Awesome mahi once again Team A! Some great recommendations for us all to get our teeth into!