“Artifice and Intelligence,” by Tim Pratt

from Strange Horizons (2007) There’s really nothing here. If many short stories read like the barest of bare bones stretched to their breaking point, this piece has the feel of a long, convoluted novel languidly stepping into itself, only to cut off ten pages in. The story features three characters, representing three gradually converging arcs,

“The Game of Smash and Recovery,” by Kelly Link

from Strange Horizons (2015) If we squint tight, and limit our scope to all but the product itself, the similarities in reception for Kelly Link and Carmen Maria Machado come into focus: genre roots, MFA routes, and simultaneous praise from sf and mainstream outlets otherwise little in communication. Link was the forerunner, however, and, in