Dystopian and Sci Fi Short Stories

Because I'm wriggling my way into a couple of anthologies, I've had my eyes peeled lately for short stories, particularly YA and sci fi/dystopian short stories.

Short stories are a whole different structure from novels. A short story is no more a little novel than a child is a little adult. Short stories include different elements from novels, different tropes, different styles.

If you're like me, looking for more short stories and soaking them up, then here are a few good places to go:

Lightspeed Magazine is a digital magazine that only costs about $3 per issue. Since it's online, it doesn't shy away from longer stories (the issue I'm currently reading has a short story by Geroge R.R. Martin and while it is technically a short story, you guys know the size of his novels, right?) and it actively explores current and past writers, with stories varying from steampunk (an excellent one by Cassie Clare shares the same issue as an interview they did with me), sci fi, and more. It also--and this is what I find even more appealing--includes interviews and non-fiction articles.

You can read Lightspeed Magazine on an e-reader, but it's also available on, for example, your Kindle app on your computer. Since everything inside is short, even if you don't have an e-reader, the content is still digestible on your computer.

Of course, when I think of short stories, I tend to think of anthologies. For a current anthology focusing on paranormal, may I suggest Enthralled, edited by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr (available in print or e-book)? This anthology is huge, full of stories from some of the hottest authors right now--Kami Garcia, Carrie Ryan, Jerri Smith-Ready, and more. With sixteen stories in all, you'll be sure to find something you love.

So: I want to know--where are you getting your short story fix?