Best of 2005 Part Four: Short Fiction

I'm afraid you won't find many stories on my list that were actually written in 2005. I wish I had more time and money to keep up with current stories. Yeah, I know, it's a lame excuse, but I do subscribe to F&SF and try to pick up a few magazines throughout the year. It's just easier to read a couple of the Best of the Year anthologies. (And I haven't even finished those yet!)

But of the stories that came out in 2005, I'd have to say my favorites are both by Kelly Link, "Magic for Beginners" and "Stone Animals," both of which are included in her collection Magic for Beginners. These are stories that I can't wait to read again, soaking up everything in them. (And there's a lot in them.)

Other stories I enjoyed:

"Coming to Terms" – Eileen Gunn (2004)
"Madonna of the Maquiladora" – Gregory Frost (2002)
"Singing My Sister Down" – Margo Lanagan (2004)
"Sergeant Chip" – Bradley Denton (2004)
"The Baum Plan for Financial Independence" – John Kessel (2004)
"The Voluntary State" – Christopher Rowe (2004)
"The Calorie Man" – Paolo Bacigalupi (2005)
"The Best Christmas Ever" – James Patrick Kelly (2004)
"The Revenge of the Calico Cat" – Stephen Chapman (2004)

And a few older ones:

"The Day Before the Revolution" – Ursula K. Le Guin (1974)
"The River Styx Runs Upstream" – Dan Simmons (1982)
"Salvador" – Lucius Shepard (1984)
"The Jaguar Hunter" – Lucius Shepard (1985)

Out of genre, I enjoyed several stories by T.C. Boyle, Ann Beattie, Kevin Brockmeier, and my absolute favorite Southern writer, Flannery O'Connor.

I read several good collections this year, the best of which are:

Magic for Beginners (2005) – Kelly Link
Attack of the Jazz Giants (2005) – Gregory Frost
Black Juice (2004) – Margo Lanagan
The Fantasy Writer's Assistant (2002) – Jeffrey Ford
Beluthahatchie and Other Stories (2000) – Andy Duncan

Next time: Novels