Book picks similar to
Meat and Salt and Sparks by Rich Larson


short-stories
science-fiction
sci-fi
mystery

La beauté sans vertu


Genevieve Valentine - 2016
    La beauté sans vertu by Genevieve Valentine is a vicious little swipe at the fashion industry as certain disturbing trends are amplified in the future and a famous fashion House prepares for an important show.

Come See the Living Dryad


Theodora Goss - 2017
    "Come See the Living Dryad" by Theodora Goss is a fantasy about a contemporary woman investigating the murder of an ancestor suffering from a rare disease who was a famous sideshow attraction in the nineteenth century.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere


John Chu - 2013
    This makes life difficult for Matt as he maneuvers the marriage question with his lover and how best to "come out" to his traditional Chinese parents.This story is also included in Some of the Best From Tor.com, 2013 Edition: A Tor.Com Original

A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel


Yoon Ha Lee - 2011
    Among the universe's civilizations, some conceive of the journey between stars as the sailing of bright ships, and others as tunneling through the crevices of night.  Some look upon their far-voyaging as a migratory imperative, and name their vessels after birds or butterflies....

Skinner Box


Carole Johnstone - 2019
    "Skinner Box," a Tor.com Original short story from award-winning author Carole Johnston.A disturbing science fiction story about space exploration and a seemingly routine scientific mission to Jupiter that is threatened by the interpersonal relationships of its crew.Content warning for fictional depictions of sexual content, including abuse and assault.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Forest of Memory


Mary Robinette Kowal - 2016
    Her clients are rich and they demand items and experiences with only the finest verifiable provenance. Other people’s lives have value, after all.But when her A.I. suddenly stops whispering in her ear she finds herself cut off from the grid and loses communication with the rest of the world.The man who stepped out of the trees while hunting deer cut her off from the cloud, took her A.I., and made her his unwilling guest.There are no Authenticities or Captures to prove Katya’s story of what happened in the forest. You’ll just have to believe her.

The Murders of Molly Southbourne


Tade Thompson - 2017
    Experience the horror of Tade Thompson's The Murders of Molly Southbourne.The rule is simple: don't bleed.For as long as Molly Southbourne can remember, she's been watching herself die. Whenever she bleeds, another molly is born, identical to her in every way and intent on her destruction.Molly knows every way to kill herself, but she also knows that as long as she survives she'll be hunted. No matter how well she follows the rules, eventually the mollys will find her. Can Molly find a way to stop the tide of blood, or will she meet her end at the hand of a girl who looks just like her?

A Guide For Working Breeds


Vina Jie-Min Prasad - 2020
    This collection of stories is where robots stand in for us, where both we and they are disadvantaged, and where hope and optimism shines through.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 160 (January 2020)


Neil Clarke - 2020
    This was published as a Clarkesworld audiobook podcast in 2020.

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory


Martha Wells - 2020
    Mensah and follows the events in Exit Strategy.Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory was originally given free to readers who pre-ordered Martha’s Murderbot novel, Network Effect.

The Key to the Coward's Spell


Alex Bledsoe - 2016
    But when he discovers a smuggling ring rumored to be protected by powerful magic, he seeks out old friends and new to lend a hand. A tale set in Alex Bledsoe's popular medieval noir world.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Reborn


Ken Liu - 2014
    Hartwell. All three are based on a singular piece of art by Richard Anderson.

A Dead Djinn in Cairo


P. Djèlí Clark - 2016
    In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine. What starts off as an odd suicide case for Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi leads her through the city’s underbelly as she encounters rampaging ghouls, saucy assassins, clockwork angels, and plot that could unravel time itself.

Damage


David D. Levine - 2015
    "Damage" is a tale of desperate times, desperate measures, and the inner life of a fighter spacecraft.

The Ones Who Look


Katharine Duckett - 2020
    By offering custom-built afterlives through full-brain uploads, they answered the needs of a society pushed to the brink by climate change and cascading antibiotic failure. But for Zoe, who works daily to assess the sins of users and decide who's worthy of salvation, heaven is not so simple. Despite the urging of the angels on her shoulder, she is determined to uncover heaven's secrets, no matter the cost.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.