Blue (Lou Aronica) is very intriguing so far. A child and her father invent a fantasy world (and stories to fill it) together after fear and uncertainty threaten to overwhelm her when she begins chemotherapy for her leukemia. Even after she goes into remission, the stories and the fleshing out of
Tamarisk continue. But when her parents divorce, she breaks her father's heart by giving up on their creation. The problem is that
Tamarisk seems to have taken on a life of its own and doesn't exactly
need their input. That's where I'm at after a couple of chapters, anyway. I'm engaged and turning pages... it's all I can ask for (but more than I usually get) at this stage.
Also a few shorts I've read lately that have impressed me:
"The Night Train" by Lavie Tidhar * (from
Strange Horizons) - Cyberpunk gets an upgrade.
"Eight Miles" by Sean McMullen † (loved this one) (from
Analog) - Historical Fantasy/Steampunkish?
"The Spices of Sanandira" by Bradley Beaulieu (from Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Issue 70 and
Issue 71) - Alternate desert world with an Arabic-like flavor/mythology.
"The Godslayer's Wife" by Therese Arkenberg (from Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Issue 71) - I don't know I just liked it
"Under the Moons of Venus" by Damien Broderick * (from
Subterranean Press) - Post-Apoc, Hard-scifi with psychological elements
Lots more shorts to catch up on.
* Denotes Sturgeon Award finalist
† Denotes Hugo Nominee