edited by Ziv Wities On a sunless morning, in the city of Astor, the word ‘caulk’ vanished. The word didn’t announce its vanishing with trumpets or a booming clarion call. It faded away slowly in the middle of the night, like the last lyrics of a difficult song. The ones who didn’t use the word … Continue reading DP FICTION #95B: “Tell Me the Meaning of Bees” by Amal Singh
edited by Ziv Wities So you want to determine whether dogs still exist. First, our association of dogs with obedience. Is obedience dog-like? Or is it to do with horses now, or children, or hamsters. “Hamster-like obedience.” Dogs have retreated into the bodies of hamsters, maybe. They have a real knack for learning, we’re told, … Continue reading DP FICTION #95A: “Dog Song” by Avi Naftali
edited by Hal Y. Zhang Content note (click for details) Content note: emotional abuse and physical harm between teens, body horror. I’ve known her for four summers now, so I don’t believe Sephina when she says we’ll return the bicycle before anyone knows it’s missing. Eventually, I say okay, but it’s not like I have … Continue reading DP FICTION #114A: “In Tandem” by Emilee Prado
edited by David Steffen Content note (click for details) Content note: Depictions of police brutality, murder, and intimate partner violence, and a brief mention of the accidental death of a child. The widow wants to talk to her husband. She has been warned: It is not her husband. It is ADRU. (ADRU-93, if you must … Continue reading DP FICTION #113B: “Phantom Heart” by Charlie B. Lorch
edited by David Steffen Brigitte Cole presents with lower abdominal pain, nausea, and a long-sleeved black leotard. She has a well-developed appearance and does not seem to be in acute distress. Her accompaniment for the evening is pianist Roy Weiss, a fixture of the local music scene whose minimalist style pairs well with the bold … Continue reading DP FICTION #112A: “This Week in Clinical Dance: Urgent Care at the Hastings Center” by Lauren Ring
edited by Ziv Wities Content note (click for details) Content note: Grief, fraught family relationships, gaslighting. [user graciegirl2006!? is logged in] [Guide]Welcome to this interactive guide! I understand from your About Me profile that you have an issue with a brain that needs killing. I’m here to help! [graciegirl2006!?]I can’t believe I found this. [Guide]Actually, … Continue reading DP FICTION #111B: “How to Kill the Giant Living Brain You Found in Your Mother’s Basement After She Died: An Interactive Guide” by Alex Sobel
edited by Ziv Wities My name is Yasuko Nagamine and I work for the employment bureau. There’s a monster destroying the city. It used to be the mascot for the organ rental service, Sensation. I guess it still is but I don’t think it’s doing much for their bottom line anymore. Today I’m filing electronic … Continue reading DP FICTION #111A: “Ketchōkuma” by Mason Yeater
All Diabolical Plots stories published in 2023. For our most recent stories, click here! Issue 106 – December 2023 “It Clings” by Hammond Diehl Of course a dybbuk is flat. Flat as a blini. All the easier for that damn ghost to slip under your collar. Of course a dybbuk is colorless. That’s why, when … Continue reading 2023 Stories
Compiled by Hal Y. Zhang, with assistance from Chelle Parker and David Steffen This has been a memorable year for the Hugo Awards. For the last eight years, Diabolical Plots has produced an annual volume of stories from the longer list of nomination statistics: The Long List Anthology. The project started in another memorable year, … Continue reading The 2023 Hugo Award Nomination List (With Links!)
written by David Steffen In 2023 Diabolical Plots published our second guest-edited themed issue, this time for the “Diabolical Thoughts” telepathy theme, guest-edited by assistant editor Ziv Wities. We have been publishing the annual Long List Anthology since 2015. In 2021 there was a hiccup in the schedule due to WorldCon timing that pushed that … Continue reading 2023 Retrospective and Award Eligibility
