Top Ten Best Short Fiction of 2022

Advent has long been my favourite season. When I was a kid, my parents would light the little purple and pink candles, one every Sunday, leading up to Christmas. It just heightened the anticipation I felt for the big day! And as the nights grow longer, and the days colder, those little flickering candle flames do a lot to warm my heart.

In the spirit of anticipation, and in no particular order, here's my top ten favourite short stories of 2022.

👐 "Of the Body" by Eugenia Triantafyllou in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Unsettling, ingenious, and lovely, this story will have you looking at the life around you in a whole new way.

🌊 “Take Me To the Water” by Sarah Macklin on Diabolical Plots. A teenager searches for answers, and finds them in the water. I loved this one.

🐐 "Six Goats" by Isabel Cañas on Fireside Fiction. I'm not even sure what to say about this one, lest I ruin the story. Pour yourself a cup of tea and treat yourself to this.

👅 “The Many Taste Grooves of the Chang Family” by Allison King on Diabolical Plots is a stunning story about family and the connections we make with one another with food. This will pull at your heart strings in the best way.

👄 “Mochi, With Teeth” by Sara S. Messenger on Diabolical Plots brought tears to my eyes in a way that a short story never has before. Read it, and then maybe call someone you love.

📚 "The Book of the Blacksmiths" by Martin Cahill in Fireside Fiction is a beautiful exploration of purpose and our place in the wider world. Just wonderful.

💛 "The Golden Hour" by Erica Ruppert in Nightmare Magazine is exactly the kind of disturbing I like in horror. It'll have you looking over your shoulder for the rest of the day, in the best of ways.

🌻 "Collecting Ynes" by Lisa M. Bradley in Fantasy Magazine was hauntingly beautiful. The way it's formatted and broken up with poetry... I don't have words.

🍩 “Coffee, Doughnuts, and Timeline Reverberations” by Cory Swanson on Diabolical Plots. This was utterly delightful. Grab yourself a cup of joe and a boston creme and get ready for a seriously timey wimey tale.

🧶 "Knitting in English" by Brit E. B. Hvide in Cast of Wonders. This story ticked all the boxes for me: compelling characters, fantasy, and fiber crafts. Definitely worth a read, or a listen!

Diabolical Plots really knocked it out of the park this year, in my opinion. There are some stories there that will stay with me a long time.

Which ones did you love? Which ones did I miss? Tag me on Twitter, Mastodon, or Instagram and let me know. 📚

That's all from me! If you'd like to see what I published myself this year, you can check it out here. Happy reading, friend.