Short Story Sales:

(most recent first)



  1. •350 K in My Shades in Stupefying Stories #18.

    blog entry


  1. •Delicious, Delicious in SQ mag #30. Direct link to read here.

    blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Jennifer Burroughs in Tangent: “I loved [it] ... feels very real ... warm and believable characters”


  1. •They Have All One Breath in Asimov’s Science Fiction; December 2016.

     blog entry

     This story was selected for:

            The Year’s Best Science Fiction # 34,

            The Best Science Fiction of the Year #2, and

            The Year’s Top Ten Tales of Science Fiction #9

           blog entry on these

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Greg Hullender in Rocket Stack Rank: 5/5 stars (“Hugo-worthy”); “Moving and thought-provoking

  3. • Paul Fraser in SF Magazines: “One for the ‘Best of the Year’ anthologies.”

  4. • Sam Tomaino in SFRevu: “Chilling, effective dystopia.”

  5. • Jason McGregor in Tangent:  “Recommended” (Not an enthusiastic review, but an interesting one.)

  6. • Gardner Dozois in Locus Magazine, January 2017: “The strongest” [story in the issue].

  7. • Tangent Online: Recommended Reading List for 2016.

  8. • Rich Horton in Locus Magazine, February 2017: “Fine Work,” “Recommended”

  9. • A top-5 finalist novelette in Asimov’s 31st Annual Readers’ Awards Poll.


  1. •The Battle of Ceres in Analog; July/August 2016.

     blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • A top-6 finalist short story in Analog’s 2016 AnLab Readers’ Awards.

  3. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection.


  1. •Caisson in Asimov’s Science Fiction; August 2015.

    blog entry

     Also published in the anthology New York Fantastic: Fantasy Stories from the City that Never Sleeps

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Lois Tilton in Locus Online: “the story’s details effectively create a sensawunda...”

  3. • Tangent Online: “a tale of creation and life ... enjoyed this one for its ... positive approach”

  4. • Alastair Reynolds: “might have made a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits.”

  5. • Tangent Online: Recommended Reading List for 2015.

  6. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third Annual Collection.

  7. • Honorable mention in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016


  1. •The Woman From the Ocean in Asimov’s Science Fiction; July 2014.

    blog entry

     This story was selected for The Year’s Best Science Fiction # 32.

        blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Gardner Dozois in Locus Magazine, August 2014: “Good stuff ... [one of two] best stories in July”

  3. • SF Revu: “... we learn what has happened and it is truly horrifying. Well done little story!”

  4. •Tangent Online: “Thought-provoking and well-crafted.”

  5. • Tangent Online: Recommended Reading List for 2014.

  6. • SF Signal: “Poignant ... evoked feelings of sadness.”


  1. •Ashes in Interzone Magazine, #251; purchase here.

    blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Best SF Reviews: “a strong core of humanity ... a palpable sense of loss”

  3. • Gardner Dozois in Locus Magazine, June 2014: “The strongest story [in the issue] ... powerful but bleak”

  4. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Second Annual Collection.


  1. •This Quiet Dust in Analog; Jan./Feb. 2014.

    blog entry

     Also published in the No. 5, 2015 issue of the Russian magazine ESLI (ЕСЛИ)

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Fantastic Reviews Blog: “Bunker's aliens are fascinating ... very nicely handled in such a short piece.”

  3. • Locus Online Reviews: “human explorers discover a wonder, a subtle yet fascinating one. ... charming.”

  4. •Tangent Online: “A well thought out hard SF story ... Recommended.”

  5. • Tangent Online: Recommended Reading List for 2014.


  1. •Gray Wings in Asimov’s Science Fiction, April/May 2013.

    blog entry

     This story was selected for The Year’s Best Science Fiction # 31.

        blog entry

     Also published in the March, 2016 issue of ClarksWorld; available online.

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Locus Online Reviews: “A lot of truth here. Descriptions and characters are particularly well-done.”

  3. • SF Signal: “one heck of an interesting story with surprising depth for such a brief tale.”

  4. • Gardner Dozois in Locus Magazine, September 2013: “quiet but poignant”

  5. • Carl V. Anderson in SF Signal: Short fiction favorites of 2013

  6. • Included in Locus Magazine’s Recommended Reading List for 2013

  7. • Chronicles: “a very nicely understated tale ... [the] ending was possibly perfect.”

  8. • SF Signal: A “standout story” in The Year’s Best; “a quick-but-wonderful story ... does a fantastic job”

  9. • Eclectic Reviews: “lovely writing, a solid and original science fiction premise, and characters I cared about.”

  10. • Locus Magazine’s Recommended Reading List for 2013


  1. •The Remembered in Interzone Magazine, #242; purchase here.

    blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • SF Revu: “... will touch your heart.”

  3. • John’s Reading: “a really great story”

  4. • Locus Online Reviews: “A fable of alien love ... [with] emotional impact”

  5. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection.


  1. •Flexible in Pink Narcissus Press’  “WTF?!” Anthology.

    blog entry


  1. •Overtaken in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Sept./Oct. 2011.

    blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Tangent Online: “made me cry”

  3. • SFRevu: “fine little story.”

  4. • mentatjack sff reviews: “a simple tale, told in the dark between stars, about what makes us human.”

  5. • Gardner Dozois in Locus Magazine, October 2011: “... provides a sharp, unexpected twist at the end.”

  6. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection.


  1. •The Madison in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, #49; purchase here.

    blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Gardner Dozois in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Eighth Annual Collection: “Good stuff.”


  1. •Bodyguard in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March-April 2011.

    blog entry

     Also published in the Spring 2015 issue of the French magazine Fiction.

  1. Reviews:

  2. • The Portal Reviews: “emotionally complex ... adroit”

  3. • Geoff Hart: “melancholic, yet deeply touching ... Lovely work.”

  4. • Gardner Dozois in Locus Magazine, April 2011: “the strongest story in the issue ... a writer to watch”

  5. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection.


  1. •Chester in Escape Velocity: The Anthology; purchase here.

    blog entry


  1. •Worm Days in Electric Velocipede, #21/22; purchase here or here.

    blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • The Portal reviews: “a well-written mainstream story about status envy, grief, and various other things”

  3. • Rise Reviews: “We find human connections with all their difficulties and frustrations at the heart of this tale.”

  4. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection.


  6. •Jerry in Neo-Opsis, issue #18; purchase here.

    blog entry

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Tangent Online: “simply the best piece in the magazine”


  1. •Under the Shouting Sky in Cosmos Magazine, issue #28.

    blog entry

     This story won first place in The Robert A. Heinlein Centennial Short Story Contest.

     This story was selected for The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection.

        blog entry

     Also published in the Sept. 2012 issue of the Czech magazine XB-1.

     Also published in the anthology You're Not Alone: Thirty Science Fiction Stories from Cosmos Magazine.

  1. Reviews:

  2. • Locus Magazine’s Recommended Reading List for 2009  

  3. • Tangent Online’s 2009 Recommended Reading List 

  4. • SF Signal: A “standout story” in The Year’s Best. “a finely tuned short story that doesn't disappoint.”


  1. •Murder in Abyss & Apex, 1st Quarter 2009; available online.

  2. Reviews:

  3. • Gardner Dozois in Locus Magazine, July 2009: “a well-crafted offworld mystery.”

  4. • storySouth magazine’s “Notable Stories of 2009” list.

  5. • Honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection.


• Pilgrimage in Writers of the Future, Vol. 23; also available as an audiobook.

  1. This story was a winner in the WotF competition and appears in their 2007 yearly anthology.

  2. Reviews:

  3. • Sandstorm Reviews: “approach[es] greatness”

  4. • Starfleet News Service: “[a] must-read in the volume”

  5. • The Fix Short Fiction Review: “a moving tale about the importance of time and life”

  6. • Black Gate; Adventures in Fantasy Literature: Recommended reading list for 2007


• Nomad in Abyss & Apex, 4th Quarter 2006; available online.

  1. Also published in the book The Best of Abyss & Apex; Volume One.

  2. Reviews:

  3. • Tangent Online: “the best story in this issue”

  4. • The Fix Short Fiction Review: “shows that SF and romance can be combined to good effect”

Blog:

  1. This is a bare-bones occasional blog that I currently only use to announce when a publication with one of my stories is released. I may also chat for a sentence or two about the story, the publication it appears in, etc.


Biography:

  1. In the past I’ve been a software developer, jeweler, musical instrument maker, sculptor, mechanical technician, and a few other even-less-interesting things. I live in a small town in Maine with a dog, a cat, and sundry neighboring wildlife.

Photo:

  1. Yeah, I know, you can't see what I look like very well here. I’m trying to be mysterious, like Thomas Pynchon. Also, using an unclear picture means I don’t have to update it or apologize for it being out of date.

Contact me:

  1. At karlbunker at mac dot com.

Greetings

This is the website of author Karl Bunker. I write science fiction short stories, and my published works are listed here.

I also use this page to list some of the positive reviews my stories have received.