EMAIL CUT OFF? CLICK HERE TO OPEN IN BROWSER.
Any errors seen below such as typos, miss-labeling of genre or category, wrong link, wrong person mentioned, etc. please state the error in the comments and I will update immediately. Mistakes can happen. I am only human.
1. The Traveller by Mark S, PhD of The Three Moons Mythos
[Short Serial / Science Fiction]
No longer did she drift on the currents of thought, or match her breath to the will of another, now she walked the paths of darkness as a being more than the sum of its parts, still lost, still searching. (First Line)
Chairman of the Bored by Jay Gulick of Borne Witness | Short Stories & Essays
[Short Story / Literary Fiction]
Callum Smith was a highly polished apple slowly rotting at his core. (First Line)
Beasts and Burdens [The Huntsman's Widow, Ch. 3] by Larry Denninger of Smatterings
[Serial / Fantasy]
"Honor refuses to bow the head against evil, regardless of how invulnerable evil appears.” (Any Line)
All of Me by Jordan Erwin of Parabolic
[Short Story / Literary Fiction]
I lost my left eye digging around for my contact in line at the grocery store. (First Line)
We, the Haunted by Gregory Blair of Gregory Blair
[Micro/Flash Fiction / Literary Fiction]
Moments in time captured in memories, recalled by these trinkets. (Any Line)
A Letter to Jolly Old Nick by George Prew-Stell of Tales to Tickle a Pig To
[Short Story / Comedy]
I jumped on that box, tore at the paper, wrenched open the side flap – And well, that was Christmas day over, because out tumbled the eyes! (Any Line)
Best Offer by M. Majeris of Majeris Reads & Writes
[Short Story / Science Fiction]
In a sharp contrast with common sense, it wasn’t my kidney, which was in a fairly decent shape, mind you, that brought in the bulk of the proceeds from the sale of my body parts. (First Line)
Bullet by Blace Alcock of Keep On Keeping On
[Micro/Flash Fiction I Comedy]
It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Creating) (First Line)
Guilty as Charged by Scott MacLeod of Son of Ugly
[Micro/Flash Fiction | Mystery]
Crime Story told via credit card bill.
Magic Takes Time by ChrisHicks of Disco Insomnium
[Micro/Flash Fiction | Speculative Fiction]
“Teeth have roots,” I said, bullshitting logic that might pass for science to an eight-year-old. (Any Line)
Taking Measure by Jenifer Jorgenson of Snark Floats
[Short Story | Speculative Fiction]
As Seela watched, a tumbleweed bounced up and down the street, passing empty wooden storefronts, an old well, and an abandoned barn. (First Line)
Three Days To Go by E.A. Colquitt of Exploring the Eyrie
[Micro/Flash Fiction | Literary Fiction]
It was going to be a long three days… (Last Line)
Reach for Her Hand by Kimberly B🌴👻🌴 of Spirits, Spooks, and Sanity
[Short Story | Horror]
It was the sounds that lurked in the darkness, in the medicated fog where she lay like a dropped marionette, unable to move or speak. (Best Line)
Unhappy Old Year by A.P. Murphy of The Strangeness Kit
[Poetry | Historical Fiction]
Time’s not an arrow but a blunt instrument (Any Line)
The Fallow by Layne Mercer of The Vermilion Border
[Short Story | Literary Fiction]
“I can read your mind.” (First Line)
WALL OF SERIALS (New Section)
Making a comeback in 2026, Serials and Short Serials, will return to the Weekly Issues. However, don’t let that stop you from checking out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you the ACTIVE works: (updated regularly)
The TiF Library is a comprehensive list of all stories recommended each week!
Over 2,000 stories to search and choose from!
Use it to find even more fiction to read!
Top in Fiction News
SPECIAL NOTE: I want to thank everyone for your kind words as I’m going through a tough start to 2026. I promise emails will go back to a more regular release schedule soon. In the meantime, here is the email intended to release on Monday. Tomorrow, I hope to send out the Monthly Recap #12 that will officially close out 2025 and then on Friday the usual weekly reminder email for submitting your stories will resume as usual. Thank you for your continued support and patience.
The Top in Fiction Recap of 2025 is currently on-going. That is to say, there is a Google Form going around for all writers of fiction who’ve been featured in any of the 52 weekly issues or 12 monthly recap emails of 2025. By my count, we’ve featured nearly 600 different writers. If you are one of those featured writers, do yourself a favor and click the link below to fill out the form with what you consider your best or favorite story you wrote in 2025. On January 19th a PDF will be made available for our entire email list that will include everyone who filled out the form. Let’s see how close we get to getting all 598 writers to fill out the form.
Now YOU can support Top in Fiction! As of right now we’ve turned on Paid Subscriptions! We’re committed to supporting writers by paying for their work and helping them get paid any way we can. To learn more, read this post:
The TiF Summit 2026 begins in 10 short days and I’m thrilled to say the line-up is stacked! There’s something for everyone and hopefully plenty of fan favorites you’ll be excited to hear from. Just a reminder, this TiF Summit takes place over 5 days, starting with the TiF Recap of 2025 on Thursday, January 15th, followed by 3 days of Voices reading their fiction, Live, for your listening pleasure, and concluding with the TiF State of the Union on Monday January 19th!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
What book are you starting or hoping to finish in January? One of my personal goals is to read at least one book per month in 2026.
I’ll share my answer in the comments and you should too!
- Erica Drayton, Editor-in-Chief 😈
If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:
Thank you very much for choosing my (quite out of season!) story 🙂 It’s great to be in such good company 😄
As for the question, I’m currently reading Red, White, and Royal Blue as part of a project - Really enjoying it 🙂
Chuffed to be chosen for the premiere list of the year! Much gratitude!!!