My favorite of the Jirel stories by a wide margin -- and you've explained why, better than I ever could.

Featured on MetaFilter yesterday —
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I read the UK edition, organized differently from the US. Instead of placing the short stories at the end, it intersperses them between the novels, purportedly in Harrison’s preferred order. I found it to be more effective, particularly “Viriconium Knights” as the opening of the collection.

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Not that I consciously timed it this way, but this is the second year in a row that I’ve spent most of August re-reading VIRICONIUM. Perhaps the theme of a world in constant decay and decline somehow calls to me as the change of season looms on the horizon.

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ATROCITY is a collection of Ballard’s short fiction with an emphasis on the outrageous and grotesque. Unlike many of his novels, the loosely-linked works collected here almost entirely forego plot and character in favor of shock value. A difficult read in which many readers may find little reward.

A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER by Roger Zelazny

Going to continue with the Moonbeam Roads trilogy and/or CITADEL OF FORGOTTEN MYTHS?

I think so. The website hasn’t been updated in years but they’re still active on social media.

It’s in Shibuya - I think not too far from Shibuya Crossing?

I saw an exhibit of custom guitars belonging to Takamiy (guitarist for The Alfee) at the ESP Museum in Tokyo several years ago. This would have fit right in.

LION is a fun reimagining of the Heracles myth. Multiple first-person narrators can be hit or miss but Wiswell nails it here -- each narrator has a distinct voice and style, and the same can be said for each of the supporting casts of characters. Looking forward to whatever he does next.

HONJIN, the first in Yokomizo’s series of Kosuke Kindaichi mysteries, went off the rails unlike any locked-room mysteries I’ve read. The solution, while possible, was outlandish and unfair to the reader. The Kindaichi series seems to be well-regarded, so I’m wondering if it gets better from here?

The stories within Oden’s DREAMING are the epitome of cozy fantasy. Low stakes, free of villany and violence, with a focus on community and the magic of the world around us. I’ve bounced off other works in this genre, but couldn’t get enough of these stories.

The previously published stories that make up the first part of MYTHS - “Red Pearls” and “Black Petals” - are strong additions to the Elric canon. The new novel-length work that followed was a chore. What may have been an interesting story or novella was instead stretched out, going on far too long.

CLOUDS is a coming-of-age tale in a post-climate disaster world. Speculative elements are present but not the focus, and instead of detailing the journey, Mohamed writes about the preparation and the impact of the decision. Compelling, character-driven drama in a world that could one day be our own.

HIGH-RISE depicts the breakdown of a luxury community in an extreme yet absurd way. One could read it as a critique of modern life, or as the author working out issues from his time in an internment camp. Either way, Ballard describes the horrors as only he can, keeping the reader turning the page.