Short Story Reviews

Author: Usman T. Malik
Publishing year: 2015
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism, Speculative Fiction 
Fact: This story won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 2016.
Recommended for everyone who is into speculative fiction, plots which once again pass over your head and really interesting (read: complicated) short story writing.
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural 
Fact: This story was part of the Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories anthology.
Recommended for everyone who likes a different spin on some commonly known desi stories about jinn / good writing / supernatural versions of Greek myths.

Author: Fatima Taqvi
Publishing year: 2022
Genre: Fantasy
Fact: This was published in the Winter 2022 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for people interested in Mughal fiction.

Title: Thus Gone
Author: Murtaza Mohsin
Publishing year: 2022
Genre: Science Fiction
Fact: This was published in the Summer 2022 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for people who can bear bad editing.

Author: Marium Asif
Publishing year: 2022
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction
Fact: This story was published in the Fall 2022 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for people who like emotionally-overwhelming writing. 
Author: Marium Taufeeq
Publishing year: 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism
Fact: This story was published in the Science 2022 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for people who like weird magical twists.
Author: Nur Nasreen Ibrahim
Publishing year: 2023
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural
Fact: This story was published in the Winter 2023 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for fans of supernatural / confusing stories.
Title: Ignition
Author: Khizer Abbas   
Publishing year: 2022
Genre: Science Fiction
Fact: This was published in the Winter 2022 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for people interested in desi science fiction.

Author: Usman T. Malik
Publishing year: 2020
Genre: Supernatural
Fact: This short story is available as an e-book online on the Tor website.
Recommended for people into supernatural storytelling / the idea of stories within stories / fans of Usman T. Malik's weird style of plot formation.
Title: Word Rations
Author: Nazuk Iftikhar Rao
Publishing year: 2023
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction
Fact: This story was published in the Winter 2023 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for fans of sci-fi / desi references / weak stories. 
Author: Maham Javaid
Publishing year: 2019
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism, Supernatural
Fact: This short story won the Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize for Fiction in 2019.
Recommended for everyone who values plot over writing, likes desi literature, and is into interesting female protagonists.
Author: Usman T. Malik
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
Fact: This story was part of the Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories anthology.
Recommended for everyone who likes confusing tales / complicated twists / vaguely magical endings.



Author: Usman T. Malik
Publishing year: 2014
Genre: Scence Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Fact: This is a short story originally published in Qualia Nous. 
Recommended for everyone who is into sci-fi, plots which pass over your head, and really interesting short story writing.
Title: Leila in the Wilderness
Author: Nadeem Aslam
Publishing year: 2010
Genres: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism
Fact: It was part of the Granta line-up in Issue 112 which focused specifically on Pakistani literature.
Recommended for fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and for those who haven't read the Pakistani version of magical realism.
Title: A Beheading
Author: Mohsin Hamid
Publishing year: 2010
Genre: Suspense, Contemporary Fiction. 
Fact: This story was part of the Granta Issue 112 which focused on Pakistani literature.
Recommended for everyone who loves short stories, doesn't mind blood and gore, and has lived to regret speaking the truth.
Author: Madiha Sattar
Publishing year: 2018
Genre: Short Stories, Contemporary
Recommended for people wanting to read about missing people.
Author: Hamza Sarfraz
Publishing year: 2022
Genre: Science Fiction, Cyberpunk
Fact: This was published in the Summer 2022 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for people who like cyborgs and poor editing.
Title: Jinns
Author: Mehak Khan
Publishing year: 2022
Genre: Supernatural
Fact: This was published in the Winter 2022 issue of Tasavvur. 
Recommended for those who like tales of possession.

Author: Hina Tabbassum
Published in: 2017
Genre: Contemporary, Short Stories
Fact: It is possibly the worst Pakistani story ever.
Recommended for people wanting to read really bad fiction.
Title: Reap
Author: Sami Shah
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror
Fact: This story was part of the Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories anthology.
Recommended for everyone who likes horror stories / stories about vengeance / well-written supernatural plots.
Author: Dur e Aziz Amina
Publishing year: 2021
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Fact: This story was the fifth winner of the Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction. 
Recommended for people who like female protagonists.
Author: Nihal Ijaz Khan
Publishing year: 2020
Genre: Magical Realism
Fact: This story was the fourth winner of the Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction. 
Recommended for fans of rambling threads of magical realism.
Author: Kehkashan Khalid
Publishing year: 2019
Genre: Science Fiction
Fact: This story was the third winner of the Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction. 
Recommended for everyone who prefers weak sci fi plots.
Author: Firuza Pastakia
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Fact: This story was the first winner of the Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction. 
Recommended for everyone who prefers boring story telling.