Odd Jobs, by Josh Vogt. There is a lot of bad dialog out there in the world. There's a lot of angst, too. This story is the opposite of angsty and bad dialogy: It's...witty. You've gotta love a story that starts:
quote:"According to your resume, Mr. Whisk, you spent five years as the Man in the Moon."
"That's right."
"After which, you had a short stint as an Easter Island statue."
"Correct."
"I see you've included a photo of yourself from that time."
"I tried to show my best side, sir."
Or at least *I'm* required to love a story that starts that way. Odd Jobs is a little absurdist, sure-- but it's never pretentious. And that, I think, is the key to its charm. And it really is quite a charming, delightful tale.
Mudlarks by Kat Otis is my second pick. This story wouldn't work nearly so well if Otis didn't have such a grasp on scene. Her Thames is full of vigor and muck; you can smell the fog rolling off it, feel the damp in your bones as you read. While the characters are standard fare, and the mystery they solve is a little...erm...muddy, Otis' grasp of the larger setting is phenomenal.