On "White Charles" by Sarah Monette (8604 words) ***

Monette's story gives new meanings to the term creepy. Ostensibly the story of a creature gotten loose from a pack of old books, the characters slowly realize that this isn't just a rat or a mouse but something not quite definable. I'm reminded a little of the first Alien movie, where what exactly we are to expect is unknown, but things just keep getting more and more gruesome the deeper in we go. Here, the creature has a different goal and a bit more reason, but that doesn't stop this story from engaging like any good adventure suspense would. Read it here at Clarkesworld.