Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Asking an author to rank their works is like asking a parent to rank their children. It’s an impossible task that should never be entertained, but the human psyche does enjoy a good listicle, so we do it anyway.
This particular list was inspired by a newsletter question. A reader asked, “Given that Twisted Simulations are all stand-alone tales, which ones should I read first?” Or in other words, “Which ones are your favorites?”
Funny enough, I had never considered this question up until that point. There is no rhyme or reason to the story order outside of their completion dates. So I got to thinking, if all ten tales were completed at once, how would I release them?
After careful consideration, I created the following spoiler-free ranking list.
1) The Survey
Put simply, this is my favorite short story that I have ever written. I have never nailed my intent so thoroughly and I am immensely proud of the result. Whenever I think of Twisted Simulations as a series, this is the story that immediately pops into mind.
2) Hitchens Manor (free to download)
The idea for this story was in my head for many years. It was originally planned as a full novel, but I was afraid that the shtick would get repetitive and boring. Once I reworked it as a short story, it sprang to life and became the first release. I adore this quirky tale.
Another story that I had planned as a full novel. But this time around, I felt that the big reveal would get diluted by a lengthy narrative. Less horror and more psychological trauma, this gut-wrenching tale is the longest of the series and carries the most heart.
4) The Asteroid Cafe (free to download)
This story was the result of my horror-comedy brain firing on all cylinders. Per the review from Readers’ Favorite, it “masterfully combines absurdity, dark humor, and unnerving revelations.” It’s the only title that combines my entire genre repertoire.
I love the concept for this story, but it was a struggle to write. It was released as the tenth in the series because it took me a while to work out the kinks. The main problem? How to make polite interview scary. The solution? Drop the big reveal like an atomic bomb.
My first foray into cosmic horror, and I think it came out great. I went through many iterations of this idea, where humanity sends one-half of a wormhole portal into deep space. It began as a generic exploration, but ended as a Twisted Simulation.
I knew this was a very strange story from the start, but I love how it came out. It starts off as a prison escape, then abruptly morphs into a psychological brain-bender. The idea came from a much broader idea that got distilled into a single harrowing encounter.
8) Bandolier
This story was the result of a nagging question: How do you infiltrate a powerful group that has no weakness? I chewed on it for a long time until an unrelated question offered a solution. Fun fact: this was the opening scene of a planned novel.
Fun fact 2: this was the climax of that same novel. The only problem was, the rest of the novel wasn’t that interesting. I loved these two scenes, so I gave them their own contexts. The only reason I ranked them low was because I wanted the full novel to work.
10) Noros
I love this story, but I think it suffers from the shorter length. This was my take on the “mad king” trope. I wanted to explore the mental decline of a ruler who conquered everything, then faced sudden irrelevance. It was a lot to cram into a short story structure.
And there you have it!
The official ranking list for my twisted little children. It should go without saying that I love them all, as evident by the fact that they’re published. There are several other stories in the hopper for upcoming releases and I’m sure there will be an updated ranking sometime in the future. But for now, enjoy the tabulation.
(And feel free to tell me how you would rank them.)
