Jeffrey Ford is a great short story writer. This story is very good and it's free and you should go over and read it on Tor.com.

But keep in mind that you really need to read about five stories by Jeffrey Ford to get a feel for what he's doing, to appreciate his range.

So, read "The Thyme Fiend" and, if you like it, do yourself a favor and grab one of his short story collections. They're all good, but I'd recommend you start with either of the following titles:

If you love the short story as an art form, I'm pretty damned sure these books will make you happy.

 

 

I read David Brin's "[b:Reality Check|12332819|Reality Check|David Brin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354033396s/12332819.jpg|17311878]" right before Eric Liu's "[b:Re: union|12102228|Re union (Free Science Fiction eBook Short Story)|Eric Liu|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339176280s/12102228.jpg|15277681] ". They both deal in ways with human transcendence to a virtual reality, a topic that even in 2000, when Brin's story was published, was not really innovative. Liu, in a longer story, does much the better job of humanizing the topic and the personal choices it raises. Brin's story, by contrast, is a more intellectual exercise that ends up being mildly interesting, but not exactly gripping.

I got them both for free, and they're a decent read at that price, if you're a fan of the author. If not, neither of these stories will convert you, though Liu's story might tempt you to more.

Gives new meaning to 'alternate reality' when the apocalypse strikes and the only mode of survival is to have one's consciousness 'scanned' into a simulated environment, while the physical body succumbs. Quite a good read, actually.