"Old Souls" is a 2017

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

short story by

Fonda Lee Fonda Lee (born March 10, 1979) is a Canadian-American author of speculative fiction. She is best known for writing ''The Green Bone Saga'', the first of which, ''Jade City'', won the 2018 World Fantasy Award and was named one of the 100 Best Fa ...

about

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

. It was first published in the anthology ''Where the Stars Rise: Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy''.

Synopsis

Claire remembers all of her past lives. What they all have in common is that she always died before turning 21. She has just turned 20, and is desperate to break the cycle.

Reception

"Old Souls" was a finalist for the 2018

World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction The World Fantasy Awards are given each year by the World Fantasy Convention for the best fantasy fiction published in English during the previous calendar year. The awards have been described by book critics such as ''The Guardian'' as a "presti ...

2018 World Fantasy Awards Winners
at '' Locus''; published November 4, 2018 and the 2018

Aurora Award for Best Short Fiction The Aurora Awards are granted annually by the Canadian SF and Fantasy Association and SFSF Boreal Inc. The Award for Best Short Fiction ( French: ''La meilleure fiction courte''), was first recognized in 1986 as a separate category from Best Long- ...

References

External links

Text of the story
at CuriousFictions 2017 short stories Fantasy short stories Fiction about reincarnation {{2010s-fantasy-story-stub