How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub
ShortStory 7,159 words Recommended by 8 award/anthology sources
"Ambition!” Trevor emphasized, rapping knuckles hard on the wood table. “That is what makes the great men!” He took a satisfied swallow from his mug. Across from him, Barnaby put down the daily he’d been reading and sipped from his own beer. Pulling out a handkerchief to dab froth from his lips, he scratched thoughtfully at a set of ginger muttonchops."
Content warnings 3
deathracismviolence
Quasar links out; the story lives on Uncanny, where the author gets the click.