REVIEW: “The Grammar of Jespersen-b” by Holly Schofield

Review of Holly Schofield, “The Grammar of Jespersen-b,” Adventitious no. 4 (Aug 2026): 136-145 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This story reminds us that just because a planet may not have any humanoid or humanlike lifeforms on it, it doesn’t mean we weren’t colonizing it just the same when we land on it and force it to conform to our own needs. I particularly enjoyed the way that Schofield uses linguistic metaphors in her depiction of unsettlement, longing, and disorientation.

(First published in On Spec 33, no. 4, 2023)

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REVIEW: “No Iron Can Resist” by Aimee Ogden

Review of Aimee Ogden, “The Fruit is Very Acceptable Here,” Adventitious no. 4 (Aug 2026): 56-61 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was thick with theology, but still managed to be not particularly religious. It’s not so much a story as a monologue; I think I would have liked it a bit more with a bit more story to it, but it was still an intriguing read. (And as an erstwhile American expat in the Netherlands, I loved all the Dutch references.)

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REVIEW: “This Is an Emergency Broadcast” by R.S.A. Garcia

Review of R.S.A. Garcia, “This Is an Emergency Broadcast”, Clarkesworld Issue 238, July (2026): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

Oh my. What a story. This one will surely be collecting some nominations, I think!

I have been reading this very slowly amidst a busy few weeks, and it was so so worth it. 

Even when I only got to read a few minutes at a time, it was immediately arresting. So many moments in this story that evoked many different kinds of reactions and feelings in me. 

At the end of the story, when I tell you I got literal chills and scrolled all the way back up to check something again (you’ll know what I mean if you read the story).. this one was a pure pleasure to read. 

Do yourself a favour and read it. 

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REVIEW: “Iron & Garlic & Salt & Blood” by Nico Martinez Nocito

Review of Nico Martinez Nocito, “Iron & Garlic & Salt & Blood,” Flash Fiction Online 153 (August 2026): 15-16 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was a story of how we as parents no matter how much we might want to protect our children, we cannot do so at the expense of letting them be alive. I think maybe we were supposed to sympathise with the narrator; instead, all I felt was joy for her daughter.

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