Short Reviews of Short SFF
Review of Francesco Levato, “A Bone Deep Ache,” Flash Fiction Online 151 (April 2026): 24-27 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
An apocalypse, monsters, religion gone wrong…all of these could have provided a foundation for a horror story on their own, but Levato combined them all into something truly gruesome.
Review of Myna Chang, “Ten and Out,” Flash Fiction Online 151 (April 2026): 20-23 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was both perfectly formed in its flash fic form, and something where I would happily read the 300-page version of the same story. The characters could have been put into pretty much any genre or context, and I would have loved them just as much.
Review of Kid Casey, “For Solomon Fishkowski Who Carved Chess Sets in Siberia,” Flash Fiction Online 151 (April 2026): 17-19 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a curious little piece, not intended to be speculative even though it felt like it was, deep in its bones. I would have enjoyed it more had it not been in my least favorite POV, 2nd person.
Review of Sam E. Sutin, “Remembering Dodem Ansibar,” Flash Fiction Online 151 (April 2026): 13-16 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I adored reading Ansibar’s obituary — and then reading it again, and then again for the third time! This was delightfully fun.
(P.S. SM, if you’re reading this, I’m a logic professor who ALSO enjoys the Axiom of Choice, and would be happy to chat about the job market.)
Review of David Farrow, “The Last Eleven Seconds,” Flash Fiction Online 151 (April 2026): 8-12 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: War.
These eleven seconds last an eternity, and every second I took reading it, I wanted them to last even longer.
Review of Safiya Cherfi, “The Bride and Her Thief,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 247-262 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a wonderfully enjoyable fairy tale, woven through in every thread with Arabic Muslim mythology.
Review of Thoraiya Dyer, “You Are Invited to Our SPRING CELEBRATION”, Clarkesworld Issue 234, March (2026): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A story that’s beautifully wild and familiar at the same time.
One of those stories where you know the worldbuilding has been done so thoughtfully, yet the plot itself was not ignored in service of it.
I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice and personality; in my opinion it was the cherry on top that made the story what it is.
Such a pleasure to read.
Review of Bendix Ross, “Stevie,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 103-129 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Far more than being a story of marine astrobiology, this is a story of a great bond of love between siblings. That was the hook that kept tugging me through to the very end.
Review of Jane Campbell, “Private Cabin, Ocean View,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 55-76 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Infertility.
Stories often give off certain signs, usually signalling their genre, early on. Campbell’s story is long enough that she keeps her cards quite close to her chest for quite a while (comparatively, for a short story) — my first guess was that this was going to be a ghost story, then it took a turn that felt like it was heading towards horror. It took a further turn some time after that, while keeping the earlier elements, all woven together. It was intriguing and unsettling!
Review of K.M. Reed, “Heart’s Desire,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 161-182 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Infanticide
This was a story of pacts and bargains and exchanges, — and of the difficulty of being a governess to dead children. It had a nice gothic feel to it, but overall it didn’t really catch my interest.
SFF Reviews