Short Reviews of Short SFF
Review of Esther Lim, “Rules for Inter-Dimensional Refugees,” Luna Station Quarterly 67 (September 2026): 135-139 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story is written in a breezy comedic tone that I thought I would like, but increasingly did not: it resulted in both refugee status and stalking being treated flippantly — possibly in ways the author did not expect or intend, but that was enough to put me off the rest of the story.
Review of Hannya Kay, “One God Loved Me As I Died,” Flash Fiction Online 156 (September 2026): 33-36 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This is the second story in this volume of FFO that straddles the line between SF and fantasy. It’s got space-ships and incessantly talking gods, a great combination! It’s also another one that turned surprisingly sweet in the end. All in all, a short, satisfying read.
Review of Margaret A. Hanson, “For the Good of the Engines,” Flash Fiction Online 156 (September 2026): 29-32 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was one of those delightful stories that tells you on its face that it’s science fiction, while concealing (albeit not too hard!) the fact that it’s really fantasy. Sweet and adorable.
Review of Stewart C Baker, “How to Cross a Covered Bridge,” Flash Fiction Online 156 (September 2026): 24-27 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Whoever would’ve thought a bridge could make a reader so sad?! Baker must have some kind of magic, because that’s exactly what they conjured up with this story (even if I think it didn’t necessarily need the final page).
Review of Elitsa Dermendzhiyska, “By Candlelight, By Blue Jeans,” Flash Fiction Online 156 (September 2026): 20-23 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a story of ordinary, every day magic — which despite its ordinariness is one of the most powerful kinds of magic out there, as this story, set behind the Iron Curtain, shows. I loved it.
Review of Jonathon Burgess, “Ghostwalking,” Flash Fiction Online 156 (September 2026): 16-18 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Gosh, this story was beautiful and touching and perfect: Generations in three pages, stuffed full of love and protection.
Review of Elijah J. Mears, “Guardian of the Thresholds” Flash Fiction Online 156 (September 2026): 12-15 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It must be some sort of cosmic fate that made me read this story on the day friends welcomed home three new kittens today and I’ve been inundated with photos, but it made reading it all the more adorable — and more touching.
(Also: every trans kid should have a guardian cat to help them cross their threshold.)
Review of Daniel Roop, “Welcome, Welcome.” Flash Fiction Online 156 (September 2026): 8-11 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a lovely little tour through a child’s fear that death comes for us all — and that death can come in many ways! — to the adult who realizes that all the myriad ways one can die are always ways one can live. It was very sweet.
Review of Lindsey Duncan, “The Queen of Tish,” Luna Station Quarterly 66 (June 2026): 143-170 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I always end up leaving the longer stories for last, when trying to do reviews in the crush of a busy world and life. But this one — by far the longest in this issue — was well worth the wait and totally repaid the time and effort I had to invest in getting through it all (including delaying dinner).
This was an excellent and beautiful time-travel story: It intrigued me from the get-go, and the pacing kept me going.
Review of Harklin Ashe, “Zig and Zag’s Guide to Crash Landing,” Luna Station Quarterly 66 (June 2026): 107-122 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Such a sad story this was, woven through with death and grief and loss, so many events conspiring to leave Miral alone with only echoes to help guide her through landing Turulla on a deserted island. It’s also very tense: 15 pages is a lot of pages to land a flying machine! I spent the entire story on the edge of my seat, wondering how it would all resolve. The ending did not disappoint.
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