REVIEW: “The Dragon Peddler” by Maria Cook

Review of Maria Cook, “The Dragon Peddler”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publications, 2020): 55-64 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Content note: drug addiction.

11 year old David has stolen his parents’ money and is off the find the dragon peddler, to finally buy a dragon of his own! Because the people who owned dragons, he saw, were always “the happiest people in the world” (p. 55). But the dragon peddler’s words are final: he needs to earn his dragon fair and square, not buy it with stolen money.

This was a great story, which made me cry (but in a good way!). Now I want a dragon that will sleep curled around my neck and blow smoke into my ear.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “12 Attempts at Telling About the Flower Shop Man (New York, New York)” by Stephanie Barbé Hammer

Review of Stephanie Barbé Hammer, “12 Attempts at Telling About the Flower Shop Man (New York, New York)”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 51-54 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

While I liked this story, I felt it lacked something to make it special, to set it apart from other stories that could have been written in its stead. In attempts 1-11, I got the impression the story was going a particular direction; but attempt 12 dashed those hopes and maybe I’m just unhappy because my expectations were disappointed.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “Salt Tears and Sweet Honey” by Aimee Ogden

Review of Aimee Ogden, “Salt Tears and Sweet Honey”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 47-50 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

This story perfectly encapsulates the goal of the anthology: It is one quiet afternoon in the lives of Netria and Kellis, an old couple whose love has become familiar and comforting, and the family they have formed from children they’ve adopted. Every moment is calm and happy and warm. It’s not that their life is perfect or unblemished by worry or care; but rather that everyone knows death and illness are just as much a part of life as birth and health. It’s nice to be reminded that sometimes, everything happens in its proper order.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “Ink Stains” by Tamoha Sengupta

Review of Tamoha Sengupta, “Ink Stains”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 44-46 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

This is a beautiful little story about writing and the fear of writing — the fear of “that [the words] would never create the impact that the original words would have had, the words they would have been if they hadn’t become stains” (p. 45). Every reader will cheer when Ajay overcomes his fear and sets free the words trapped in his pen.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “Sarah, Spare Some Change” by Ziggy Schutz

Review of Ziggy Schutz, “Sarah, Spare Some Change”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 39-43 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

This is the story of two Sarahs, the right Sarah and the wrong Sarah, who have nothing in common except for their name and the fact that they don’t like the required daily religious exercise in school, where they must separate their souls from their bodies. Together, they rebel, casting bets and trading secrets during that hour instead, and find a secret that changes their world. A sweet little story.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “The Baker’s Cat” by Elizabeth Hart Bergstrom

Review of Elizabeth Hart Bergstrom, “The Baker’s Cat”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 1-11 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Karina’s mother seemed to know the knack of making every type of cookie and bun and cake, but none of that skill passed on to Karina herself. Her loaves were flat, her cookies were hard, she burnt everything — eventually Karina decided she must be cursed. And not only when it came to baking, but in every aspect of her life! Until one night when Karina wishes upon a star, and a cat turns up on her doorstep, and everything changes, in proper fairy tale fashion.

Cakes and cats? A match made in heaven. Reading this made me hungry! So many delicious descriptions of baked goods.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “After Bots” by Rachael Maltbie

Review of Rachael Maltbie, “After Bots”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 27-34 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Content note: Death of a partner.

The robots in this story are quite different from the personable robots of Agner’s story immediately preceding Maltbie’s in the anthology. These, it’s hard to tell if they are even robots or if they are just statues of robots. But either someone is moving the sculptures, changing their head and hand positions, or the robots are moving themselves…and Agatha Streusel has got to find out which.

This story was definitely more on the “sad” than “contented/happy” side of things, but it ends on a hopeful note.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “Rising Tides” by Mary Alexandra Agner

Review of Mary Alexandra Agner, “Rising Tides”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 17-26 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

This story totally nailed the brief of the anthology. A simple plot: A magical robot has been left, leg broken off so it cannot move, on the shores of a beach in the face of the rising tide. But it’s amazing how easy it is to empathise with a left-behind robot, and my heart was in my throat the whole time I read this, anxious that it would have a happy ending. (Of course it did. This is a book of happy endings. And this was a very happy ending!)

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “An Inconvenient Quest” by Rebecca Gomez Farrell

Review of Rebecca Gomez Farrell, “An Inconvenient Quest”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 12-16 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Levolin has been shunned by his fellow sprites since maturation, but has an opportunity to go on an unexpected quest in search of a cure for the queen, who has fallen ill. I wouldn’t necessarily say this counts as a low-stakes story, as saving the queen is pretty important! But there was never any sense that he would fail in his quest, so on that count it was a comforting piece to read.

I was somewhat confused as to whether the sprites were a type of jellyfish or not, and had to reread the first page or two twice until I realised that, no, they aren’t, and furthermore they are not even aquatic creatures. But this is a minor point.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment