REVIEW: “A Guide for Lost Sailors” by Allison Har-Zvi

Review of Allison Har-Zvi, “A Guide for Lost Sailors,” Luna Station Quarterly 21 (2015): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

I’ve discovered that I love stories told by the figureheads of ships — this is not the first such one in LSQ that I’ve reviewed! So once I realised that that’s what the narrator of this story was, I settled in for a good time.

And I mostly got it; I say mostly because there is a small part of me that feels sad and let down when in stories even wooden women are subjected to misogyny. The “it’s only in fun” excuse doesn’t — pardon the pun — hold any water.

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REVIEW: “Indulgence” by Tammy Salyer

Review of Tammy Salyer, “Indulgence,” Luna Station Quarterly 21 (2015): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This is a post-apocalypse story, in which the end of the world was heralded by the introduction of biotags, embedded under the skin of every person, containing their identity and all their health information. These biotags are scanned during food purchases, so that permission can be granted for the individual in question to purchase that particular food. It’s a great story premise: Enormously creepy because it is so damn believable that this could happen at some point in the future, and the way things unfold is all so plausible. And despite the premise the story is based on, one of the other great things about it is its enormous dose of body positivity.

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REVIEW: “Minotaur” by R.S. Bohn

Review of R.S. Bohn, “Minotaur,” Luna Station Quarterly 21 (2015): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was a lovely mixture of modern archaeology and ancient myth, with an added layer of depth that comes from the fact Noani, the lead archaeologist on the dig, is facing the realisation that she is likely dying, of the same cancer that took her mother and her aunt. There was a deep aching sadness that grew and grew throughout the story; it was extremely finely crafted.

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REVIEW: “Last Nice Day” by Rich Larson

Review of Rich Larson, “Last Nice Day”, Clarkesworld Issue 178, July (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

Our protagonist fancies himself a character out of a book. From the very beginning of the story, you can see that he narrates things, and has an internal dialogue with the reader. As a fictional character, he is a transparent and well-informed one. He talks about flashbacks, narrative styles, supporting characters, and Chekhov’s gun.

It transpires that he also has a subself – he’s a type of agent, a government- trained operative. One who has secret missions. His subself is the one who handles that bit, but to what extent has he been affected by this? Is the pretense at being a fictional protagonist his way of coping? Or is it something else entirely?

There are many elements at play here, and the vivid descriptions add a enjoyable layer to the story.

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REVIEW: “The Falling” by M V Melcer

Review of M V Melcer, “The Falling”, Clarkesworld Issue 178, July (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

The world is falling, and there is a race against time and a “monster” in the sky that’s coming to devour the world.

The engineers try as hard as they can to save the world, but the most they have been able to do is delay the inevitable. After a few years our narrator then becomes an engineer and works to make the world safe, even while trying to escape the clutches of the solar system devouring monster.

This world works on points allotted to everyone, based on which they can live and work in particular rings. It’s not a very pleasant way to organize a society, but people have accepted it. And just like humanity in general, here too there is a streak of happy abandon, even while being acutely aware of the grave possibilities.

There are secrets, classified information, and terrible choices for people to make, and the narrator makes their own choice at the end.

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REVIEW: “Daughter of the Sun” by A.E. Ash

Review of A.E. Ash, “Daughter of the Sun,” Luna Station Quarterly 21 (2015): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Dr. Lian Leandros is the only one left alive on the crippled space ship Aldebaran. Once she has sent out a distress signal, there is nothing left for her to do but wait.

It’s a premise that sets a story up for nothing happening: And yet, even though very little does happen in it, the way Ash brings the reader into Leandros’s world, helps us to understand her mind, is compelling and enjoyable, and in the end extremely beautiful.

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REVIEW: “I’m Feeling Lucky” by Leonid Kaganov

Review of Leonid Kaganov, “I’m Feeling Lucky”, Clarkesworld Issue 178, July (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

What a fantastic story! I read it twice. Once really quickly because the story was super engaging, and the second time to just enjoy the details and savor the story. I’m usually a slow reader of short stories because I feel the medium deserves full attention to detail, but stories like this one come along where I just can’t help myself.

Time jumps through temporal clips form the basis of our protagonist’s story. He comes from a world where people started to take advantage of this fact, and rushed headlong into the future in order to arrive at a better world. A world that would be ready for them to enjoy, not really considering that there might be a not-so-great world waiting, not considering that maybe all the time jumps are making things worse.

It’s interesting to see where our protagonist ends up and the journey he takes to get there. A lovely little story.

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REVIEW: “Sweet” by Sam Butler

Review of Sam Butler, “Sweet,” Luna Station Quarterly 21 (2015): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

If ever there were a “good” mood-altering drug, it would be Sweet: Non-addictive, no harmful side effects, no psychosis, no hallucinations, just: a feeling of happiness, of content, a sweet feeling. But of course, no such substance is ever going to be as good as it seems, and Sweet is no exception, as Charlie is about to find out after her childhood friend Charity takes the pill.

The strongest thread in this story is that of friendship, but it’s also a story that is reflective of a deeply unhappy society.

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