REVIEW: “Souls on the Open Plane” by Remy Welch

Review of Remy Welch, “Souls on the Open Plane,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 176-195 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This story, told through alternating diary entries, introduces us to Lyre, a human scientist on an expedition space ship, and Bob, a Ragak who works in her lab. The entries are distinctive in voice in a way that conveys Bob’s alien-ness very effectively, and there is a rich sense of development. This was a strong debut publication for Welch — I look forward to reading more by her!

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REVIEW: “The Fish Who Dreamt of Dragons” by Lilia Zhang

Review of Lilia Zhang, “The Fish Who Dreamt of Dragons,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 156-175 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Xinyue is the last member of the Crescent Moon sect — more than that, she is the Crescent Moon sect — and while other warriors discount her at first, her prowess earns her fame as she travels the world. When a fisher village is beset by a deadly spirit, Xinyue meets Wanyue and takes on her first disciple. Xinyue and Wanyue then travel together, until Xinyue’s fame catches the attention of the emperor and fate catches up with her — a fate that only Wanyue can rescue her from.

I don’t get to read much Wuxia in English — so I really enjoyed this!

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REVIEW: “Open Your Eyes” by Allie Marini

Review of Allie Marini, “Open Your Eyes,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 124-139 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: miscarriage, death of a parent.

This is a two-part story, switching viewpoint half-way through. The first half I felt dragged a bit; there was a lot of prose at times, which I’ll admit I ended up skimming because it seemed primarily to just spend time, rather than push the story forward or tell me more about the character. But things picked up in the second half, and it ended strongly.

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REVIEW: “Bedtime Story” by Rhonda Parrish

Review of Rhonda Parrish, “Bedtime Story,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 102-109 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This is a story of a story, a horror story told by Laura, an old doll, to Clara, the daughter of her previous owner. Clara was the one who asked Laura to tell the story, but during Laura’s telling I kept wondering what the purpose of the story was — would there be a moral? Was it just to scare Clara? I kept waiting for some signal, why did Clara ask Laura to tell her a story, or this story in particular? I never quite got any of the answers I hoped for.

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