Review of Tehnuka, “Kannaki Contemplates the Fire in Her Breast,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 21-22 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Sumptuous narrative poetry stuffed with religious history and gorgeous imagery — really lovely!
REVIEW: “Music of the Seraphim” by Angel Leal
Review of Angel Leal, “Music of the Seraphim,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 11-13 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This is now the third poem by Leal that I’ve reviewed at SFFReviews — and let me tell you, I have loved every single one. I hope they’ve got a poetry collection in the works, because I’d love to read (or publish!) it.
REVIEW: “Celestial Bodies” by Mar Vincent
Review of Mar Vincent, “Celestial Bodies,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 7-9 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
For all the stars and astronomical arrangements that show up in this story, I’ve placed it firmly in the “fantasy” category, even though it’s hard to articulate what this story is about. But it is a lovely little glittery thing, worth reading for its sweet ending.
REVIEW: “Limerence” by Samir Sirk Morató
Review of Samir Sirk Morató, “Limerence,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 22-24 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a surprisingly lovely and evocative story, of two bog bodies separated by a layer of peat. It’s a story of longing and loss and love, with an ambiguous ending where I still can’t decide if I find it sad or hopeful.
REVIEW: “On the Wing” by Lindz McLeod
Review of Lindz McLeod, “On the Wing,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 18-20 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Infidelity.
It felt a bit like this story was a dare, to see how many bird metaphors and bird images McLeod could fit into one story. There were a lot: all tastefully and effectively used, but leaving me wondering, why all the birds.
(Originally published in Bear Creek Gazette, 2022).
REVIEW: “Sparsely Populated With Stars” by Jennifer Mace
Review of Jennifer Mace, “Sparsely Populated With Stars,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 14-17 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It seems at first that this is a told through a series of dreams dreamt by someone in cryostasis, but as the dreams begin to fragment, things become less clear — is it cryostasis? Is it immmortality? Or is it prison? Dreams and reality become entangled and questions multiply. In a flash fic piece, of course there’s not enough time to answer them; but nevertheless, the story when it ends feels complete.
REVIEW: “The Lime Monster” by Shelly Jones
Review of Shelly Jones, “The Lime Monster,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 11-13 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
here was something really lovely and empowering about this story, of how a woman took her childhood innocence and imagination and turned it into something to protect her land and heritage.
(Originally published in The Future Fire 52, January 2020.)
REVIEW: “Leavings” by Shira Musicant
Review of Shira Musicant, “Leavings,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 8-10 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The story comes with a content warning for suicide, but what I found most difficult to read was how eerily and uncannily accurate it was at representing the feeling of displacement that comes with being (in my case) neurodivergent. In a world of neurotypical stories, finding a character whose interactions with his universe come at a slant is not only surprising but also surprisingly difficult. There is a reality to this story that many stories don’t have, and I don’t mean this just in the sense that it was billed as “literary” rather than “speculative”. Worthwhile read, but also worth heading the content warning.
REVIEW: “You and Me, Here and There, Now and Then and When” by JM Cyrus
Review of JM Cyrus, “You and Me, Here and There, Now and Then and When,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 140-154 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
What a fun little story this was, with undercurrents of time travel and split personal identity, but ultimately, just a comforting little love story.
REVIEW: “The Illusionist’s Daughter” by Wen Wen Yang
Review of Wen Wen Yang, “The Illusionist’s Daughter,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 196-210 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a story of a haunting ghost, generational trauma, sexual assault, and women standing up for each other. It ended on a hopeful not, but given its contents it’s probably not a story for everyone.
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