Review of Aimee Ogden, “To Persist, However Changed,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 27-28 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a very sciencey science fiction, full of botanical terms. It’s tricky to take plants and make them into sympathetic characters, and I struggled a bit with getting past the jargon. But maybe someone more familiar with the vocabulary would enjoy the story more!
Review of Myna Chang, “Let Us Dream,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 25 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This beautiful piece straddling the boundaries of prose and poetry is full of sorrow and loss and regret.
Review of Rachael K. Jones, “How My Sister Talked Me Into Necromancy During Quarantine,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 22-23 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Everyone has at least one pandemic bad decision in their closet, whether it’s sourdough starter gone green or ordering jellybeans by the kilo from amazon. This is the perfect story for anyone who wants to feel a bit better about their own bad decision, which probably pales in comparison’s to Becca’s decision to let her sister Lila live with her during lockdown. Short, sweet, funny — a great antidote to plague blues.
Review of Jennifer Hudak, “A Gardener Teaches His Son to Enrich the Soil and Plan for the Future,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 20 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Every avid gardener is familiar with the scourge that are caterpillars and slugs; but the titular gardener here teaches his son not only how to deal a far greater pest: zombies! The advice is equal parts gross and heartwarming, and makes for a sweet little story.
(First published in Triangulation: Habitats, 2021.)
Review of Devan Barlow, “Shears,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 17-18 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was the most hilarious retelling of Sleeping Beauty I’ve ever come across, and I loved it. Top marks, two thumbs up, and a chef’s kiss.
Review of Luc Diamant, “Once In As Many Lifetimes,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 14-15 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was one of those rare gems: A second-person POV which I didn’t dislike! This is in large part due to the fact that it’s also first-person POV, which makes it much easier for me to believe that the “you” is not addressed at me. Instead, what I, as the reader, get from this story is a glimpse into a private conversation (or rather, directed monologue), which is both heart-warming and utterly heart-breaking. I nearly ended up crying on the train at the ending.
Review of Brian Hugenbruch, “So You Want to Eat an Omnalik Starfish,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 12 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
So I didn’t particularly want to eat any kind of starfish, omnalik or otherwise, because I’m not really into seafood. And yet, this short, compact story managed to convince me otherwise, with beautiful language and just the right touch to tug at my heart (“urgent grief”, indeed). Well done!
(First published in Syntax and Salt 2020).
Review of H. V. Patterson, “Seducing the Supervillain,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 10 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was an absolute smasher of a poem, containing all the things I like: Beautiful language, a clear story with a lot of character development, and that thing that leaves me wanting more.
Review of Christine Hanolsy, “Festival,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 7-8 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a lovely and thoughtful take on maintaining cultural traditions as an immigrant.
Review of Jennifer Mace, “Upon What Soil They Fed,” Flash Fiction Online (March 2023): 20-22 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a creepy little story about the unexpected things a door-to-door salesman might encounter.
(First published in Syntax & Salt January 2020).
SFF Reviews