Review of Rich Larson, “Ascension’s Eve,” Flash Fiction Online 130 (July 2024): 7-10 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
On Ascension’s Eve, 88 takes 99 on pilgrimage. What kind of pilgrimage would a digital identity need to make? Not only do I as the reader have this question, but it’s also clear as the story goes on that 99 doesn’t really understand this either. But 88 does, and through the story shows both me the reader and 99. It’s a weirdly mundane story, and also very sweet.
Review of Anna Dallara, “The Sibyl,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 22-24 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This, opened with a quote from the Aeneid to put the reader into an appropriate state of mind, was a lovely story of the limits of foretelling. There was a breath of love and a whisper of hope and an eternity of sadness, all packed into a neat, efficient little package.
Review of Sarah Jackson, “In the Path of the Giantess,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 19-21 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
So little happened in this story that it felt like the encounter between the narrator and the giantess was a metaphor for something — but what, I’m not really sure.
Review of Maya Dworsky-Rocha, “Godiva of the Broken Shell,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 16-18 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Inspired by the real-life Godiva and the events for which she is best known for, Dworsky-Rocha has created a weird SF story that trades shame for intimacy in a really effective and unexpected way.
Review of Faith Allington, “This Rapturous Blooming,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 12-15 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
ATTN: WorldCon readers who attended the “Fungi and SFF” panel — this is a story for you!
It’s a “mad scientist” story unlike the usual “mad scientist” story; the protagonist isn’t clinically insane because she’s actually right — it’s just that no one is willing to believe her. But isn’t what just what madness is, adhering to a reality that no one else sees?
Review of Rajeev Prasad, “The Blinding Light of Resurrection”, Clarkesworld Issue 212, May (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Kept me hooked! An emotionally resonant story where I was genuinely invested in the characters and what happened to them. When someone is driven by obsession, rationality goes out the window, and that’s always a recipe for disaster.
This novelette provides a really, really good perspective on obsession and the cost of following through on it. Deftly written in a way that you can understand the protagonist’s motivations while also understanding how they’ve gone off track.
Again, I cannot overstate the emotional resonance in this one. Lovely writing.
Review of Carol Scheina, “Give a Smile at Ye Olde Photographie Shoppe,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 8-11 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Mal runs a photography shop, offering services no other shop does — a chance to get your photograph taken with a dragon! A real dragon — who happens to be Mal himself. He longs for a chance to be a real photographer and not just a gimmick, and this story offers him the chance to be so.
I loved the ending, which was sweet and happy, but something about the story also made me terribly sad, as it made me think of this story from a few months ago.
Humanity can be really awful sometimes. That’s why we need happy, sweet stories.
Review of Dorianne Emmerton, “Thistle and Spice,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 249-268 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Fatphobia, misogyny, domestic abuse.
In an attempt to escape an increasingly loveless marriage, Darlene ends up going to Wednesday night witchcraft classes, and I, as the reader, end up really, really hating her husband. Bring on the spells so that he gets his comeuppance!
Review of Wendy Nikel, “The Cierin-Croin,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 237-246 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Prefatory note: The title of the story in the journal is given as I’ve spelled it here; however, in the story itself, the term is spelled “Cirein-cr&oagrave;in”; I’m not sure which is correct.
I’m not sure what to make of the story itself: It’s pretty simple and straightforward: Ailsa and Hendry’s grandfather warns them against seeking the Cirein-cròin; Hendry doesn’t listen; bad things ensue. When a story has everything laid out bare in the way this one does, no layers, no moral, no twist, it leaves me quite perplexed.
Review of Samara Auman, “The Texture of Memory, of Light”, Clarkesworld Issue 212, May (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Much like the previous story in this issue, this is a poignant one that deals with memories of a late mother. There’s a great emphasis on working through conflicting feelings, while being caught up in tightly constructed and intricately layered human systems.
The protagonist has much to work through, coming out on the other side with greater understanding and healing. The character development was fantastic, and I loved seeing all the changes – and the decisions that grew from there.
Great background and secondary characters, too. I especially liked the world building and would definitely read more stories set here.
SFF Reviews