REVIEW: “Sue Dhingra’s Cat” by Shikhandin

Review of Shikhandin, “Sue Dhingra’s Cat,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 159-173 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

The line between “literature-influenced-by-folk-tales-and-myth” and “straight-up-fantasy” is quite blurred in this story, set in India and steeped with, to me, unfamiliar cultural references. The characters were sharply drawn and given that there was a cat involved, I was hooked from the start. The ending turned out a bit unexpectedly, for me; this was partly because I think I miscategorized the relationship between Sue and Radha during the early part of the story, due to my lack of knowledge of the various forms of address and titles being used. But it was still a fun story with a happy ending.

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REVIEW: “Secrets Locked in Metal Scrap” by Marie Croke

Review of Marie Croke, “Secrets Locked in Metal Scrap,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 137-157 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This story was not at all what I expected (even granted that I go into most stories with very few expectations). It started off with dinosaurs, and I was rather leery: I’m usually pretty good at suspending disbelief, but human/dinosaur stories are a type I struggle with. But Croke managed to build a story intriguing enough for me to want to keep reading, and then fed me a twist that I could never have predicted, and in the end made it easy for me to suspend that disbelief.

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REVIEW: “Victory and Vanilla” by Hesper Leveret

Review of Hesper Leveret, “Victory and Vanilla,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 107-125 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Ever wanted a combination of Great British Bake-Off and speculative fiction? If so, this is the story for you! It was clearly written by someone intimately familiar with British cooking competition shows (there was even a mention of a buttery biscuit base…), i.e., an author after my own heart.

Sometimes, all you want a story that’s just good fun. That’s exactly what this was.

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REVIEW: “To the Moon and Back” by Emmie Christie

Review of Emmie Christie, “To the Moon and Back,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 85-95 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

On the anniversary of her sister Candy’s transformation into a cloud to swim in the Sky-Sea, Niska sets off to find out what, eventually, happened to her. Is Candy still alive? Will Niska find her? Set against an elegant and unusual metaphysics, this story centers the bond of sisterhood and the lengths one will go for love. The ending may not have happened the way Niska imagined, but it definitely wasn’t a sad ending.

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REVIEW: “Resurrecting Tessa” by Nicole Walsh

Review of Nicole Walsh, “Resurrecting Tessa,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 73-83 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This story of death and resurrection defies clear classification; it’s setting feels like SF, but it is religion, rather than science or magic, that is the driving force. But it was religion distinct enough from any I’m familiar with to make me wish I got more details, more information, during the story itself. As it was, at the end, I wasn’t quite sure what the import of everything was.

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REVIEW: “Be Not Afraid of the Angel Beneath the Stairs” by Sara Playfair

Review of Sara Playfair, “Be Not Afraid of the Angel Beneath the Stairs,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 127-134 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

It has often struck me that one of the greatest fantasy stories every told is the story of Christian religion: So I was delighted by this excellent story of Playfair’s, which taps into exactly that same feeling. It even made up for the use of my hated second-person POV!

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REVIEW: “The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video” by Thomas Ha

Review of Thomas Ha, “The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video”, Clarkesworld Issue 212, May (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

Set in a not too distant dystopian future, this story follows an unnamed protagonist who finds a dead book. A real one, with no pixelated layer on the pages, no swiping to increase the brightness. Just paper.

That’s rare in this world, and the book itself is so different from the kinds of books generally available. Present day books have their endings sanitized, plot lines changed, and audience acceptance maximized by following tropes and guidelines. That’s why this one stands out, attracts attention.

I always love to see stories of people finding their inner strength and purpose. Plus, the character arc and world building in this story is a treat. Definitely recommend.

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