Review of Laurence Klavan, “Homonyms,” Flash Fiction Online 147 (December 2025): 8-9 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There was some interesting language play in this brief little story. It did, however, feel a bit of a story in two halves, the connection between them relying solely on that language play, which I’m not sure was quite strong enough to bridge the gap.
(First published in The South Shore Review June 2022.)
Review of Nicole Lynn, “Entropy in a Fruit Bowl,” Flash Fiction Online 140 (May 2025): 11-14 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Death of a parent, physical violence.
Apparently the trick to learning necromancy is: Start small. But love that only existed asymmetrically can never be resurrected once it is dead — these are the two lessons of this short, exceedingly sad, story.
(First published in The Arcanist October 2022.)
Review of Erin L. Swann, “Borrowed Breath and Starlit Scales,” Flash Fiction Online 138 (March 2025): 29-30 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
If you like stories of monstrous mermaids luring sailors into the depths, you’ll enjoy this. For me, I kept expecting more to happen — in a two-page story, specifics matter all the more, because there just isn’t enough time for generalities.
(First published in Factor Four October 2022).
Review of Holly Schofield, “Conflict Resolution,” Flash Fiction Online 137 (February 2025): 23-26 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story marches back in time from a drowning.
The way it starts is so sudden, so unmotivated, and so unpleasant that it put me off, erecting quite a barrier that would have to be mounted before I could enjoy the rest of the story. I figured I was willing to give the length of a flash fic story for it to convince me that I should revise my opinion of the opening events, but only that.
In the end, I think I’m ambivalent about this story. The resolution wasn’t too predictable for it to resolve my conflicted stance as a reader.
(First published in Nature:Futures October 2022).
Review of Angus McIntyre, “The Inside of the Outside,” Flash Fiction Online 134 (November 2024): 14-17 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This curious little story took a turn towards horror that I was not expecting. I like a good effective use of a twist!
(First published in Factor Four Magazine October 2022).
Review of Erin MacNair, “The Trade,” Flash Fiction Online 133 (October 2024): 19-22 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Death of pets, references to infertility, natural disaster.
I found this story more sad than horrific; but there was an eerie quality threading through it that meant I was never quite sure what was going on, just enough for the story to warrant its speculative label.
(First printed in Orca, Winter 2022.)
Review of Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, “Reviving a Traditional African Genre: The AfroSurrealism of Ngano,” Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 39-41 — Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
While in the last five years or so I have made an effort to read more spec fic outside the western/European tradition, including especially African speculative fiction, I still feel like quite a novice when it comes to the details and differences of traditions that I didn’t grow up with. Ndlovu’s article is an excellent piece for me, therefore, because it’s a concise introduction to a particular tradition — Ngano — clearly explained with Ndlovu’s own experiences hearing, reading, and writing it interleaved.
AfroSurrealism, for Ndlovu, is a way “to capture the flavor of the absurdity and horror I experience daily as an African woman” (p. 39). Ngano, a story telling genre (traditionally oral story telling) from Zimbabwe, is made up of five elements (pp. 39-41):
I was particularly interested in Ndlovu’s discussion of how each of these elements shape the structure, as opposed to the content of the stories.
I would love to see more short essays on different non-European genres of this type!
Review of J. M. Lee, “The Nightland Express” (EXCERPT), Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 28-37 — Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This excerpt is chapters 3 and 4 of J. M. Lee’s 2022 novel published by Erewhon Books.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from reading an excerpt, especially one that apparently doesn’t start at the beginning (if I enjoy the story starting from chapter three, what does this say about the necessity of chapters one and two? I wondered). As it turns out, I didn’t feel the lack of those initial chapters; these two chapters were more than sufficient to introduce me to the two main characters (one whom we’re clearly meant to like and one whom we’re clearly meant to be exasperated by!), and get me interested in knowing more of their story. Will I pick up and read the whole book? I’m not sure. Did I enjoy the excerpt I read? Definitely. These two chapters were pretty much pure historical fiction, centered around the Pony Express in the 1850s, but there were a few hints dropped here and there that things might not be quite what they look like on the surface…
Review of Aigner Loren Wilson, “The Black and White,” Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 17-21 — Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Reference to sexual assault.
This was a dark little story of retribution. Sometimes when reading a story, I wonder “why this story?”, i.e., why of all the stories did an author choose to write this one? I don’t have that question here, as I can feel why an author would want to write a story like this; but I am left with this question from the reader’s point of view: Why would I, the reader, want to read this story? I’m not sure…
Review of Avi Burton, “Quantum Eurydice,” Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 15-16 — Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It’s the first time I’m reviewing a story for a second time! I reviewed this earlier in the year when it was reprinted; I loved it then, and I still love it now. It rewards rereading and revisiting; I suspect it’s one I will come back to again and again. It’s just so good.
SFF Reviews