Review of Darius Jones, “In the Dose,” Radon Journal 2 (2022): 67 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This poem was a lovely little commentary on the ways in which one and the same thing can both kill us and give us life.
REVIEW: “They Came In Tiny Ships” by Rachel Ayers
Review of Rachel Ayers, “They Came In Tiny Ships,” Radon Journal 2 (2022): 59 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a sparse, spare little poem, giving away very little — including who “they” are, which I found a bit frustrating. But this verse was gorgeous:
They tried to fix us but we
liked the parts they thought broken.
REVIEW: “Double Down on Darkness” by Bruce Boston
Review of Bruce Boston, “Double Down on Darkness,” Radon Journal 2 (2022): 56-57 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a dark and desperate poem, easy to read as a commentary on the current state of the US.
REVIEW: “The Lion and the Virgin” by Megan J. Kerr
Review of Megan J. Kerr, “The Lion and the Virgin ”, Clarkesworld Issue 184, January (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A solitary woman in a one-person ship travels alone for many many days, with some company. It’s an interesting study on how real someone can become to you, irrespective of what they really are. It’s also a pretty realistic representation of how humans might react to prolonged space travel in isolation.
Loneliness is real and biting. Lovely prose, too.
REVIEW: “The Uncurling of Samsara” by Koji A. Dae
Review of Koji A. Dae, “The Uncurling of Samsara”, Clarkesworld Issue 184, January (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A lovely story about grief and growth, set in a generation ship. A well structured story about dealing with the loss of a loved one, and how everyone processes grief in different ways.
For our protagonist Annessa, it takes the form of her Gram’s cherry pie, and how their attempt to perfect it has been mostly elusive. But losing her Gram teaches her something. About how the essence of something can take many different forms, but always, always towards growth.
A wrenchingly real portrayal.
REVIEW: “The Warrior Tree” by Chana Kohl
Review of Chana Kohl, “The Warrior Tree,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Born into a remote Amazigh village, Faiza is trapped by the circumstances of her life — born with no fingers, only thumbs; no money to afford an education beyond 8th grade; betrothed young to a much older man. But Faiza is lucky; her elder brother Adil is a carpet-trader in Marrakech, and he’s willing to help when she begs him for a way out.
This was quite an interesting story — really enjoyable in its own right, but given the context in which it was published, I kept reading it thinking “when will the speculative element come in?” The answer to that is: not until the very final few paragraphs. As a result, the ending felt a bit stitched on; nice, but not needed.
REVIEW: “The Oak Tree” by Liz Baxmeyer
Review of Liz Baxmeyer, “The Oak Tree,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Dara is out haunting the oak tree when she surprises a stranger, Muriel, who is desperately seeking something. The folk songs that Dara sings, scattered throughout the story, emphasised the folk-tale nature of the story; but there was rather too much explaining rather than story-telling for it to quite work for me.
REVIEW: “End of the World, Beginning of Everything” by Kiersten Gonzalez
Review of Kiersten Gonzalez, “End of the World, Beginning of Everything,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Sudden death.
After the narrator’s husband leaves her, she takes advantage of the opportunity to move to California and try to become an actress. Instead, she ends up in Colorado, landing a job as a ghost tour guide. There are many ways you might think the story would go, from this premise — but I can guarantee you that none of them are what happens! This was a novel story told in a fresh, distinctive voice. Good stuff!
REVIEW: “This Sweet and Bitter Fruit or, Ladon’s Lament” by Maeghan Klinker
Review of Maeghan Klinker, “This Sweet and Bitter Fruit or, Ladon’s Lament,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There were weird inconsistencies in this story that, alas, kept me from enjoying it as I hoped I would. (It also falls on the wrong side of my dislike of second-person narratives.)
REVIEW: “Live Oak” by Carly Racklin
Review of Carly Racklin, “Live Oak,” Luna Station Quarterly 52 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Rory and Finn have just moved to a new house, and it’s not the happily ever after they hoped for. The big tree looming over Rory’s bedroom is clearly haunted — but whoever heard of a haunted tree? Maybe truth of the matter is even deeper and darker than they can imagine.
A lovely creepy little forest horror story.
SFF Reviews 