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.
Review of Kelsey Hutton, “Queen of the Wilis,” Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 11-14 — Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There’s something slightly delicious about the misogynistic horror of this story; the men may think they are in charge, but the women — and the reader — know better! What a gorgeous story.
Review of Stephen M. A., “Short Swims From Great Heights,” Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 8-10 — Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There’s a lot of fish in this story, and I can’t tell if they are sentient/anthropormorophic, or just ordinary fish. This uncertainty lends a surreality to the experience of reading the story.
Review of Ernest O. Ògúnyẹmí, “The Road,” Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 25 — Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This is a poem of longing and loss, with a hint of hope at the end.
Review of Abu Bakr Sadiq, “Wolves’ Heaven,” Fantasy Magazine 84 (October 2022): 24– Read here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There is a lovely ambiguity to this poem, which manages in a short space of time to explore an unusual character. I’m not normally one for werewolves, but this was interesting.
Review of Jennifer Hudak, “Sturgeon Moon Jam,” Flash Fiction Online 130 (July 2024): 20-23 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The “folk tale” subgenre is one that isn’t as often seen in speculative fiction, but that’s what I’d classify this story as — not a retelling of an old story, but a genuinely new folk tale. It’s a sweet little story, perfect for summer time.
(First published in Fantasy Magazine December 2022).
Review of Holly Schofield, “What You Sow,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 14-16 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I liked the conceit of the story — growing flowers and other plants from your head instead of hair — as there’s a lot of imaginative scope in it. (I spent quite a bit of time, while reading, idly wondering what flowers I’d grow.) And I loved the way an entire lifetime was traced in a scant few pages.
I just wish (personal opinion here!) that it weren’t told in second person.
(First publishing in Navigating Ruins 2022).
Review of Lindz McLeod, “On the Wing,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 18-20 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Infidelity.
It felt a bit like this story was a dare, to see how many bird metaphors and bird images McLeod could fit into one story. There were a lot: all tastefully and effectively used, but leaving me wondering, why all the birds.
(Originally published in Bear Creek Gazette, 2022).
Review of Jennifer Popa, “Make an X, Then Another,” Flash Fiction Online 110 (November 2022): 16-18 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It’s always a bit curious coming across a non-speculative story in Flash Fiction Online, because I’m never sure which rule to follow, namely, the rule that we review spec fic here, or the rule that we review every single story in an issue here; I’ve opted to follow the latter rule here. What I love about spec flash fic is the craft of fitting in an entire world into a single story; literary fic doesn’t need to build a world before a story can be told, it can simply rely on the reader’s knowledge of their own world. Because of this, Popa’s story felt as if it were much longer than it actually was — you can just tell a lot more story when it’s not speculative. As a result, even though this was one of the shorter pieces in the issue, it was still a satisfying, if non-speculative, read.
Review of Susan Taitel, “Can Someone Tell Me What Kind of Moth This Is?,” Flash Fiction Online 110 (November 2022): 12-14 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was billed as horror, but it mostly made me laugh (especially the ending, brilliantly constructed). However, if you have a fear of moths, maybe avoid this one!
SFF Reviews