Review of Carol Scheina, “Things You Carry in the Underworld,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 33-36 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Dead children.
This was an absolutely heart-breaking and gorgeous story.
REVIEW: “Before We Dance” by Marisca Pichette
Review of Marisca Pichette, “Before We Dance,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 29-31 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The story begins with lichen and ends with bones, and in between it’s all music. There’s very little in terms of character or narrative, but plenty of gorgeous language.
REVIEW: “Afterlife” by Lucy Zhang
Review of Lucy Zhang, “Afterlife,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 25-28 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
One of my favorite parts of reading SFF and speculative fiction is when in the middle of something entirely fictive I get something that is so entirely real. In Zhang’s story, that comes via this killer line: “Anger and self-perceived injustices are a product of overstimulation.” And that’s just one excellent portion of this rich story full of a deeply different imagined world. High quality stuff!
REVIEW: “The Old Moon” by John McNeil
Review of John McNeil, “The Old Moon”, Clarkesworld Issue 185, February (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A robot who believes in spirituality meets a sentient plant that has faith in physics above all. An interesting concept, for sure.
The robot’s backstory gave quite a bit of depth to the story, and as a reader, I could understand their internal struggle to try and reconcile this new information with their existing belief system. Beliefs that had so far been taken for granted.
But knowledge brings power and sometimes the necessity of unfortunate choices. An unexpectedly emotional story.
REVIEW: “Champion of the People” by Henry McFarland
Review of Henry McFarland, “Champion of the People,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 21-24 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I was of two minds about this story. On the one hand, it’s basically about a boy who is bullied but the experience is the catalyst for making him a hero. On the other hand, it’s basically about a boy who is bullied and the experience is the catalyst for making him a hero.
I don’t really like “abuse is okay because it makes you stronger” stories, but I do like “you don’t have to let other people define you stories.” So I’m very much on the fence with this one.
REVIEW: “Empty House” by Greta Hayer
Review of Greta Hayer, “Empty House,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 19-20 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: death.
This is a sad, reflective little piece, highlighting the emptiness of grief.
REVIEW: “Madder and Woad” by Deborah L. Davitt
Review of Deborah L. Davitt, “Madder and Woad,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 14-18 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
God, the way in which some stories cut straight to the chase without any prevarication: This is one of those. The fight between survival and death, the ways in which this strips away all parts of our humanity.
Read this story and weep. What else can you do?
Recommended especially for weavers and dyers. So much power in the work of women, the work that is so often discarded as meaningless.
REVIEW: “A Dog’s Run” by Benjamin DeHaan
Review of Benjamin DeHaan, “A Dog’s Run,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 8-12 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a sharp, raw, tough story — don’t read if you’re feeling emotionally fragile. Just remember, as the narrator says, “If passed down with respect, a story is the only thing that survives destruction.”
REVIEW: “Hykena” by Naomi Eselojor
Review of Naomi Eselojor, “Hykena,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 4-6 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The village Isoko is destroyed by a monster, burned to the ground overnight. Only the trapper’s boy, who tried to warn the village of Hykena’s approach, and his family survived. But the reasons why the villagers wouldn’t listen to him are the same as the reasons why the monster was there in the first place, which made for a satisfying resolution to this story.
REVIEW: “Informed Consent Logs from the Soul Swap Clinic” by Sarah Pauling
Review of Sarah Pauling, “Informed Consent Logs from the Soul Swap Clinic”, Clarkesworld Issue 185, February (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
With an interesting concept of swapping your souls into other bodies, I was hooked from the beginning.
It was fun getting into the mindset of the technician, and the two swappers, RED and BLUE. While it was a good look into how people prioritize certain qualities and attributes, I ultimately felt it was an unjust and unfair conclusion, and I felt it could have been executed in a way that didn’t lead to one person getting misled into a disappointing existence.
Essentially, I liked the concept and prose, but not the unsatisfying conclusion that disregards the wishes of another human being on purpose, with no empathy shown towards their vision or goal.
** At the risk of a spoiler, I can only hope I misunderstood what happens to RED.
SFF Reviews 