REVIEW: “User Warning” by Charlotte Ariel Finn

Review of Charlotte Ariel Finn, “User Warning,” Radon Journal 2 (2022): 8-15 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

The premise of the story is a solid one: When we reach the point that parts of our brain go virtual, it’s inevitable that someone will hack into the backups and release into the internet. The story itself is off the fallout of this happening.

However, it’s a story that’s told in 2nd person, meaning it’s hard to latch on to a sympathetic character to empathise with. So for me, the execution didn’t quite live up to the premise.

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REVIEW: “A Robot Would Never Kiss You With Its Tongue” by Bobby Parrott

Review of Bobby Parrott, “A Robot Would Never Kiss You With Its Tongue,” Radon Journal 2 (2022): 58 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This sort of felt like a case of “how many SF terms can I throw into this poem?” People who prefer poetry that is more about words than about story may like this poem; for me, I’m a bit more on the “story” side of things for this to really be my type of thing.

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REVIEW: “Hunting Snowmen” by Aeryn Rudel

Review of Aeryn Rudel, “Hunting Snowmen,” Radon Journal 2 (2022): 16-18 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Domestic violence.

This was a funny [in the strange rather than humoristic, although there is definitely humor in it] little post-apocalyptic story about zombies who head north and then freeze in the bitter cold. It’s full of vindictive justice, and even though I could see the ending coming from a mile away, it was so satisfying.

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REVIEW: “Aqua Vitae” by Deborah L. Davitt

Review of Deborah L. Davitt, “Aqua Vitae,” Radon Journal 2 (2022): 76 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

If water is the source of our life, what kind of life would water on another planet be the source of? It’s the sort of question that is apt for turning into poetry, as Davitt does — though maybe those who haven’t studied 20th C analtyic philosophy and the question of whether water is H2O or not will appreciate the poem more than I did!

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