Review of Sam Lesek, “The Final Kiss,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a short, sweet, sad post-apocalyptic story, of the last man, the last dog, and the last kiss the Angel of Death will ever give.
Review of A. M. Young, “What They Do Not Tell you,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: An abusive relationship.
This was a powerful retelling of the story of Pygmalion — or rather, a first telling of Galatea‘s story.
Review of Anna Martino, “A Memory is Like a Talon,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Oh, this was a wonderful story — beautiful, visceral, raw, powerful. It’s about a shapeshifter and the one who loves them during WWI, and of their descendants, and it was just gorgeous.
I am now going out to seek out everything else Martino has written, because if they are half as good as this, they will be amazing.
Review of P. L. Watts, “The Twin’s Paradox,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a simple story: One of a pair of identical twins goes on a journey to Alpha Centauri, the other stays at home, and when the former returns they are no longer identical because the latter has aged. A good premise, but there wasn’t much more than that, no twist, no unexpected move, no deeper insight. Just a simple story.
Review of B. B. Garin, “Sophie Baker’s Vanishing Act,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was one part modern ring of Gyges, one part commentary on modern medicine’s inability to understand that women exist, have pain, and need treatment, and one part commentary on the erasure of women.
Review of Chloe Smith, “The Governess,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I love it when a sci fi story takes a binary and turns it on its head, in unexpected — and yet totally realistic — ways. This story nailed that. Utterly breathtaking.
Review of E. M. Gaucher, “Alone,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Parental abuse; death.
The bulk of this story is conversation between a woman and a girl. Mother and child? Sisters? Friends? As the reader I have to piece together their relationship through their words, and Gaucher does an excellent job at pacing things so that each exchange builds a picture of who they are and what they’re doing, and why.
Review of Anna Ziegelhof, “Artist in Residence,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I loved this piece, which was centered around the questions of who gets to do art, and who gets to value art, and how these decisions get made, all set within a deep and vivid SF setting. It’s full of power and recovery and healing — and then a sharp shift sideways into even bigger questions and issues. So much packed into one short story!
Review of V. J. Hamilton, “Lake Small,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Lake Small, like all the other lakes, rivers, puddles around, is beginning to dry up, until one day the swimmer who used to swim in Lake Small daily goes on a quest to find the Tomten who will tell her how to make it rain again.
This quiet little story is a quick, easy read.
Review of Ann Wuehler, “The Swimmer,” Luna Station Quarterly 53 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Domestic abuse, murder.
This is a story about Gracie, now grown old, and her mother, and one special day they shared at the beach when Gracie was young. And yet, the most fascinating part of the story was the narrator, who is neither Gracie nor her mother and whom we never really quite get to know, but who is tremendously weird and entrancing to read.
SFF Reviews