Review of Kemi Ashing-Gawa and Tali Arima, “Jovis,” Luna Station Quarterly 55 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It always makes me happy to read a co-authored story, especially when the end result has such a clear and singular voice, as this one does. Despite the eclectic mix of ancient ruins, fantastical creatures, and space shuttles — a combination that could very easily have felt fragmented — all the pieces came together in a way that felt coherent, chilling and eerie.
Review of L. S. Johnson, “In the Field,” Luna Station Quarterly 55 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Tam and Davey are soldiers, fresh from recent victory and ready to believe that this will be the final push. But this is not a happy story, it is an incredibly grim one, pervaded with the futility of war.
Review of Samantha Carr, “Technical Magic,” Luna Station Quarterly 55 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Cheyanne’s mother is ill, and her sister Tricia wants to put her into a care home; after all, the two sisters have been caring for her for five years, and there’s a limit to how long Cheyanne can be expected to put her life on hold.
But Cheyanne doesn’t want her mother in a home, and is willing to go to extreme measures to prevent this. Unfortunately, technical magic only works when you follow all the details and instructions properly. This not particularly happy story had a not particularly happy ending, but there was never any reason to think it would.
Review of Cynthia Gómez, “Lips Like Sugar,” Luna Station Quarterly 55 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Oblique references to sexual harassment and assault.
If you’re looking for an amusing and slightly raunchy bisexual vampire urban fantasy, this is a story for you.
Review of Libby Feltis, “Fittonia,” Luna Station Quarterly 55 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There were so many little bits and pieces in this story that are things I love — an emphasis on the importance of names, throwbacks to classic literature, sass, innuendo, writers writing stories as a means of currency, and happy endings. It was such a fun read. It was always an extremely realistic and believable account of the life of a highly sensitive and empathetic person.
Review of Meredith Gordon, “Patrice,” Flash Fiction Online (July 2023): 17-19 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Childbirth, adoption.
This was a peculiar little story, noteworthy for its depiction of physical disability, and the way in which only a few sentences at the end can turn something otherwise ordinary into something speculative and intriguing.
Review of E. M. Linden, “When the Forest Comes to You,” Flash Fiction Online (July 2023): 12-15 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This is more a series of vignettes than a story, snapshots of Keith’s life from when he was 5 to when his son was 5, all tied together by an underlying layer of sadness, culminating in an ending that feels like an ultimate betrayal.
Review of Brent Baldwin, “Dave the Terrible,” Flash Fiction Online (July 2023): 7-10 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story of the merging of real life and fantasy life was simultaneously deeply hilarious and deeply saddening. I really enjoyed it. The excerpt of the author interview included in the issue is worth the read, as it adds another layer to the story.
Review of Daniel Galef, “The He-Bear,” Flash Fiction Online (June 2023): 14-17 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There was a lot of adjectives and dependent clauses in this story. Not necessarily a bad thing: But certainly something that requires a lot of effort and attention.
Review of Dafydd McKimm, “A Tiger in Eden,” Flash Fiction Online (June 2023): 6-9 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was beautifully enigmatic in the way it integrated fantasy and reality.
SFF Reviews