Review of Sierra Branham, “Unbending My Bones,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 28-30 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story wears its allegory with unabashed pride: You can tell every step of the way that it is an allegory, and what it’s an allegory for, but the power of it never descends into browbeating the reader. Deftly done, this story will resonate with anyone who has ever gotten trapped inside insidious organized religion.
Review of Tehnuka, “Kannaki Contemplates the Fire in Her Breast,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 21-22 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Sumptuous narrative poetry stuffed with religious history and gorgeous imagery — really lovely!
Review of Angel Leal, “Music of the Seraphim,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 11-13 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This is now the third poem by Leal that I’ve reviewed at SFFReviews — and let me tell you, I have loved every single one. I hope they’ve got a poetry collection in the works, because I’d love to read (or publish!) it.
Review of Mar Vincent, “Celestial Bodies,” Small Wonders no. 11 (May 2024): 7-9 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
For all the stars and astronomical arrangements that show up in this story, I’ve placed it firmly in the “fantasy” category, even though it’s hard to articulate what this story is about. But it is a lovely little glittery thing, worth reading for its sweet ending.
Review of Samir Sirk Morató, “Limerence,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 22-24 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a surprisingly lovely and evocative story, of two bog bodies separated by a layer of peat. It’s a story of longing and loss and love, with an ambiguous ending where I still can’t decide if I find it sad or hopeful.
Review of Jennifer Mace, “Sparsely Populated With Stars,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 14-17 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It seems at first that this is a told through a series of dreams dreamt by someone in cryostasis, but as the dreams begin to fragment, things become less clear — is it cryostasis? Is it immmortality? Or is it prison? Dreams and reality become entangled and questions multiply. In a flash fic piece, of course there’s not enough time to answer them; but nevertheless, the story when it ends feels complete.
Review of Shira Musicant, “Leavings,” Flash Fiction Online 126 (March 2024): 8-10 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The story comes with a content warning for suicide, but what I found most difficult to read was how eerily and uncannily accurate it was at representing the feeling of displacement that comes with being (in my case) neurodivergent. In a world of neurotypical stories, finding a character whose interactions with his universe come at a slant is not only surprising but also surprisingly difficult. There is a reality to this story that many stories don’t have, and I don’t mean this just in the sense that it was billed as “literary” rather than “speculative”. Worthwhile read, but also worth heading the content warning.
Review of JM Cyrus, “You and Me, Here and There, Now and Then and When,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 140-154 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
What a fun little story this was, with undercurrents of time travel and split personal identity, but ultimately, just a comforting little love story.
Review of Wen Wen Yang, “The Illusionist’s Daughter,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 196-210 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a story of a haunting ghost, generational trauma, sexual assault, and women standing up for each other. It ended on a hopeful not, but given its contents it’s probably not a story for everyone.
Review of Alicia Adams, “Cedar Glen,” Luna Station Quarterly 57 (2024): 222-239 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story had an eerie, slightly surreal quality to it — you can tell from the start that something is wrong even if you can’t tell what. It sort of feels like the two characters are the only people in the world who missed the memo about Covid lockdown.
We never get any answers, just a growing sense of doom. It was gripping, and really sad.
SFF Reviews