Review of Jennifer Hudak, “Sturgeon Moon Jam,” Flash Fiction Online 130 (July 2024): 20-23 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The “folk tale” subgenre is one that isn’t as often seen in speculative fiction, but that’s what I’d classify this story as — not a retelling of an old story, but a genuinely new folk tale. It’s a sweet little story, perfect for summer time.
(First published in Fantasy Magazine December 2022).
Review of Anna Dallara, “The Sibyl,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 22-24 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This, opened with a quote from the Aeneid to put the reader into an appropriate state of mind, was a lovely story of the limits of foretelling. There was a breath of love and a whisper of hope and an eternity of sadness, all packed into a neat, efficient little package.
Review of Sarah Jackson, “In the Path of the Giantess,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 19-21 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
So little happened in this story that it felt like the encounter between the narrator and the giantess was a metaphor for something — but what, I’m not really sure.
Review of Carol Scheina, “Give a Smile at Ye Olde Photographie Shoppe,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 8-11 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Mal runs a photography shop, offering services no other shop does — a chance to get your photograph taken with a dragon! A real dragon — who happens to be Mal himself. He longs for a chance to be a real photographer and not just a gimmick, and this story offers him the chance to be so.
I loved the ending, which was sweet and happy, but something about the story also made me terribly sad, as it made me think of this story from a few months ago.
Humanity can be really awful sometimes. That’s why we need happy, sweet stories.
Review of Dorianne Emmerton, “Thistle and Spice,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 249-268 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Fatphobia, misogyny, domestic abuse.
In an attempt to escape an increasingly loveless marriage, Darlene ends up going to Wednesday night witchcraft classes, and I, as the reader, end up really, really hating her husband. Bring on the spells so that he gets his comeuppance!
Review of Wendy Nikel, “The Cierin-Croin,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 237-246 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Prefatory note: The title of the story in the journal is given as I’ve spelled it here; however, in the story itself, the term is spelled “Cirein-cr&oagrave;in”; I’m not sure which is correct.
I’m not sure what to make of the story itself: It’s pretty simple and straightforward: Ailsa and Hendry’s grandfather warns them against seeking the Cirein-cròin; Hendry doesn’t listen; bad things ensue. When a story has everything laid out bare in the way this one does, no layers, no moral, no twist, it leaves me quite perplexed.
Review of Anna Madden, “Grown From an Alder Wolf’s Skull,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 175-187 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This rather fairy-tale like story comes with a rather fairy-tale like moral: Magic spells never do what you intend them to do, and some things must be accepted, not fought off.
Nothing earth-shattering: But not every story must change the world.
Review of Shikhandin, “Sue Dhingra’s Cat,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 159-173 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The line between “literature-influenced-by-folk-tales-and-myth” and “straight-up-fantasy” is quite blurred in this story, set in India and steeped with, to me, unfamiliar cultural references. The characters were sharply drawn and given that there was a cat involved, I was hooked from the start. The ending turned out a bit unexpectedly, for me; this was partly because I think I miscategorized the relationship between Sue and Radha during the early part of the story, due to my lack of knowledge of the various forms of address and titles being used. But it was still a fun story with a happy ending.
Review of Hesper Leveret, “Victory and Vanilla,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 107-125 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Ever wanted a combination of Great British Bake-Off and speculative fiction? If so, this is the story for you! It was clearly written by someone intimately familiar with British cooking competition shows (there was even a mention of a buttery biscuit base…), i.e., an author after my own heart.
Sometimes, all you want a story that’s just good fun. That’s exactly what this was.
Review of Emmie Christie, “To the Moon and Back,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 85-95 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
On the anniversary of her sister Candy’s transformation into a cloud to swim in the Sky-Sea, Niska sets off to find out what, eventually, happened to her. Is Candy still alive? Will Niska find her? Set against an elegant and unusual metaphysics, this story centers the bond of sisterhood and the lengths one will go for love. The ending may not have happened the way Niska imagined, but it definitely wasn’t a sad ending.
SFF Reviews