Review of Thoraiya Dyer, “You Are Invited to Our SPRING CELEBRATION”, Clarkesworld Issue 234, March (2026): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A story that’s beautifully wild and familiar at the same time.
One of those stories where you know the worldbuilding has been done so thoughtfully, yet the plot itself was not ignored in service of it.
I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice and personality; in my opinion it was the cherry on top that made the story what it is.
Such a pleasure to read.
Review of Jane Campbell, “Private Cabin, Ocean View,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 55-76 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Infertility.
Stories often give off certain signs, usually signalling their genre, early on. Campbell’s story is long enough that she keeps her cards quite close to her chest for quite a while (comparatively, for a short story) — my first guess was that this was going to be a ghost story, then it took a turn that felt like it was heading towards horror. It took a further turn some time after that, while keeping the earlier elements, all woven together. It was intriguing and unsettling!
Review of K.M. Reed, “Heart’s Desire,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 161-182 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Infanticide
This was a story of pacts and bargains and exchanges, — and of the difficulty of being a governess to dead children. It had a nice gothic feel to it, but overall it didn’t really catch my interest.
Review of Tiffany Tang, “The Sleeper in the Crypt,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 213-238 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There was something wretchedly beautiful about this story.
Review of Emmie Christie, “The Disparity of Confidence,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 155-159 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Sometimes experiences give people confidence; sometimes it stifles them. Robin has the ability to see the disparity between the two for each person — and also knows what to do to fix it. This was a short, sweet, beautifully empowering story!
Review of Sadie Leewood, “Dance It Trippingly,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 271-280 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Drug use.
For the right audience, this could be a fun story. For me, though, it was a drug-dealing/drug-use story — whether it’s fae drugs or human drugs, I’m not seeing much of a difference.
Review of J. Nathan, “Brighton,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 241-245 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Who doesn’t love a story about enchanted books? Nathan’s tiny little gem delivers a beautiful dollop of happiness.
Review of Amantia Menalla, “Laisha,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 79-100 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a fascinating, haunting, beautiful story — full of rich, complex characters and threads that I wasn’t entirely sure how they all woven together until the denouement came. The story was on the longer side, yet I never got bored and it never dragged, if anything, it became increasingly more interesting the longer I read. I’d love to read a novella or even a novel by Menalla, if she can replicate this kind of taut story-telling!
Review of Pauline Barmby, “Warp and Weft Rising,” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 265-268 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Barmby manages quite a lot in a very short amount of space. Imprisonment, magic, vengeance, escape, all neatly encapsulated in a well-craft story with not a word too many or missing.
Review of Allison Mulder, “Are We There Yet?” Luna Station Quarterly 65 (January 2026): 205-210 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
In our fast-paced, modern society, there is always too much work and not enough people to do it, meaning corners get cut, in every occupation and industry — including the grim reaping industry, where it’s easy to not notice a left-behind soul.
At first I thought this ghost story was going to be sweet and sad, but in the end I actually found it funny, in a sort of ironic way — but definitely very sweet!
SFF Reviews