REVIEW: “Daemonium Ex” by Hannah Hulbert

Review of Hannah Hulbert, “Daemonium Ex,” Luna Station Quarterly 50 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Everelda, demon hunter, is on a mission from Lord Fortescue. Lord Fortescue hasn’t told her, however, which demon to expect to find in the lair at the end of the sewer tunnel; and she probably would have refused the commission had she known.

Full of florid writing and purple prose (so full it’s even rubbed off on me!), this story felt in the beginning like it was trying to be Gothic without quite succeeding. But when it finally left off its self-conscious officiousness and started poking fun at itself, I began to enjoy it a lot.

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REVIEW: “State vs. Hades” by Altaire Gural

Review of Altaire Gural, “State vs. Hades,” Luna Station Quarterly 50 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Best title in the issue, so of course this is the story I started with! And the story totally lived up to it: A myth of a love story all wrapped up in notes from a proper Greek legal trial, with Demosthenes arguing for the prosecution and Aeschines for the defense (and a witness list that includes a therapist!). Maybe I’m just a sucker for Persephone/Hades tales, but I really enjoyed this, and the way it gave us a unique insight into Persephone’s motivations and her relationship with her mother. A gold star tale!

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REVIEW: “Amphitrite” by Maureen Bowden

Review of Maureen Bowden, “Amphitrite,” Luna Station Quarterly 20 (2014): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Amphitrite, the sea embodied, decides she wants to be a human, at least for a little while. Jealous Poseidon makes it clear that if she reincarnates, she’d better stay away from him or he will steal her back. But Amphitrite can’t avoid the sea forever.

This was a sweet little story, a quick and easy read.

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REVIEW: “The Nymph” by JC Hoskins

Review of JC Hoskins, “The Nymph,” Luna Station Quarterly 20 (2014): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

I dove into this story with a good deal of trepidation, because second-person, present-tense narration without any purpose always puts me off. So I was greatly, greatly relieved to find out it wasn’t purposeless, and in fact Hoskins uses the different voices to great effect.

A good story for anyone who loves books!

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REVIEW: “The Girl Who Can’t Say No” by Stephanie A. Craig

Review of Stephanie A. Craig, “The Girl Who Can’t Say No,” Luna Station Quarterly 20 (2014): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

If you, like me, read the title and thought “horror story”, you would not be wrong. What you might not have counted on (as I did not) was that this story would be straight of genie-in-the-bottle fairy tale, except set in space. A fun clash of genres and tropes!

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REVIEW: “What Happened at the Pond” by Christine Boulos

Review of Christine Boulos, “What Happened at the Pond,” Luna Station Quarterly 20 (2014): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Sexual assault.

What happened at the pond has happened more than once. This is the tale of two different happenings, two women who disappeared leaving nothing behind but their clothing and silver sparks in the depths of the pond. Part fairy tale, part murder mystery, I enjoyed this powerful story a heck of a lot.

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REVIEW: “Hafter: A Fairy Tale” by Lyndsie Manusos

Review of Lyndsie Manusos, “Hafter: A Fairy Tale,” Luna Station Quarterly 20 (2014): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

When someone says their story is a fairy tale, that sets up certain expectations — about the type of character you’ll encounter, the style of writing, the general trend of the plot. If those expectations are not met, it had better be for good reason. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that that was always the case here. Probably I could have enjoyed this story more if I hadn’t been told that it was supposed to be a fairy tale.

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