REVIEW: “Hollow” by Melissa DeHaan

Review of Melissa DeHaan, “Hollow”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publications, 2020): 69-78 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Ursa enters the lair of the long-dead Archmage Rassa, rumored to be guarded by a Hollow more advanced than the Hollows that usually guard other left-behind mage treasure troves, hoping to find the treasure that Rassa left behind. Whom she meets instead is Galatea, who is unlike anyone or anything she has ever met before — and who is there to find the Hollow guardian. Together, they join forces to find out just what, exactly, lies within.

In the way of all good satisfying adventure stories, both find what they are looking for, but not necessarily in the way the expect. Another good example of the type of story this anthology was aiming for.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “The Dragon Peddler” by Maria Cook

Review of Maria Cook, “The Dragon Peddler”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publications, 2020): 55-64 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Content note: drug addiction.

11 year old David has stolen his parents’ money and is off the find the dragon peddler, to finally buy a dragon of his own! Because the people who owned dragons, he saw, were always “the happiest people in the world” (p. 55). But the dragon peddler’s words are final: he needs to earn his dragon fair and square, not buy it with stolen money.

This was a great story, which made me cry (but in a good way!). Now I want a dragon that will sleep curled around my neck and blow smoke into my ear.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “Salt Tears and Sweet Honey” by Aimee Ogden

Review of Aimee Ogden, “Salt Tears and Sweet Honey”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 47-50 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

This story perfectly encapsulates the goal of the anthology: It is one quiet afternoon in the lives of Netria and Kellis, an old couple whose love has become familiar and comforting, and the family they have formed from children they’ve adopted. Every moment is calm and happy and warm. It’s not that their life is perfect or unblemished by worry or care; but rather that everyone knows death and illness are just as much a part of life as birth and health. It’s nice to be reminded that sometimes, everything happens in its proper order.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “Ink Stains” by Tamoha Sengupta

Review of Tamoha Sengupta, “Ink Stains”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 44-46 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

This is a beautiful little story about writing and the fear of writing — the fear of “that [the words] would never create the impact that the original words would have had, the words they would have been if they hadn’t become stains” (p. 45). Every reader will cheer when Ajay overcomes his fear and sets free the words trapped in his pen.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “The Baker’s Cat” by Elizabeth Hart Bergstrom

Review of Elizabeth Hart Bergstrom, “The Baker’s Cat”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 1-11 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Karina’s mother seemed to know the knack of making every type of cookie and bun and cake, but none of that skill passed on to Karina herself. Her loaves were flat, her cookies were hard, she burnt everything — eventually Karina decided she must be cursed. And not only when it came to baking, but in every aspect of her life! Until one night when Karina wishes upon a star, and a cat turns up on her doorstep, and everything changes, in proper fairy tale fashion.

Cakes and cats? A match made in heaven. Reading this made me hungry! So many delicious descriptions of baked goods.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: “An Inconvenient Quest” by Rebecca Gomez Farrell

Review of Rebecca Gomez Farrell, “An Inconvenient Quest”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 12-16 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)

Levolin has been shunned by his fellow sprites since maturation, but has an opportunity to go on an unexpected quest in search of a cure for the queen, who has fallen ill. I wouldn’t necessarily say this counts as a low-stakes story, as saving the queen is pretty important! But there was never any sense that he would fail in his quest, so on that count it was a comforting piece to read.

I was somewhat confused as to whether the sprites were a type of jellyfish or not, and had to reread the first page or two twice until I realised that, no, they aren’t, and furthermore they are not even aquatic creatures. But this is a minor point.

Sara L. Uckelman1 Comment

REVIEW: A Quiet Afternoon edited by Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold

Review of Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020) — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

When I was offered a review copy of this anthology, it was described to me as a collection of “gentle SFF stories with satisfying endings, for readers who wanted something cozy and non-stressful” — that is, perfect for reading in the midst of a global pandemic, when sometimes all you want to do is escape from everything and read something happy and satisfying and low-stakes and so completely separated from the current dystopia we live in.

Does that describe you? Then this is totally the anthology for you! I read the stories while Covid-19 deaths were rising at an alarming rate in my adopted homeland, while facing down the reality of a new lockdown, in the aftermath of an attempted coup in the country of my birth. Every single one was a moment of peace and calm: The anthology delivered exactly what it said it would. I can’t wait to read volume 2, though I hope that 2021 will — eventually — be a year that doesn’t need it as much as 2020 needed volume 1.

As is usual, we review each story individually, linking back here when the reviews are published:

Sara L. Uckelman13 Comments

REVIEW: “Halfway Up and Halfway Down and Nowhere At All” by Juliet Kemp

Review of Juliet Kemp, “Halfway Up and Halfway Down and Nowhere At All”, Luna Station Quarterly 25 (2016): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: death.

This story explored a darker side of magic and magic use, drawing analogies with drugs and drug use. Mali doesn’t approve of Nick’s getting mixed up with that sort of stuff — but when he turns up dead on her doorstep, she’s not going to let her friend’s death go unavenged. Of course, nothing is ever as easy as that, and the more Mali protests against the use of magic, the more inevitable her own use of it is. This was a pretty dark story, all in all.

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