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 Jennifer Hudak, “The Weight of It All,” Fantasy Magazine 83 (September 2022): 10-18 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Disordered eating.
Maybe this is a ghost story; I don’t know. Maybe it’s a story about someone who only wants to be other than they are — I don’t know that either. But there was something peculiarly longing in this story that caught hold of me right in the initial lines, and kept me wanting more.
[And considering that I’d left this story towards the end of the issue to read and review because of its length, getting close on to 5k when I’ve been struggling, struggling to read fiction lately, this really is a testament to the power and quality of this story.]
This story is an absolute triumph.
Review of Jennifer Hudak, “Little Fish, Big Fish,” Flash Fiction Online (August 2023): 15-18 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
“The daughters go; the mothers bring them back”: This fist-in-the-gut line encapsulates the essence of this story, about intergenerational trauma and one generation learning to trust the next generation coming to make their own choices, known their own minds. It’s a powerful story of a visceral circle of hate and need.
Review of Jennifer Hudak, “A Gardener Teaches His Son to Enrich the Soil and Plan for the Future,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 20 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Every avid gardener is familiar with the scourge that are caterpillars and slugs; but the titular gardener here teaches his son not only how to deal a far greater pest: zombies! The advice is equal parts gross and heartwarming, and makes for a sweet little story.
(First published in Triangulation: Habitats, 2021.)
SFF Reviews