Review of Kit Harding, “Options,” Cossmass Infinities 7 (2022): 8-15 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Unnecessary death of children.
Oh, this was a heart-wrenching and beautiful story! Of faithless gods who sacrifice children, of righteous vengeance, and heartbreak, and of the small grain of hope that springs from a chance at reconciliation.
Review of Kit Harding, “Love Letters” Cossmass Infinities 9 (2022): 13-19 — Read or purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Reference to suicide.
Harding’s funny, moving story takes on the question: How, exactly, do you navigate a long-distance relationship when the two parties live on different planets?
In the case of Sam and Amelia, the answer is: Not very well, as we get to see through a series of letters Amelia sends Sam, exploring the relationships between each other, and between each of them and their home. I am definitely on Amelia’s side, in this, and it’s not just because we only get to hear her side.
Review of Kit Harding, “Gentle Ways to Kill a Dragon”, Luna Station Quarterly 47 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
One of the reasons why I like reading modern SFF is the way it interrogates the sexist and patriarchal structures that are embedded in so much of the fiction I grew up on. You read enough of it, and you tend to think the way they depict their worlds are is the only way the world can be. But what’s brilliant about stories like Harding’s is the way they don’t just subvert problematic tropes, but also point out that the tropes are problematic. It’s empowering to read Ella explicitly go through the thought process from “I should be complimented that the dragon hunter thinks I’m pretty enough to be his ‘reward'” all the way to “fuck that, Imma kill that dragon myself”. Want a great story that teaches the importance of consent? This is it.
SFF Reviews