Review of Emma Schmid, “Light Keepers,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 80-106 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I really enjoyed this lovely little story about lighthouses and stories, a gentle, peaceful read. It reminded me in essence of Natasha Pullman’s The Kingdoms, which was my book of the year the year I read it, so that’s an extremely high compliment.
Review of Fija Callaghan, “Real People,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 70-78 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Before the story starts there is a note about the author’s inspiration, a note which definitely made me nervous about what would be coming. But, I shouldn’t have been: This story took the best part of its inspiration, rather than the worst parts, and turned it into something new and magical. It’s a story about the things we love as children and what comes after we’ve grown up. It made me think of my own baby girl doll, Catherine, who when she was inherited by my daughter remained Catherine but somehow ended up a he instead, and wonder who she might be if she’s inherited by a grandchild.
Review of Diana Deverell, “Clean and Godly in Denmark,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 184-200 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I picked this story to start the issue with because it has just the best title — full of humor and giving nothing at all about the story away. I don’t want to spoil the fun for the reader of discovering for themself what kind of a story it is, which makes reviewing it difficult! I’ll only say that the relationship portrayed in it is beautiful, and the story itself was both fun and sobering to read.
(First published in Fiction River – Hard Choices, 2018).
Review of Christina Raia, “Little Whispers,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 229-248 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I am unsure what to make of this story. Ava, the main character, is 12, but often felt quite a bit younger than that in her actions, reactions, and internal thoughts. At times it seemed like this was trying to be a horror story; at other times, it felt more like it was trying to subvert the usual horror tropes. The pacing was quite slow, and I ended up feeling like I was often waiting to find out what was going to happen. The unexpected turn at the end was sudden enough to be a bit nauseating. So all in all, I’m left rather uncertain.
Review of Rebecca McKee, “Overlap,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 187-207 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was eerie in its hints of apocalypse; the feeling I got while reading it reminded me, sometimes uncomfortably, of what life during lockdown was like. Perhaps it was the uncertainty about how it all would end, which lasted right up until the final, harrowing end.
Review of Shannon Scott, “Baba Yaga’s Portrait,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 125-141 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Aleksandra is the only girl student at Palekh Art School, a position which means she feels awkward and out of place no matter what she does or where she goes. When she stumbles upon Baba Yaga’s house in the countryside and begins drawing, she thinks maybe her art can finally be her passport to a place of stability and peace — until she is discovered by Baba Yaga!
Those who collect Baba Yaga stories will enjoy adding this one to their collection.
Review of Alyssa Beatty, “Call of the Void,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 55-70 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
There are so many ways to play with ideas in the intersection of time-travel and determinism, but Beatty’s take felt fresh and new to me.
Review of Jordan Taylor, “What Remains to Wake,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 209-226 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was an intriguing story, fully fairy-tale it its tropes and elements, but with a twist of bloody horror — simultaneously properly Grimm while also being wholly new. In the realm of fairy-tale retellings, telling something entirely knew which is still yet a fairy tale is an accomplishment!
Review of Chezza Lee, “The Mid-Autumn Festival,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 73-87 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
“Immortality was boring,” this story opens up — a sentiment I can wholly get on board with (I’d rather die tomorrow than live forever), so from the start I’m predisposed to like what’s to come. With strong wuxia/xianxia influences clearly palpable, there was a lot to like in this short, compact story of a mortal who became immortal and then…tired of it. Sometimes, the simple pleasures of mortality are worth more than any amount of immortal bliss.
Review of Catherine George, “The Crow Bridge,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 167-185 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
What a stunningly lovely story this one: Delicately told and strongly constructed, full of myth and loss and struggle. I really loved it.
Also, kudos to George, who, according to her biography, took 10 years out from writing fiction, and came back to it. I did that too, and yet I still find support in hearing of other people doing the same. It helps, when facing writer’s block, to see examples of how it’s not forever, even if 10 years may seem like forever.
SFF Reviews