REVIEW: “TheraBot” by Hannah Frankel

Review of Hannah Frankel, “TheraBot”, Luna Station Quarterly 42 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Velma’s got a new task at work — to program her replacement, a TheraBot called JoyCE. Why have people administer therapy when a robot can be trained to do the same? Angie works in customer support at the same company, and she’s one of the first to receive therapy from JoyCE.

The story alternates between the two women, and collects together all sorts of present-day anxieties about the future of employment — how AIs will integrate into the job market, the damage caused by anti-absenteeism culture, the rise of workplace-caused depression and anxiety, the panacea of “wellness” — there’s something in it for everyone to identify with! Sometimes it hits a bit too close to home for comfort. 🙂 But rather than accept these things as merely inevitable, Velma and her partner Todd make a decision to pro-actively embrace the future, turning JoyCE to their own purposes, and affecting the course of Angie’s life. I really enjoyed the optimistic turn the story took at the end.

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REVIEW: “Sweet Little Lies” by Lindsey Duncan

Review of Lindsey Duncan, “Sweet Little Lies”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

I really loved this story, one of the best in the issue. It was set in a richly, wildly full world (the opening scenes and characters felt like they could easily support a complete novel), and it was full of beautiful language and parts that made me laugh. This is exactly the sort of fantasy I want to read, and I look forward to reading more by Lindsey Duncan!

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REVIEW: “A Life in Six Feathers” by Kathryn Yelinek

Review of Kathryn Yelinek, “A Life in Six Feathers”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Oh, I loved this story. It combined intriguing and realistic science with a depth of character and a sweet thread of love and romance, and hope — so much hope. Beautifully constructed, a real joy to read. If you are looking for a “cosy SF” story, this is one for you.

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REVIEW: “Mouse, Crow, Cockroach, Valkyrie” by Tiffany Meuret

Review of Tiffany Meuret, “Mouse, Crow, Cockroach, Valkyrie”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This is the story of an invasive plant species that kills almost everything it comes in contact with, experienced through the titular characters — a mouse, a crow, and cockroachs.

While I liked the rotating points of views, overall I’m not sure how successful this story was. One the one hand, the experiences of the mouse, the crow, and the cockroach felt too human, too complex, to be believably animal. On the other hand, their experiences and impressions of the “plants” were not enough for me to really understand what they were (were they really plants, or some type of machine?). In the end, the arrival of the valkyries felt strangely out of place.

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REVIEW: “The Anatomy of Spines” by Nicole Crucial

Review of Nicole Crucial, “The Anatomy of Spines”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was a powerful, emotive story of a difficult love. Rosco and Lorelei have had, since childhood, to balance their feelings for each other with the pulls and expectations of the world they live in. When Rosco refuses to do what is required of the heir of his family, Lorelei takes matters into her own hands, in a move that will test the strength of their bond.

It took me awhile to get to know Lorelei and Rosco, but it was worth the effort.

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REVIEW: “On the Cusp of Darkness” by C. L. Holland

Review of C. L. Holland, “On the Cusp of Darkness”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

I’m not sure if this hopeful, affirming coming of age story is a vampire story or not; part of me hopes it is, because I find vampire stories in general so overdone and so ordinary, but this one was unusual and different.

(Originally published in Cucurbital 2, 2012).

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REVIEW: “Stealing Through the Stars” by Jenny Wong and Sylvia Santiago

Review of Jenny Wong and Sylvia Santiago, “Stealing Through the Stars”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Cats in space are always a winning combination, and I was much taken by the stowaway kitty on the Veronica Speedwell in this story. The initial set up and characters were intriguing, particularly delivery-girl Nova Dufau and her friend the poet Bis Onalaion. But about a third of the way through, there is an abrupt shift of both scene and character, and another third of the way through an abrupt shift back, and I came away from the entire story feeling somewhat uncertain as to what had happened.

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REVIEW: “Cloth Mother” by Sarah Pauling

Review of Sarah Pauling, “Cloth Mother”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Wow, what a story. It started off so simply: the young girl Mazie asks Vita, her caretaker, for a turtle. A small and simple request.

When it started off, I sort of hated the cloth mother and the way she lived in an uncanny valley. By the end of the story, the cloth mother made me cry. This was a powerful, compelling story.

(First published in Strange Horizons 2015).

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REVIEW: “Black Crocodile” by Rachel Delaney Craft

Review of Rachel Delaney Craft, “Black Crocodile”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content warning: Drought and starvation.

Kanokwan’s story starts in drought, in a world where many things are dying and everything else is struggling for food. When a young buffalo gives birth, unexpectedly, and the rains come, the calf is taken as an omen, especially as the weaker the calf grows, the more it rains. But Kanokwan rebels against living a life dictated by omens, a life heavy with “the weight of being born only to die”. The story is a strange blend of fantasy, religion, and re-incarnation, full of sadness, hopelessness, and despondency. It was really interesting, and unexpected, one I’m likely to remember and reflect on in months to come.

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REVIEW: “Star Bound” by Devon Widmer

Review of Devon Widmer, “Star Bound”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was a cozy little lesbian SF story, full of sweet romance. Terra may build and maintain spaceships, her wife Dr. Vivian Huang may be a leading expert in astroherpetology, but in this story, they are just two women living their lives, and looking forward to the birth of their daughter. So often I hear pleas for “more stories of people just living out their lives” — well, this one fills that niche exactly. In addition, I appreciated Terra’s ambivalence towards become a mom. Not every mom needs to be amazing. Sometimes being good enough is good enough.

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