REVIEW: “Talisman and Bone” by Karen L. Kobylarz

Review of Karen L. Kobylarz, “Talisman and Bone,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 157-183 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Set in ancient Tyre, this story was peppered with all the little historical details that I love to see when an author is recreating the essence of an ancient culture — appropriate names, the use of a few foreign vocabulary words and phrases for important items like precious gems and spells, attention to clothing, the gods. But it’s not a simple historical fiction; the twist towards fantasy is strong and vibrant, yet the blending in of magic isn’t jarring or unrealistic. All the pieces fit together well.

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REVIEW: “We Are Island” by Atalanti Evripidou

Review of Atalanti Evripidou, “We Are Island,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 127-145 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

I love it when I read a story where one character’s love for another is so palpable, so shining, that you see it from the very first page and you get swooped up in it. This is one of those stories. Elias’s love for Ren is dazzling, and so is Ren’s for Elias.

And yet, as brightly as is shines, it doesn’t eclipse the background world that Evripidou has deftly constructed through the introduction of one simple change: It’s a world very much like ours except that there are chips available which when implanted allow people access to their familial memories. Evripidou works out the consequences of this one idea in ways that enhance her characters. It’s such a deftly-balanced story; I was super impressed. (And I desperately would love to see it turned into an 8- or 12-episode TV series, if one can do that with such a short story!)

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REVIEW: “Dragon Dance” by Elizabeth Davis

Review of Elizabeth Davis, “Dragon Dance,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 203-214 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Lily is the first woman to be a part of the dragon dance, the elaborate traditional celebration that links her (presumably immigrant/diaspora) community with their home culture. There is quite a lot of description going on in the opening pages, which contributed to the slow, drawn-out feel of the story, and also contributes to me not being quite sure what to say about it. I felt like I didn’t have quite the context that I needed to understand the significance of various points: The parts that were significant I only knew were so because as the reader I was told explicitly. All in all, this one didn’t quite work for me, but I’m not entirely sure why.

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REVIEW: “Run Time” by Gemma Church

Review of Gemma Church, “Run Time,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 223-269 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Miscarriage; domestic abuse.

The pagination may make this story seem like on the long side for LSQ, but in fact it’s quite a short story, just elaborately formatted, typeset as a back-and-forth text-based conversation — no scene-setting, no description, just dialogue, so that it is in fact quite a quick read. Moreover, the quick pace of it means that there is very little advance warning for when things suddenly turn dark and more than a little bit ugly. There’s a viciousness to one of the characters being discussed that makes the ending so very much more satisfying, when that awful abuser gets his come-uppance.

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REVIEW: “From a Damsel to a Dragon” by Hannah Birss

Review of Hannah Birss, “From a Damsel to a Dragon,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 217-220 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was quite a straightforward story: A princess, betrothed to a prince in an arranged marriage that neither of them wants, undergoes transformation from a damsel to the titular dragon. There’s no explanation or understanding of why/how this happens, it is just presented to the reader as a straightforward thing. There’s little left to the reader to grapple with, nothing really to figure out, no deeper moral or allegory. It’s just a story of a girl who doesn’t want to marry a prince, and becomes a dragon instead. Still, it was a fun little piece, even if it’s not very deep.

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REVIEW: “The House Guest” by Archita Mittra

Review of Archita Mittra, “The House Guest,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 147-155 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

There’s something really sweet and gentle about this story, about a woman and her daughter and the abusive husband who finally left to never come back — and the houseguest that her daughter brings home, who brightens up their world even though he is only temporary.

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REVIEW: “The Grand Finale” by Elly McFadden

Review of Elly McFadden, “The Grand Finale,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 109-124 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Death. Lots of dead family members. And guns. And suicidal plans.

The basic premise of this story is simple, and true: When the apocalypse comes, not everyone can afford to escape it. McFadden’s narrator knows that she is one of those, and so decides to take matters into her own hands, to meet the apocalypse on her own terms. What unfolds is surprisingly lovely, and hopeful, even considering how it ends.

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REVIEW: “One, Sorrow, Two, Joy” by Sarah Magaharan

Review of Sarah Magaharan, “One, Sorrow, Two, Joy,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 37-54 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was a weird, somewhat dreamy, slightly gruesome story, the dreaminess enhanced by the way it felt like a disjointed collection of incidents without any proper narrative thread. (This definitely felt intentional, not accidental!)

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REVIEW: “Mothering Lessons” by Asa West

Review of Asa West, “Mothering Lessons,” Luna Station Quarterly 60 (2024): 15-34 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Parental illness.

The background worldbuilding of this story is complex enough that it took me a bit of work to keep track of who was who, but the premise of it made the work more than worth it. Mostly sweet, often incredibly sad, and sometimes wretched, this was a wonderful story about learning how to be a mother — but also about sisterhood, and how complicated it can be, at any stage of life. Make sure you have tissues on hand while reading it. I haven’t cried so hard over something I’ve read for SFFReviews in years.

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