Review of JL George, “Bluebell Song”, Luna Station Quarterly 47 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Death.
To listen to the song of the bluebells “was to succumb to a slow madness,” but this doesn’t prevent Old Woman Achan from going out every morning to listen to them, trying to escape an even worse fate. In the end, it almost feels like she’s taken the coward’s way out, and for that reason I found the story emotionally unsatisfactory.
Review of Nikoline Kaiser, “A Moral Majority”, Luna Station Quarterly 46 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a very different sort of love story than the one in “Forestborn” (read the review), but every bit as lovely, and the way it was underpinned by the collective will, of the entire town of Goldville, to do the right thing in support of Angela and Marigold in their time of need was something quite special. If Kaiser weaves this strength of moral virtue into the rest of her writing, then I want to read more of it.
Review of Anonymous, “Forestborn”, Luna Station Quarterly 46 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was such a soft, sad story of how love is never equal and never static and even if one person promises never to ask the other to change, change is always inevitable.
Review of Devon Widmer, “Stones and Bones”, Luna Station Quarterly 46 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The other day I saw someone asking for recommendations for SFF with humor; if only I had read this story then, I could’ve recommended it, because it is laced with delightful comedy! And that’s in addition to the queer romance that blossoms into a ghost-exorcism business. All in all, this was a good fun read.
The only drawback — unusual for LSQ — was how the typesetting marred the story; about two-thirds of the way in, all of a sudden most of the capital letters were lost. No fault of the author, but it was still unfortunately distracting.
Review of Alice Paige, “The Mirror”, Luna Station Quarterly 46 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The titular mirror is located inside the Black Box, part of a long-running particle physics experiment run by Dr. Fredric Vasquez. Viv has been working for Dr. Vasquez for a few years, mostly doing data analysis, but now it’s her chance to do something more — to be the thirteenth person to enter the Black Box. Viv is in the box because she believes that there is magic inherent in the study of the universe, and she wants to contribute to that study in the most personal of ways: Her girlfriend Anna is missing, and this might be the only way to find out what happened to her.
This was a good solid story; while the basic tropes involved were familiar, the details of the execution were distinctive.
Review of Laurel Beckley, “Love and War Aboard the Peregrine Zircon”, Luna Station Quarterly 46 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a lovely sweet wlw romance with the added bonus of more than one nonbinary character. With the addition of a dash of political intrigue and heartbreak, you’ve got a winner of a story here.
Review of B. Zelkovich, “That Which Illuminates Heaven”, Luna Station Quarterly 46 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Are you looking for a very sweet, very cute queer romance set in space with a determined matchmaker AI? Then, oh, my goodness, is this the story for you! It was an utter delight from the first to the last, with just the right ending.
Review of Sameem Siddiqui, “Dancing with Ereshkigal”, Clarkesworld Issue 176, May (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A poignant story that goes all over our solar system and spans goddesses, non-binary characters, low-gravity art forms, and dance. Our protagonist narrates the story as if they are speaking to Pyn, their spouse. The narrator has created, or rather been swept into, a different sort of life since they met Pyn. As we learn more about them, both individually as well as as a couple, we see things are different from what the narrator had initially believed. A moment of clarity reshapes much, so that the dance of the goddess makes more sense.
A lovely story, and I don’t say this just because I already have a weakness for goddesses in fiction.
Review of Hayli McClain, “Heaven-Bound”, Luna Station Quarterly 45 (2021): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
College student Ann — disowned by her family, with no friends or connections, no one to miss her — goes off into the woods one night, intending to disappearing. Instead, she meets Percy, who is trying to pull down the moon, and all in the name of true love.
This was an absolutely adorable and delightful love story and I really enjoyed it!
Review of Rocky Breen, “Skyboss”, Luna Station Quarterly 44 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Camille has dreamed of going to the stars ever since third grade, and while a chance to cover the Strato Circus’s show in honor of the comet Stephan-Oterma isn’t quite the same thing, it’s still closer than anything else she’s achieved — but the assignment isn’t without its dangers, or its costs.
For being set in the future, there was a delightfully steam-punk feel to this story. It was also exceptionally realistic; every step of Camille’s journey into the stratosphere felt believable and relatable. This was a seriously gripping story which I really enjoyed.
SFF Reviews