Review of Aimee Ogden, “Still No God of Mine,” Cossmass Infinities 8 (2022): 76-84 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Set in a richly varied and detailed world, this story mixed humor and pathos in equal measures. It is, at heart, a story of being an immigrant, of always being an outsider, and as an immigrant myself, I found it resonated a lot.
Review of JL George, “The Last Good Day,” Cossmass Infinities 7 (2022): 94-103 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This is the story of a slow, vague apocalypse. Grocery deliveries disappearing. Dust everywhere. One more day, and another day after that, with a partner who cannot bear to be with you. It’s hard, heavy reading; not particularly fun, but nevertheless rewarding. One gets the feeling that the author exorcised a lot of Covid-pandemic demons in the writing of the story, even if it is not a pandemic story, strictly speaking. There’s a lot to relate to in this.
Review of Shari Paul, “Between Zero and One There is Infinity”, Clarkesworld Issue 182, November (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A high stakes story that pulls you into it right from the beginning. There’s habitation on Mars, humans coexisting with (and also fighting with) alien invaders, people being uploaded to computers, and space pirates!
So many elements in this novelette, and all of them paced super well in a tight plot. The characters are fleshed out so well, even the minor ones. A very engaging read, and you’ll definitely love it if any of these settings/character types appeal to you. To be frank, you’d enjoy it even otherwise!
Review of Megha Nayar, “Mystic Mama,” Luna Station Quarterly 51 (2022): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Premature birth, homophobia.
This was less of a story and more of a series of episodes; but I enjoyed reading it for the detailed Indian world in the background, and for its happy ending.
Review of Joyce Chng, “The Birth of a Child,” Luna Station Quarterly 19 (2014): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
What a beautiful pearl of a story, with so many wonderful threads. For one, it captures beautifully all the ambivalence that can surround childbirth, how it can be a combination of the most beautiful thing ever and the most cold, sterile, and heartless thing, too. For another, it mixes traditional fairy tale and romance tropes with modern concerns of immigration, alienation, foreigness, and cultural appropriation, creating a perfect blend of fantasy and Vietnamese culture. I really loved this, absolutely stellar.
Review of Gabrielle Lissauer, “Ceilidh McCallum Versus the Super Evil Fairy Lady,” Luna Station Quarterly 19 (2014): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
If you, like me, read the title and wondered if it telegraphed something about the central characters of the story: The answer is yes, this is told from the point of view of a young girl, probably 5 or 6. Or rather, it’s told (partially) in what an adult thinks the point of view of a child of around that age would be; and I confess that I do not think it was done very successfully or accurately. This might be the story for some of you; it was not the story for me.
(There also appears to be a continuity error: When Ceilidh sets off on her quest, the kitten Trouble is left behind in the ruins of her battlefield; but half-way through her quest, Ceilidh is clutching Trouble close. Since Trouble plays a crucial role in Ceilidh’s defeat of the Super Evil Fairy Lady, this is a problematic oversight.)
Review of Risa Wolf, “The Long Way Home” Cossmass Infinities 9 (2022): 115-122 — Read or purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Oh, this was a heartbreaker! I could feel it from the very opening scene, when we meet Kari and Sonora (and their new puppy!) and find out just how much they love each other — and also that something is not right. The dramatic tension as we find out what that something is, over the course of the story, is perfectly pitched and left me shattered at the ending.
Review of Mere Rain, “Seraph in Ruins” Cossmass Infinities 9 (2022): 98-109 — Read or purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Seraph is a monster, and a loaner; whatever the vampires are hunting isn’t her problem. It’s only boredom, boredom that sees her rescue the woman and ensure she makes her way safely out of the zone that has “more monsters than spare parts” (p. 100). Of course, that’s what Seraph tells herself: we, the reader, know it is far more than that.
There’s nothing more enjoyable than smugly watching two characters convince themselves they are not falling for each other until they give up. This story provides all that enjoyment and more, that I read with a smile that just kept getting bigger and bigger.
Review of Eric Fomley and Rich Larson, “Through”, Clarkesworld Issue 181, October (2021): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Fast paced and full of twists, this was a one-sitting read. I don’t always read short stories in one sitting, despite their size and the possibility of doing so. But this one made me ignore everything else because I just had to find out what exactly was going on.
From the very beginning, there is intrigue and a build up of expectation. The authors very cleverly reveal a little at a time, sometimes raising more questions while simultaneously giving us readers tidbits of information. It felt like a much larger story skillfully condensed into short fiction. Extremely engaging read.
Review of B. Morris Allen, “Adjectives of Annihilation” Cossmass Infinities 9 (2022): 81-89 — Read or purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
A ship of Romanian immigrants escape earth’s destruction due to climate change, and end up on the semi-habitable planet of Doilea, and a poet and a particle physicist end up farmers in their new lives. But they brought an infant child with them, as many others brought their children, and now the kids are all grown up. I loved watching the way the narrator interacted with her parents, and the contrast with how she interacted with her peers. I’m a big fan of multi-generational stories, because they don’t get told often enough. The tensions between families that get along and those that don’t, between those who want to forge a new live on Doilea and those who think there may still be something to go back to, someday, all of these were woven together into this interesting and satisfying story.
SFF Reviews