Review of Rachael K. Jones, “Seven Ways to Find Yourself at the Transdimensional Multifandom Convention,” Flash Fiction Online 123 (December 2023): 11-14 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a fun, funny, and touching story, which I liked quite a bit even if it is in 2nd person (my least favorite way of telling a story).
Review of Rebecca Harrison, “Little Pound Shop,” Flash Fiction Online 123 (December 2023): 7-10 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was a little bite of candy-floss: Super yummy and desirable, completely insubstantial, and just a little bit too sweet.
(I am a huge fan of cotton candy, so this is not as negative a review as some might read it!)
Review of Chelsea Sutton, “Ursula the Monster,” Flash Fiction Online (October 2023): 18-20 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
A short, sweet story of one woman’s revenge on every wrong that’s ever been done to her gender.
(First published in Orca Literary Summer 2022.)
Review of Katy Boyer, “Saint Woad and Sister Welwitschia,” Flash Fiction Online (October 2023): 15-16 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
“We are a ghastly bunch, we who remain.”
This sentence perfectly encapsulates the grim horror of this story, which explores all the different ways the stillbirth of a child ripples outward.
Review of Lyndsey Croal, “The Constellations of Daughter Death,” Flash Fiction Online (October 2023): 11-14 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
What a beautiful little story this was — both in the language it was told in and the content of the story itself. Reading it made me want to find glow-in-the-dark paints to paint it.
Review of Dylan Curry, “To Slay a Goblin,” Flash Fiction Online (October 2023): 7-9 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was about three-quarters hilarious and one-quarter sudden sucker punch to the gut.
Well. That’s exactly the sort of thing good fiction is supposed to be. I’m saving this one to show to give to students as an exemplar.
Review of Lyle Stiles, “Mephisto & Me,” Assemble Artifacts 2 (2022): 156-176 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
When Jerod’s demon-possessed robot finally succeeds in harnessing Jerod’s angerinto bringing about Armageddon, he won’t have anyone to blame but himself. After all, it was Jerod who was willing to do anything to bring his father back after he was murdered — including a pack with the devil.
The premise has a lot of potential, but I found the implementation of it sometimes a bit clunky and stodgy; I never really quite got into the story. I did appreciate Jerod’s attempts to speak up against the horribly whitewashed version of BML his teacher tried to give him in school.
Review of Brianna R. Whitrock, “End of the Earth,” Assemble Artifacts 2 (2022): 119-155 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was long but nevertheless worth it. Full of romance and humor and longing and fun, and told in a vivid and bright narration. Enjoyable!
Review of Nick Shafir, “Prism,” Assemble Artifacts 2 (2022): 97-118 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The narrator is off to test their potential as a Querier, a person in charge of gathering information that will contribute to determining what, exactly, are the Prism Events. We see their interview with an astronomer, we hear about their own experience with the first Prism Event, and the twist at the end is both fitting and not so telegraphed in advance to not be a surprise. But the entire thing was let down for me by a simple inconsistency in how the main character was presented. First, they say “It’s fortunate that in a job like this, being emotionally attuned wouldn’t do me any favors. That’s part of the reason it was a good fit for me” (p. 98). But then just a few pages later — “I’d been warned about keeping my sympathy in check when I took the assignment” (p. 101) and on the next page there’s a reference to “my unintentionally callous nature” (p. 102). So: sympathetic/empathetic or not? Which are we to believe? I’m not sure I can buy this being simply an unreliable narrator when the explanation of inconsistent author strikes me as more likely. And as soon as I am worried that I’ve got an inconsistent author, it makes me uncertain about everything else I’m given in the story.
A real shame, because the idea had potential, I think.
Review of Lindz McLeod, “Love, Happiness, and All the Things You May Not Be Destined For,” Assemble Artifacts 2 (2022): 62-96 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I know it’s still early 2024, but this story is an exceptionally strong candidate for being my story of 2024. The conceit is novel: Georgia meets up regularly with other versions of herself, at different ages, both learning how her life will turn out from the older versions and in turn teaching the younger ones the same. And the twist(s! plural!) at the end are glorious and unexpected and perfect.
SFF Reviews