Review of Lisa Gregoire, “To the Pole™“, Luna Station Quarterly 44 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Animal cruelty.
This was a novel take on climate change fiction, with a humorous twist throughout, and a killer final line. I really enjoyed this story!
Review of Wen-Yi Lee, “The Mirror of Longing”, Luna Station Quarterly 44 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Another circus-themed story in this issue of LSQ — I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of them lately! I enjoyed this one more than some but not as much as others; it seems that it’s hard to do something distinctive with the setting, and I’m not sure this story quite managed it.
Review of Aun-Juli Riddle, “The Infinite Circus”, Luna Station Quarterly 44 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Thumbs up for a great title. Another thumbs up for beautiful imagery that made me feel like I was watching a ballet. And because I keep spare thumbs around just for such purposes, a third one for giving me a bittersweet but still hopeful story.
Review of Emma Schmid, “Paths of Life and Death”, Luna Station Quarterly 44 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Physical abuse.
This story took awhile to get going — a lot of imagery and description before anything actually happened — and there was a lot about the story that felt very stereotypical: the young, beautiful, cursed heroine, who is all alone in the world; the circus; the evil circus ring-leader. In the end, it was a bit too ponderous for me.
Review of Meryl Stenhouse, “Ropes of White Bone, Wings of Dark Magic”, Luna Station Quarterly 25 (2016): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story had a lovely immersive quality that really drew me in. It was but one incident, one battle, in a longer war, but it had everything I needed to care for the characters and wish them the best.
Review of Tracy Townsend, “Late Arrivals”, Luna Station Quarterly 25 (2016): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Death of a parent.
This was a quiet, reflective story of Mattie and her mother, a witch who loved to cook and who died of a stroke years before, a story of intertwined generations and living up to your mother’s expectations. There wasn’t much to it, just a series of scenes, but they hung together in a way that gave the story a nice weight. It’s not necessarily a story you’ll remember, but it is a story that feels worth the time it takes to read.
Review of H. Pueyo, “Mama Cuca”, Luna Station Quarterly 25 (2016): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I was absolutely delighted to come across another story by Pueyo, whose work I’ve enjoyed before. This one did not disappoint, soaked through with Brazilian mythology and cultural history. With a two out of two record for quality short stories, I’m now very interested to read more of Pueyo’s work!
Review of Christina “DZA” Marie, “The Second Battle”, Luna Station Quarterly 25 (2016): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a quiet, contemplative story of an old soldier, too old and arthritic to take part in the battle, forced to sit behind and wait to see if the others, including his granddaughter, would return. You can feel the soldier’s unhappiness at feeling useless, and the way he comes to terms with how it must have been for his family when he the one off fighting, in the first battle. Though very little actually happened in the story, I thought this was quite successful.
Review of Adriana C. Grigore, “Of Buckwheat and Garlic Braids”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publictions, 2020): 79-91 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)
This delightful story was suffused through with Romanian cultural influences — I love it when fantasy stories opt for something other than “generic European”! Toma’s world is filled with strigoi and moroi, creatures that can be banished, or at least distracted by, garlic and buckwheat. Despite this, it’s a warm, cozy world filled with strong friendships and familial networks, making it a perfect capping off of a lovely anthology.
Review of Melissa DeHaan, “Hollow”, in Liane Tsui and Grace Seybold, eds., A Quiet Afternoon (Grace & Victory Publications, 2020): 69-78 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman. (Read the review of the anthology.)
Ursa enters the lair of the long-dead Archmage Rassa, rumored to be guarded by a Hollow more advanced than the Hollows that usually guard other left-behind mage treasure troves, hoping to find the treasure that Rassa left behind. Whom she meets instead is Galatea, who is unlike anyone or anything she has ever met before — and who is there to find the Hollow guardian. Together, they join forces to find out just what, exactly, lies within.
In the way of all good satisfying adventure stories, both find what they are looking for, but not necessarily in the way the expect. Another good example of the type of story this anthology was aiming for.
SFF Reviews