Review of Maya Dworsky-Rocha, “Godiva of the Broken Shell,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 16-18 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Inspired by the real-life Godiva and the events for which she is best known for, Dworsky-Rocha has created a weird SF story that trades shame for intimacy in a really effective and unexpected way.
Review of Faith Allington, “This Rapturous Blooming,” Flash Fiction Online 131 (August 2024): 12-15 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
ATTN: WorldCon readers who attended the “Fungi and SFF” panel — this is a story for you!
It’s a “mad scientist” story unlike the usual “mad scientist” story; the protagonist isn’t clinically insane because she’s actually right — it’s just that no one is willing to believe her. But isn’t what just what madness is, adhering to a reality that no one else sees?
Review of Rajeev Prasad, “The Blinding Light of Resurrection”, Clarkesworld Issue 212, May (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Kept me hooked! An emotionally resonant story where I was genuinely invested in the characters and what happened to them. When someone is driven by obsession, rationality goes out the window, and that’s always a recipe for disaster.
This novelette provides a really, really good perspective on obsession and the cost of following through on it. Deftly written in a way that you can understand the protagonist’s motivations while also understanding how they’ve gone off track.
Again, I cannot overstate the emotional resonance in this one. Lovely writing.
Review of Neva Bryan, “Homoncula,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 271-278 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: drug use/overdose.
This was a rather terrifying and conceptually gross story about one woman’s revenge on her sister’s destroyer.
Review of Samara Auman, “The Texture of Memory, of Light”, Clarkesworld Issue 212, May (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Much like the previous story in this issue, this is a poignant one that deals with memories of a late mother. There’s a great emphasis on working through conflicting feelings, while being caught up in tightly constructed and intricately layered human systems.
The protagonist has much to work through, coming out on the other side with greater understanding and healing. The character development was fantastic, and I loved seeing all the changes – and the decisions that grew from there.
Great background and secondary characters, too. I especially liked the world building and would definitely read more stories set here.
Review of Marie Croke, “Secrets Locked in Metal Scrap,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 137-157 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story was not at all what I expected (even granted that I go into most stories with very few expectations). It started off with dinosaurs, and I was rather leery: I’m usually pretty good at suspending disbelief, but human/dinosaur stories are a type I struggle with. But Croke managed to build a story intriguing enough for me to want to keep reading, and then fed me a twist that I could never have predicted, and in the end made it easy for me to suspend that disbelief.
Review of Nicole Walsh, “Resurrecting Tessa,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 73-83 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story of death and resurrection defies clear classification; it’s setting feels like SF, but it is religion, rather than science or magic, that is the driving force. But it was religion distinct enough from any I’m familiar with to make me wish I got more details, more information, during the story itself. As it was, at the end, I wasn’t quite sure what the import of everything was.
Review of M. E. Macuaga, “Close Encounters,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 205-210 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Ahhh, teenaged angst, and love — all wrapped up in a “first contact” story. Short and sweet, and a little bit sad, this was a damn fun read.
Review of Alexandra T. Singer, “Date Night,” Luna Station Quarterly 58 (2024): 189-203 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
The opening setting of this story is so mundane that I knew from almost the first line that something was up — something that turned out to be absolutely fascinating and unexpected, and SO sweet, and then so sad. A real reward of a story to read.
Review of Thomas Ha, “The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video”, Clarkesworld Issue 212, May (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Set in a not too distant dystopian future, this story follows an unnamed protagonist who finds a dead book. A real one, with no pixelated layer on the pages, no swiping to increase the brightness. Just paper.
That’s rare in this world, and the book itself is so different from the kinds of books generally available. Present day books have their endings sanitized, plot lines changed, and audience acceptance maximized by following tropes and guidelines. That’s why this one stands out, attracts attention.
I always love to see stories of people finding their inner strength and purpose. Plus, the character arc and world building in this story is a treat. Definitely recommend.
SFF Reviews