Review of Myna Chang, “Let Us Dream,” Small Wonders no. 3 (September 2023): 25 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This beautiful piece straddling the boundaries of prose and poetry is full of sorrow and loss and regret.
REVIEW: “Possibly Just About A Couch” by Suzanne Palmer
Review of Suzanne Palmer, “Possibly Just About A Couch”, Clarkesworld Issue 205, October (2023): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
An absolutely beautiful story of a couch. It just was, it always was. With shades of the iconic Douglas Adams, I loved every sentence, every description, and every transition in here.
I have previously reviewed and loved other Suzanne Palmer stories, so I already knew it was going to be amazing. It was even better than that.
A concise history and future of the universe as we know it, from an exceedingly interesting and unique point of view.
I have only good things to say: read it as soon as you can! It’s only a little more than 2000 words, and more than worth the time spent reading it.
REVIEW: “Babirusa” by Arula Ratnakar
Review of Arula Ratnakar, “Babirusa”, Clarkesworld Issue 185, February (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A beautifully engaging novella with so many elements, twists and surprises that I was reluctant to put it down whenever real life called.
Roop and Kabir are the brother-sister duo I never knew I needed in fiction. The richly layered portrayal of their relationship adds so much depth to the story.
I was especially impressed by the level of scientific detail, as well as the character’s well-rounded and interesting personalities. Would definitely recommend this story, especially if you’re interested in the idea of consciousness and individuality. Especially as seen through the lens of a human society farther advanced than us – one with the skillset to program and modify a human being.
This is going to be one of my most recommended stories for people wanting to explore the world of short SFF.
REVIEW: “Skip, Hop, Jump” by Amanda Bintz
Review of Amanda Bintz, “Skip, Hop, Jump,” Luna Station Quarterly 55 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I do like a good time-travel story, though I’m often disappointed by them. Bintz’s story was not disappointing; I really enjoyed how she took the spatial metaphor for time travel seriously, and used the resulting images as a red thread tying the whole story together. The story itself is full of serious moments, of childhood illness and trauma, but also moments of light.
REVIEW: “Sleep Well, My Prince” by Lyndsey Croal
Review of Lyndsey Croal, “Sleep Well, My Prince,” Luna Station Quarterly 55 (2023): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Ten years ago, the ship Pippa’s sister Rosa was on lost contact in the Kuiper Belt and nothing has been found of the ship since. Now Pippa captains her own ship, and is always on the lookout for an answer to what happened to her sister. When she finds it, it is far more complicated than anyone, including the reader, could have guessed.
The story had a very Star Trek feel to it, and I mean this in a most complimentary way — stable, believable sci fi telling a good story about characters that I liked.
REVIEW: “The Direction of Clocks” by Jess Levine
Review of Jess Levine, “The Direction of Clocks”, Clarkesworld Issue 185, February (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Time-related stories strongly appeal to me, irrespective of actual plot. In this story, the protagonist travels in a starship solo, through time dilation. This means that she spent three years on the starship, while almost a century has passed in earth years. She left her friends, family, and relationship to escape through time.
**Spoiler:**
Once she reaches a space station, a stop on the way to continuing her journey rimward, she learns that relativistic journeys are no longer allowed, and she would have to spend the rest of her days on the space station.
**Spoiler ends**
Her journey of growth and self awareness make up a large part of the story, but I would have really liked it if the story explored more of her “why”, or how she grows through different situations. Or showcase her maturity. Not all characters need to be likable, so I’m not going to count that against this story.
REVIEW: “Ophelia’s Song” by Rebecca Birch
Review of Rebecca Birch, “Ophelia’s Song,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 37-42 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Death.
Kathleen has buried seven of her crewmates and now there’s no one left to bury her when she dies. The colonisation of this new planet is a failure. You’d think, from this, that this is a sad story — and while it definitely tugs at your heartstrings, there is just a little bit of hope at the end.
REVIEW: “Afterlife” by Lucy Zhang
Review of Lucy Zhang, “Afterlife,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 25-28 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
One of my favorite parts of reading SFF and speculative fiction is when in the middle of something entirely fictive I get something that is so entirely real. In Zhang’s story, that comes via this killer line: “Anger and self-perceived injustices are a product of overstimulation.” And that’s just one excellent portion of this rich story full of a deeply different imagined world. High quality stuff!
REVIEW: “The Old Moon” by John McNeil
Review of John McNeil, “The Old Moon”, Clarkesworld Issue 185, February (2022): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A robot who believes in spirituality meets a sentient plant that has faith in physics above all. An interesting concept, for sure.
The robot’s backstory gave quite a bit of depth to the story, and as a reader, I could understand their internal struggle to try and reconcile this new information with their existing belief system. Beliefs that had so far been taken for granted.
But knowledge brings power and sometimes the necessity of unfortunate choices. An unexpectedly emotional story.
REVIEW: “A Dog’s Run” by Benjamin DeHaan
Review of Benjamin DeHaan, “A Dog’s Run,” Tree and Stone 2 (2022): 8-12 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a sharp, raw, tough story — don’t read if you’re feeling emotionally fragile. Just remember, as the narrator says, “If passed down with respect, a story is the only thing that survives destruction.”
SFF Reviews 