Review of Laura Duerr, “A Perfect Light,” Flash Fiction Online 152 (July 2026): 12-15 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It’s amazing how claustrophobic the deep sea can seem — which is why it makes such a great setting for insidious, unsettling horror. I found that part of this story perfectly tuned, just right to send a shiver down my spine. The ending, I found, didn’t quite match up to the rest of the story, taking this from potentially excellent to merely “a good read”.
Review of River S, “Sad Mecha Girls,” Flash Fiction Online 151 (June 2026): 22-25 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Drug use, military conscription.
This is definitely a “what it says on the tin” story — the title tells you pretty much all you need to know. Sad mecha girls aren’t the sort of thing I’d seek out myself to read about, but if you want a dose of depressed fatalism, you could do worse than give this story a go.
Review of Aimee Ogden, “What Any Dead Thing Wants,” Adventitious no. 1 (Feb/Mar 2026): 72-109 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was exceptionally long, meaning I kept putting it off whenever I’d sit down to read and review a story because I didn’t have the time.
I finally did today, and the story completely repaid what I spent on it. At the end, I find it hard to know what to say about it, other than echo Hob when he says that “he would have known what to do, if there were obvious bad guys” (p. 103). It’s a story where there’s no good moves, even when there are moves that are right, and it ends up being really, really sad.
(First published on psychopomp.com, 2024)
Review of Christine Hanolsy, “Festival,” Flash Fiction Online 151 (June 2026): 18-20 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a story of both regrets and hopes, and the fact that by the end, the hopes and dreams outweighed the regrets and sorrows made me very happy.
(First published in Small Wonders September 2023)
Review of Meagan Kane, “What a Name Does is Let You Leave,” Adventitious no. 1 (Feb/Mar 2026): 55-69 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m very deeply not a fan of 2nd person POV; unfortunately, that dislike is compounded when the POV is that of someone who is so obviously not me that the cognitive incongruence of being continually told that it is me overwhelms everything else.
Which is a shame, because I think told in a different perspective, I might have really enjoyed this story. Instead, I enjoyed it more in spite of itself, rather than because of it. There was a beautiful depth of longing threading through all of it which kept me reading on.
Review of Louis Inglis Hall, “The Profitable Sentience of Household Goods”, Clarkesworld Issue 236, May (2026): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A story that started off quite cute (if somewhat suspicious) and turned into something deeply unsettling that made me quite emotional by the end. A rollercoaster of emotions (in the best way) in under 4000 words!
Review of Ryan Cole, “Macaroni Art in the Age of Filtration”, Clarkesworld Issue 235, April (2026): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
It is difficult to breathe. In this story set in the indeterminate future.
But also in many places around the world even today.
Reading this story about gritty air and noxious gases and particulate matter will likely make you want to take deep breaths of gratitude.
More than once I was sharply reminded of this setting already being a reality for many. Many things in our world today reflect dystopian stories in various ways.. but the power of love and humanity is always what makes these stories so impactful.
Humans can do many curious, difficult, strong things – all for a sliver of hope.
Review of Ben Williams, “Teapot,” Adventitious no. 1 (Feb/Mar 2026): 7-9 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This tiny little story featuring a tiny little teapot and a delicious (and deliciously tiny) little mystery at the heart of it also featured a kick of laughter at the very end. I love little gems like this.
Review of Alethea Paul, “The Furthest Point” Adventitious no. 1 (Feb/Mar 2026): 49-50 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a gossamer confection of a story — short, ephemeral, delightful while it lasted but not leaving a lasting impression.
Review of Meagan Kane, “Europan Culture (Seven Theses),” Flash Fiction Online 151 (April 2026): 28-31 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
I’m really not sure what I think about this story. Perhaps my cognitive dissonance comes from the title, which led me to think the story was going to be very different from how it was. But I also wonder if I would’ve liked the story even if it had a different title; there was just something unsettling about the way Conamara’s very being and existence was handle, by the unnamed narrator, or maybe by the author.
SFF Reviews