REVIEW: “Mirror Stages” by Claire Jia-Wen

Review of Claire Jia-Wen, “Mirror Stages”, Clarkesworld Issue 218, November (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

A haunting story about the intersection of tech and the female body, with a focus on an immersive VR mukbang experience. If that sounds intense, then you’re right – so is the story.

I absolutely loved the depth and feeling and detail in this story. I couldn’t put it down at any point – it draws you in immediately. Something I have to say I’ve noticed about many Clarkesworld stories is the attention to world-building. This one was fantastic – I want to read a novella or even a full length novel set in this world. There are hints of greater background and setting throughout, so I hope this means it’s a world the author continues to write in.

A fascinating tale of tech, greed, how the male gaze can affect so much, and self-preservation, amongst many more themes. A sharp reminder that there are real people on the other side of your screen. People with feelings and hopes and dreams. Real people.

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REVIEW: “LuvHome™” by Resa Nelson

Review of Resa Nelson, “LuvHomeTM”, Clarkesworld Issue 218, November (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

A beautiful story. Just lovely. One of those stories that really go straight to the heart. Where I just want to sit with it for a while, re-read it, savor it.

This story follows Dyna and her LuvHomeTM – it’s supposed to love her. And it does – but not in the way Dyna wants. She wants to stay in bed all day. Her home, which is programmed to love her (she signed the contract when she bought the house!), doesn’t want her to stay in bed all day. And that’s where it all begins.

This is a sweet, poignant story. I want to read more about Dyna and this world! I will be exploring more of this writer’s work for sure.

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REVIEW: “The Children of Flame” by Fiona Moore

Review of Fiona Moore, “The Children of Flame”, Clarkesworld Issue 217, October (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

Set in a post apocalyptic society where modern infrastructure has mostly collapsed, including the concept of billionaires. People are cooperative and have started rebuilding some parts of society, one of them being Morag, our main protagonist. People are part of different groups with different lifestyles, but most are in agreement about being strongly against capitalism.

A lot of elements in this story illustrate so many things that are wrong with the world today – and how much resilience humans have, and always will have. A lovely look at what may happen if capitalism does continue unbridled to the point of implosion.

It’s a great story on its own merit, and works well as a standalone. Happily, it is part of a larger universe, which I hoped it would be when I read the previous story set there. You can read them (four so far) in any order, they’re all at Clarkesworld!

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REVIEW: “A Space O/pera” by Abby Nicole Yee

Review of Abby Nicole Yee, “A Space O/pera”, Clarkesworld Issue 217, October (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

This one starts off strong, with an open letter to a young heiress on her lavish wedding, set in the near future amidst severe climate change. There’s a lot packed into this short story, and the stakes are raised pretty quick too. It’s also quite thoughtfully laid out, with the epistolary type blog posts providing a different perspective and broader context to this space tale. Packed with futuristic tech and sci-fi action, there’s not a single dull moment!

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REVIEW: “Field Guide to the UFOs of the Keweenaw Peninsula” by Phoebe Eliza Billups

Review of Phoebe Eliza Billups, “A Field Guide to the UFOs of the Keweenaw Peninsula,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 15-32 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Often when I read a slow, protracted story, I put a lot of stake on the ending making itself worth the wait. Billups’s story left a different impression on me: I enjoyed the journey enough that I didn’t need to reach the destination, and the fact that when I did, I didn’t know where I was didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

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REVIEW: “Sparking Joy” by Y. M. Resnik

Review of Y. M. Resnik, “Sparking Joy,” Luna Station Quarterly 59 (2024): 89-96 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

After the death of her husband, Sharon is required to downsize the mass of her apartment in order to ensure that valuable resources are recycled and put back into national service — and she’s been sent an AI to help her deal with the process. It’s a solid premise for a story, but what I loved was that I had a good guess as to how it would unfold, and my guess was totally wrong. I loved the twist, resulting in a story that made me smile and also made me shiver.

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REVIEW: “The Weight of Your Own Ashes” by Carlie St. George

Review of Carlie St. George, “The Weight of Your Own Ashes”, Clarkesworld Issue 212, May (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

A deeply layered story of identity, and what a sense of self could mean. The protagonist is multi-bodied, with a single soul. What this effectively means in terms of perception, acceptance, and gender identity to themselves, and to other single-bodied organisms, like humans, is the journey of this story.

There are also moments of beauty, like a passage about symphonies, that also show how all those experiences shape Yonder, the protagonist. A great story with many lovely elements.

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REVIEW: “Perfect Vaca, No Filter” by Vivian Chou

Review of Vivian Chou, “Perfect Vaca, No Filter,” Flash Fiction Online 130 (July 2024): 15-19 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

We all have read stupid online hotel reviews, so the genre that Chou chose for this story is perfectly familiar. However, I think we can all agree: Hotels that experience alien invasions maybe deserve at least one 1-star review!

Full of humor and wickedly realistic, this was a fun little story to read while traveling.

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REVIEW: “Ascension’s Eve” by Rich Larson

Review of Rich Larson, “Ascension’s Eve,” Flash Fiction Online 130 (July 2024): 7-10 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

On Ascension’s Eve, 88 takes 99 on pilgrimage. What kind of pilgrimage would a digital identity need to make? Not only do I as the reader have this question, but it’s also clear as the story goes on that 99 doesn’t really understand this either. But 88 does, and through the story shows both me the reader and 99. It’s a weirdly mundane story, and also very sweet.

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