Review of Camsyn Clair, “Loxley is One Thousand Bats,” Flash Fiction Online 146 (November 2025): 33-35 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Self-harm.
The thousand bats are a metaphor, and at the start of the story I worried that it might end up being a too-heavy-handed one. That worry was not founded; the story developed to focus on the story, rather than the metaphor, and so ultimately the entire thing worked for me.
Review of Isabel J. Kim, “Wire Mother”, Clarkesworld Issue 229, October (2025): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
Dystopian stories set in an indeterminate future are, quite truly, my jam. A great story about perspectives and how societal expectations shape what’s “normal” and what isn’t. I also liked the connection to neurodiverse experiences – there’s nothing wrong about being different. The context for this connection was exceedingly lovely, and makes it one of those stories that become an immediate must-share.
Review of Leo Rein, “Yet Another Unforgettable Luncheon,” Flash Fiction Online 144 (September 2025): 18-21 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This story is like what would happen if you took an entire season’s worth of “Murder, She Wrote” episodes and crammed them into a 20 minute show: Completely frenetic, but rather hilarious.
Review of Rae Mariz, “The Tangle,” khōréō 4, no. 4 (2025) — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: Animal harm, references to genocide.
As a reader from the tail end of the blip generation, you’re accustomed to your stories having a very particular shape. A recognizable structure. This narrative is likely to be new terrain.
This quote completely encapsulates the thoughts I’d been having very shortly before this quote — that the story itself was a tangle, structured in an unfamiliar, and hence confusing, way. This quote helped reassure me that persevering would be worth it. I think by the end I’d mostly sorted out the tangle. Was it worth it? I’m not sure. Parts of it were too didactic (and too rhetorical) for my taste. But I suspect this is a story I’ll continue to think about.
Review of L Chan, “And The Planet Loved Him”, Clarkesworld Issue 227, August (2025): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
So lovely; so heartbreaking.
There are many different kinds of family and relationships, but feelings of love and yearning are a universal experience.
Whether you’re human or not.
Review of Marissa Lingen, “A Shaky Bridge”, Clarkesworld Issue 227, August (2025): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
A bright yet emotional story, from the point of view of a daughter trying to find what’s best for her family. It’s a story about where we’re going with capitalism; it’s also a story about a family growing together.
A quick, surprisingly poignant read.
Review of Elou Carroll, “It’s Become a Bit of a Habit,” Flash Fiction Online 141 (June 2025): 16-17 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
What an absolutely peculiar little story.
I honestly have no idea what else to say about it.
Review of Tia Tashiro, “Missing Helen”, Clarkesworld Issue 226, July (2025): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.
If you had a clone, would you wonder about them? If you were a clone, would you want to know more about your origin?
Both sides of the story seem interesting, and I’m happy this story gave us all that and more.
A tightly woven tale of these two people, so similar and so different. The prose added a lot to the story; this is something I always appreciate about Clarkesworld stories. They’ve got a beautiful way with words.
Review of Damon Young, “Henrietta Armitage Doesn’t Read Anymore,” Flash Fiction Online 138 (March 2025): 9-13 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content note: suicidal ideation.
In this compelling story, Young takes a metaphor and pushes it to the extreme. While Henrietta tells her doctor, “You can’t get sick from a metaphor,” Young manages to construct a believable story where this statement itself becomes no longer all that believable.
Review of Corey Davis, “The Ferryman Makes His Morning Crossing,” Luna Station Quarterly 61 (2025): 175-194 — Purchase online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
This was a superlative story, made even better by how effortlessly it was done. I hardly know what to say of it, because to describe it as “climate fiction” or “political commentary” is to completely drain it of that magical thing that only some stories have. Though it’s one of the longer stories in this issue of LSQ, it’s definitely one of the ones most worth reading.
SFF Reviews