REVIEW: “The Ferryman Makes His Morning Crossing” by Corey Davis

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.

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REVIEW: “Lacus Odii (Lake of Hate)” by Josh Pearce

Review of Josh Pearce, “Lacus Odii (Lake of Hate)” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 66-67 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Well, this is quite a prescient poem! I had to go back and check just exactly when in 2025 this issue of Radon Journal came out — and the answer is, two days after the US presidential inauguration. Who knows whether Pearce had insider knowledge of what was to come, or is just very good at predicting the future, the first stanza of this poem cuts awfully close to home, a month on from the inauguration. Want to be thoroughly depressed? Read this poem.

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REVIEW: “The World Ends With a Whimper” by Nicholas De Marino

Review of Nicholas De Marino, “The World Ends With a Whimper,” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 59 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

When one starts off their piece with a call-back to such an iconic poem, it sets the reader’s expectations high. While the poem was a strong one (cleverly constructed so it could be read in multiple ways), I’m not sure the title helped rather than hindered it, especially as the title was also the opening line. I wonder what the poem would’ve been like if instead of setting things up to repeat an idea, the title was instead used to introduce something new and unexpected?

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REVIEW: “The World Has Been This Way For a Long Time” by Vincent Endwell

Review of Vincent Endwell, “The World Has Been This Way For a Long Time,” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 44-47 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This title intrigued me, as there was a delightful ambiguity in what it is signalling — would this be a happy story or a sad one? It could be either!

And then it turned out to almost be neither, rather instead it was mostly a quiet story, “speculative” in the sense that the narrator spent a lot of time wondering what if, what if, what if. But at the end, there is definitely some solace that we as the reader can take away.

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REVIEW: “Thicker Than Water” by Aeryn Rudel

Review of Aeryn Rudel, “Thicker Than Water,” Radon Journal 9 (2025): 26-28 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This was a gruesome little gem of a story, set in a apocalyptic world; or perhaps our own world, in just a few decades’ time — you decide how soon you think global warming will suck us all dry and leave humans competing not only with animals for water, but also with the trees!

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REVIEW: “A Year in the Life of the Drowned Wastewater Plant East of Bellmarsh Village” by D. A. Straith

Review of D. A. Straith, “A Year in the Life of the Drowned Wastewater Plant East of Bellmarsh Village,” Flash Fiction Online 135 (December 2024): 27-29 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

For a story set in a post-apocalyptic setting, this was surprisingly peaceful and serene, and even almost hopeful. A lovely little gem in this issue!

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REVIEW: “Luminous Glass, Vibrant Seeds” by D.A. Xiaolin Spires

Review of D.A. Xiaolin Spires, “Luminous Glass, Vibrant Seeds”, Clarkesworld Issue 218, November (2024): Read Online. Reviewed by Myra Naik.

Yet another beautiful story of hope! Clarkesworld is really spoiling us readers lately, each and every story making me feel a certain type of way. This one is a beautiful combination of food, agriculture, and glassblowing, amongst other things.

Set sometime in the future, where people have gotten more in touch with their roots and nature. Decentralization and independence is the focus for many humans here, allusions to a past occurrence that created a sort of dystopia. But humans are resilient. And humans have also always appreciated beauty, right from cave drawing times. Beauty in the craggiest mountain and smallest seed. Oh, and a little green-thumbed robot feels the same way, too. Just lovely.

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REVIEW: “Katya’s Microscope” by Monica Joyce Evans

Review of Monica Joyce Evans, “Katya’s Microscope,” Small Wonders no. 4 (October 2023): 6-8 — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

It’s lovely to see a story that showcases a child with chronic illness; it’s not representation that I see very often!

It’s a tough story to categorize, because even though we’re given quite an intimate view of Katya and her best friend (the narrator), it’s all channelled through the narrator’s experiences; so we are just as ignorant as she is. But it’s fragile and chilling and speculative in just the right way to make for a very satisfying read.

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