Short Fiction Review: June – July 2026
My favorite stories from June and July involve cultural heritage, family, friendship, and political change.
Blog Posts
Blog Posts
Book Review: The Night Pool, by Lauren Lee Smith
The Night Pool is a book that’s full of brutality and horror, with the supernatural elements basically secondary to the tragedies and traumas mostly inflicted by white men during the Gold Rush in Conoma, California. Bringing light through this darkness are the female characters who reach out across ethno-cultural divides to support each other in sisterhood. In the end, there is comfort and strength to be found in this novel, despite the sad and terrible things that happen and that are done.
The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts
867. Bone Keeper (2026; dir. Howard J. Ford) — At the Movies
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-867-bone-keeper/SandF_867_BoneKeeper.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSTentacles, social media influencers, and John Rhys-Davies, oh my! Shaun Duke and Daniel Haeusser join forces to talk about Bone Keeper, an indie horror film written and directed by Howard J. Ford! Together, they tackle the film’s controversial use of AI, its approach to storytelling and character, the so-called “science” of the creature, and more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Blog Posts
Comics Review: Unsounded Volume 1: The Corpse With No Eyes, by Ashley Cope
So yes, my expectations were thrown by the book seeming to be a Buddy Comedy. […] It took me time to realize that Cope was aiming for something else. Something more like if Leiber wrote the Gray Mouser as a vicious little girl and Fafhrd as an uptight and possibly racist wizard, and they really, really didn’t like each other.
The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts
866. Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1998) — Torture Cinema #163
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/sand-f-866-nick-fury/SandF_866_NickFury.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSpy gadgets, questionable judgement, and serpent ladies, oh my! Shaun Duke, Daniel Haeusser, and R.E. Junker join forces to talk about 1998’s Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Together, they discuss the film’s interpretation of the famed Marvel character, what makes a superhero movie, Hasselhoff’s hotness, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Blog Posts
Book Review: The Age of Blood and Magic, by Hannah Mathewson
Hannah Mathewson’s The Age of Blood and Magic is a contemporary fantasy where the 0.1% have gotten rich on a new resource: Magic. Billed as “Succession with Vampires”, Hannah Mathewson’s The Age of Blood and Magic actually turns out to be something rather different than what is on the tin. Oh, there are strong elements of Succession, and Vampires do appear, but the “Eat the Rich. Literally” tag isn’t quite what this book is really *about*.