Book Review: Songs for the Shadows: A Sauútiverse Novella, by Cheryl S. Ntumy
“I found the worldbuilding satisfyingly rich and intriguing … What I did find challenging was empathizing with the protagonist, although eventually I found myself at peace with her, as she found her own type of peace.”
Short Fiction Review: January 2024
My favorite stories from January all wrestled with tough ethical questions [“A Saint Between the Teeth” by Sloane Leong, “Nothing of Value” by Aimee Ogden, and “A Cure for Solastalgia” by E.M. Linden].
Book Review: THREE EIGHT ONE by Aliya Whiteley
The plot and themes of Three One Eight connect with its unconventional elements of narrative and construction. These are wonderful discoveries for the reader to make without forewarning.
Short Fiction Review: December 2018 – January 2019
One of my favorite stories I’ve read recently is “The Thing About Ghost Stories” by Naomi Kritzer, which appears in Uncanny Magazine. It’s a ghost story about a folklorist who studies ghost stories. If you like ghost stories, classification systems, mother/daughter relationships, or academic scholarship, this is a story for you. “2086” by T.K. Lê, which appeared in Strange Horizons, is another ghost story of sorts. It’s an accessible yet difficult story about immigration, family, and who’s actually valued and wanted within society. I also loved “On the Origin of Specie” by Vajra Chandrasekera, which appears in Nightmare Magazine. It’s a dark, compelling, and claustrophobic examination of taxation, protest, and agency. Lastly, for an intriguing story that blends science fiction with mythology, I recommend you check out “One’s Burden, Again” by Natalia Theodoridou, which appears in Clarkesworld Magazine.
