SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

Review of The Planting Prayer by   Caroline Diorio (919 words) Flash Fiction Online, October 2019 Issue :  Read Online I particularly enjoyed the second person POV narration. I don't get to see that enough, honestly, so this stood out for me right from the outset. The story opens with our unnamed protagonist fulfilling a ritual - their sister is dead and they need to do this for the sake of her soul. For peace. The revelations are scattered throughout the story, and each new bit of information makes the story more intense and terrifying. The fear of death is a real thing, especially if youth are involved. Both the protagonist and the sister are fairly young, and while they have experienced the death of a close one (their mother) before, it's worse when it's someone quite young. This touches on that visceral fear, and the heightened terror and magic intertwine to create a beautiful, if scary, story. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjus...

Review of Mr. Buttons by  Miyuki Jane Pinckard  (950 words) Flash Fiction Online, October 2019 Issue :  Read Online I absolutely adore stories that can change the entire setting at a moment's notice. Mr. Buttons is exactly that. The background is of a kid who loves his stuffed toy, and we see that the child is soothed by it. Maybe it's just childish imagination, or maybe it's actually magic. Suddenly, though, you're hit by a split second decision and wide-ranging implications. Beautifully spooky.  Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Zeitgeber by Greg Egan (10399 words) Tor.com, Sept 2019, Read Online   A beautifully written short that seems disturbing and unnatural on the surface of it, but you slowly start to realize that it isn't entirely unlikely for something like circadian rhythm changes to affect the structure of society as a whole. Focusing on the microcosm of Sam's family with the backdrop of society as whole, we get a glimpse into how it changes the life of each person. This story touches on the effect on a human level, and not just on a widespread global level. Indeed, the interspersed narrative of Sam with his family, and the larger society and the school he teaches at, shows how individuals are dealing with it. Individuals like his daughter, Emma, who is now functioning on a different internal clock. As these things go, she is eventually forced to have medication, which keeps her up at "normal" times, but she's dull, feel heavy, and doesn't really feel like h...