SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

Review of A Girl Forages for Mushrooms by Ruth Joffre (931 words) Flash Fiction Online, September 2021 : Purchase or Read Online I am amazed at how brilliantly writers can put together so much in a thousand words or under. Flash fiction continues to surprise me, and stories like this one is why. Starting off sweet with a father-daughter weekend bonding ritual. They go hiking, foraging for mushrooms. Slowly, we discover that the daughter is a secret-keeper for her father. The secrets are increasing in magnitude, but she understands him. Disturbing, but still full of love.  Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks   

Review of AITA for Using My Side Hustle to Help My Boyfriend Escape the Clutches of Death? by Aimee Picchi (998 words) Flash Fiction Online, October 2021 : Purchase or Read Online I love that this story takes the form of a Reddit post. I find that this type of narrative choice often pack a punch and showcases different characters and thought processes that wouldn't normally be possible in a flash piece. Here, it comes through in the form of comments, replies, edits and updates on the original post, and each successive update adds some more drama and flair to the story. Somehow this tiny tale packs in drama, herbalism, the undead, sustainability, pets, necromancy, Reddit, climate change, social media influencers, the FBI and lifestyle blogging. I adored this story. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks   

  Review of The Good Girl by Jennifer Lee Rossman (633 words) Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 047 : Purchase or Read Online A story about transitions of different kinds. A bit heavy on the allegories but I enjoyed the bright, happy descriptions, even while gore and sadness cast occasional shadows. Overall, a tale of strength in sadness and learning to love yourself, whatever you may be. Even if it takes a while to accept yourself. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks   

Review of Swallows (or How to Men Lost Their Magic) by E A Fowler (948 words) Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 046: Purchase or Read Online     A quick story full of lovely, raw imagery. It starts out that way, at least, and creates a world of magic and strange traditions. It slowly devolves into a story less lovely and more disturbing, with the ending having different connotations than one would have expected at the beginning. Very well written.    Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

  Review of The Birthday Gift by Eva Eliav (687 words) Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 007 : Purchase or Read Online An auction where they're selling chunks of time. A pair of friends, one excited, one reluctant. While I loved the premise, I was uncertain whether they were selling a fixed number years of living a different mindset, or whether those number of years got tacked on to your lives instead. Either way, a fun read, but I'd have liked some clarity on this point. That confusion took away a little bit of the charm of the story for me. Maybe that's just me, though, and you'll probably understand it better than I did.   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks