SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

Review of My Mother's Samosas by Malavika Praseed (3700 words) khōréō Magazine, Issue 4 : Purchase or Read Online Our unnamed narrator believes her Indian mother is capable of magic. Poisonous, untrustworthy magic with which she holds sway over her soft, sweet, Midwestern father. Her belief is at least partly colored by her internalized racism, and she grows in different ways through the story. Doubt and dislike gives way to curiosity and acceptance. By the end, she seems to be building some sort of relationship with her mother and in turn with her own layered, ethnic history, illustrated by how things end up coming full circle at the end. Looking forward to reading more of khōréō!   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Ma Dresden by Laura Barker (2453 words) Planet Scumm, Issue #11, Summer 2021 : Purchase Lovely prose. The author has a way of being able to describe things beautifully with just a few words. The arc was great too, as was the visit with Mama Levi. A short story, but it had a lot of depth and emotion. The ending just didn't resonate with me very much, but only because I felt like it needed more space to breathe. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Tomatoes by Eugenia Triantafyllou (4200 words) khōréō Magazine, Issue 4 : Purchase or Read Online The narrator and her sister are magic, and sometimes tomatoes and corn can be too. They certainly are in this place, where the narrator is struggling to come to terms with the responsibility towards magic within their tomatoes - tomatoes that her family has been in charge of for generations. She yearns for a different life, one where she can be free to do the things she wants, even if only for a little while. But she learns that what her heart wanted, what she intuitively really wanted, was something else. A layered, poignant story that will likely unsettle you.     Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

 Review of Real Sugar is Hard to Find by Sim Kern (5998 words) Planet Scumm, Issue #11, Summer 2021 : Purchase A story about dystopia, attempted suicide, intense pollution and untrustworthy elements sounds like it would be quite dense and heavy. However, like the title hints at, this story turns out quite sweet. People are always people, with softness and feeling. Everyone is just trying to look out for their own. And sympathies can arise from that. Retaining that faith - that some might call naiveté - is not necessarily a bad thing. A story made of dense elements, which come together to form something as sweet and delightful as a slice of cake.  Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks