SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

Review of Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse (5800 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 99 : Purchase or Read Online This story won a Hugo and a Nebula! It's an extremely interesting story with a second person narrative. As the story continues, the second person narrative choice starts to make it even more engaging and immersive. Jesse Turnblatt (but Trueblood at work because "authentic") is You, and you work at a VR company that Tourists visit for an "authentic Indian" experience. Jesse is indigenous, but the experiences they create for visitors is anything but. Based on Hollywood movies and a convenient version of Indian life, it's simply a place he works a job for money - no other deeper connection to his actual heritage, because the Experiences aren't based on reality to begin with. A white man comes for an Experience, and says he needs a friend. Jesse does too. So he gives him the benefit of doubt. All he wants is ...

Review of It Is a Beautiful Day on the Internet, and You Are a Horrible Bot by Aimee Ogden (975 words) If There's Anyone Left, Issue 1, November 2020 : Purchase or Read Online A bot gone wild, and it has a sense of humor. And hot dogs are funny. So is deleting and/or releasing confidential information. But the bot isn't malicious, it just knows (from extensive research) that these things are funny! It's a pretty smart bot, and havoc is especially fun! I loved this story so much. I'm also writing a lot of exclamations - but don't blame me, I was just influenced by the #BotDog! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of For Want of Milk by Grace P. Fong (4319 words) Uncanny Magazine, Issue Forty-Three : Purchase or Read Online A mother and daughter living a hard life, living off the land and a bit of magic. The Frontier is harsh but sometimes there's beauty, and so are their lives, and such is the story. With lovely description, fantastic prose and strong characters, the inherent power of women shines through in this tale. In the olden days - and sometimes even today - women cannot directly take a stand or be confrontational. But sometimes a little magic helps.   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of The North Pole Workshops by Mari Ness (807 words) Uncanny Magazine, Issue Forty-Three : Purchase or Read Online A fun, quick read about the customer service phone line at the North Pole. It addresses the commodification of festivals as well as the intense capitalism built around it. And of course, the corporations are protected from responsibility due to any malfunctions! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Of Honey and Grave Dirt by Maiga Doocy (2341 words) Fireside Magazine, Issue 96, October 2021 : Purchase or Read Online The sorcerer's apprentice has some idea of what to expect form her job...or so she thinks. She quickly gets swept up into caring for a child, created as part of the sorcerer's experiment. But then the child dies, and while the sorcerer gets back to his experimental quest, the apprentice feels the weight of emotion and pain. She carries it with her through his various experiments, her heart growing heavier and more fractured with loss. She attempts to remedy some of that pain, use some of the power she has gained and magic she has learnt - all in order to somehow turn that pain into something better, something warmer. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks