SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

Review of Girl Oil by Grace P. Fong (5004 words) Reactor Mag (previously Tor.com), Feb 2022, Read Online One of those rare, haunting SFF stories that are able to meld fantasy and societal commentary. And to do so with such tenderness is rarer still. There’s a magic potion and mild body horror (trigger warning?), but the core of the story is self-identity, and the many facets that make it. If you change one aspect, some other aspects are likely change too. Like the protagonist, who started losing weight, but also started to lose her ability to swim in the sea. Made all the more meaningful by the fact that within the embrace of the sea was where she felt most comfortable just being herself. A lot of thought and poignancy in this story. A must read. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of A Guide for Working Breeds by Vina Jie-Min Prasad The Year's Best Science Fiction, Volume 2, Edited by Jonathan Strahan, Purchase Anthology A tough guy character plus a sweet and kind rambler equal a fantastic pair, and here they're AI! Might be one of my favorite character combination styles (tropes?) in fiction. What a great start to this collection! A lovely, layered story, plus epistolary narratives are one of my absolute favorites. It really does put you right in the moment, with these characters you quickly become fond of. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Old School Sensibilities by Christina Tang-Bernas (2350 words) Radon Journal, Issue 02, Sept 2022 : Support or Read Online This story is both sci-fi and very cute, which is not something that overlaps very often (in my experience so far). I really enjoyed this one, and its going on my list of short story recommendations for people new to the genre. I love how the author created so much depth and so many different “moments” throughout this story; I would love to read more of her work!   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks