SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

Review of Beautiful Poison in Pastel by Beth Dawkins (3589 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 136 : Purchase or Read Online First of all, great descriptions! It’s always a treat to read such stories. If nightmares are pastel colored, are they still scary? The spread of pastel was a beautiful, intriguing concept. I’d have loved to see more exploration of that liminal space where nightmares exist, but as it stands, it’s still an engaging and fun read! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of They Could Have Been Yours by Joy Baglio (6982 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 136 : Purchase or Read Online   A woman scrolls on a Site, and all her exes seem to be getting engaged within a few days of each other. She feels self doubt creep in, and then she finds a ring. When she puts it on, she can visit all the women her exes are engaged to. The more she gets involved in her disembodied travels, the more her real life is affected. Interesting to watch it unfold. The prose was beautiful. The ending is beautifully poignant.   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of The State Street Robot Factory by Claire Humphrey (4891 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 136 : Purchase or Read Online   In a seemingly not too distant future, Darius is trying to make some money from his business, for his goal of getting himself prosthetic legs. He sells handmade robots, with detailed artistic flourishes. Everything revolves around fending for himself in a variety of ways, and it’s unfortunately accurate in its representation of daily reality for many. The portrayal of struggling to survive is heartbreaking, yet I especially appreciate that it ends the way it did, because it would have been easy to go in another direction - one which would not be as satisfying. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks      

Review of Every Shade of Healing by Taryn Frazier (994 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 136 : Purchase or Read Online A dark yet beautiful story about healing the pain and scars. It’s only once you heal that you can harness that experience and growth into something beautiful, something meaningful. A thoughtful, lovely one.   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Reproduction on the Beach by Rich Larson (999 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 136 : Purchase or Read Online A story that starts off with a couple in a secret relationship on a getaway. It slowly descends into horror, but there’s a lot left unexplored. However, it was still very well written. I have really enjoyed other works by this author, this just felt like it had more to explore.   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Unboxing by Lavie Tidhar (2100 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 136 : Purchase or Read Online A timely, terrible tale about the (unfortunately common) unsupervised use of the internet by toddlers. In itself, the idea is scary, because we know these kids channels can get really creepy, with the algorithms pushing viewers from one channel to another - we can’t anticipate where the suggestions will take us. This is much more unsettling when it comes to children, and this story takes it a step further. The story quickly turned supernatural and sinister, but what scared me most is how many elements of the story were true to life. Using the internet as a way to keep your child occupied is something almost all parents do on occasion, and if supervised, I believe it might still be okay - the world we live in is so interconnected it’s difficult to isolate your child from it. But watching these kind of videos that provide no education or value is, quite simply, bad. Their popul...

Review of A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow (4916 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 105 : Purchase or Read Online In this world, some librarians are witches, and almost all books are magic. This is the premise and it’s immediately relatable because all readers, at some point, have genuinely believed books were a type of magic. They can transport you somewhere else, which is just what the skinny black teenager wants. He just wants to go somewhere else, anywhere but where he is, stuck in a life that isn’t what he wants it to be. And the narrator, the witchy librarian, wants to help as much as she can, but even witches have rules. And this story is about whether or not to break those rules, whether or not to give someone what they really need, so that they can have their chance at happiness. Cleverly written, with a great magical reality so closely coexisting with our own un-magical one. The tight plot and vivid descriptions make...

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 Candyland by Maggie Slater (2665 words) Apex Magazine, Issue 125 : Purchase or Read Online What happens when you take a facade too far, even if not intentionally? This story combines the effects of body image and social media displays of life events. However, it does this with an absolutely unintended twist. A story about sweet things, but not really a sweet story. For a piece that's easy to read, it has a lot of depth too. Limited settings and characters, yet vivid, detailed descriptions. It was an interesting style and I'd love to read more by this author! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks