SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

Re view of Wikihistory by Desmond Warzel   Reactor Mag (previously Tor.com), Aug 2011, Read Online Time travel is (dare I say?) commonplace, and there’s an online forum for participants. The premise itself is hilarious, and the characters are fun. People seem to love killing Hitler on their first trips. There’s always one person who really loves reminding everyone of the rules - this is super helpful for exposition in this case. As with all time travel stories, you could dig in and find a way to make it not really make sense. Or you could hang on to that suspension of disbelief and enjoy this story! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of In Tandem by Camden Rose (996 words) Flash Point Science Fiction, Mar 2025 : Read Online Something I love and don't get to read as often as I'd like - magical realism! A lovely little story that held complex emotion. A line that really got to me: "That’s how it was now. Edgar had smoothed down Wallace’s spiky bits, as their daughter liked to joke. With him gone, Wallace was nothing but fury." Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of So everyone’s going nuts in our fallout shelter, and lemme tell ya by M.E. Macuaga (100 words) Flash Point Science Fiction, Feb 2025 : Read Online So much packed into 100 words! There's a lot happening in this small slice of a post-apocalyptic scenario. Embers of hope embedded in humanity. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of Recipe by Tina S. Zhu (500 words) Fireside Magazine, Issue 103, Sept 2022 : Read Online A supernatural flash fiction piece, in the form of a recipe. It’s always fun to read different narrative styles, and this one’s pretty unique - with a set of instructions on how to become a reluctant vampire hunter. Easy humor and deft descriptions make this a fun read! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of The Last Stand of the Tooth Fairies by Sasha Brown (4846 words) Cossmass Infinities, November 2023 : Purchase or Read Online An action-packed fantasy story of a six year old, Zuri. She leaves her tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy, and she’s pretty excited about her very first tooth. Except.. you’re supposed to be asleep when the tooth fairy shows up. And Zuri wasn’t! The rest of the story is about what happens next, and I really loved the scope of the story and the world building. It’s also pretty difficult to write about kids and how they think and talk - this story gets it so right. Love the attention to detail, and love the story! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of The Hanging of Billy Crabtree by H. A. Eugene (974 words) Flash Fiction Online, September 2024 : Purchase , Subscribe or Read Online  This story is weird in a really fun way! Every twist takes this piece to another level, all in unexpected ways, and escalating quick. Don't even try to predict where this one is going, just let it wash over you - a quick dose of surreal fiction! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Whole by Somto Ihezue (3944 words) Cossmass Infinities, Issue 8, April 2022 : Purchase or Read Online An emotional and expansive story, made more memorable with vibrant descriptions. You can tell that a lot of thought and craft has gone into creating this piece. As the story builds, a lot of things are put in perspective, and so smoothly, too. Allow yourself to really feel the words; this is a story worth savoring by a true storyteller.  Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of Where True Power Lies by Koji A. Dae (991 words) Tree And Stone, Issue 1, March 2022 : Donate , Read Issue or Read Online Small but packed with detail, this short story had a surreal, dreamlike quality. There were hints of broader world-building that made me wish this story was longer. I’d have loved to know more about the protagonist and this world. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks  

Review of Salt by Srilatha Rajagopal (991 words) Tree And Stone, Issue 1, March 2022 : Donate , Read Issue or Read Online A short read, but heavy with emotion. Rajagopal certainly has a way with prose, able to convey great depth in a few choice words. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

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 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

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 welcome, caller by Sarah Little (1000 words) Tree And Stone, Issue 1, March 2022 : Donate , Read Issue or Read Online Conversations across time are always lovely to read. The protagonist finds a phone booth that lets her eavesdrop, so to speak, on her past or future self. The prose was quite nice, too. I wish this story was longer, I would have liked to read more detail about this world. 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 That Story Isn't the Story by John Wiswell (9033 words) Uncanny Magazine, Issue Forty-Three : Purchase or Read Online This Hugo and Nebula finalist and Locus Award winner novelette places a striking tale of trauma and recovery in an urban fantasy setting. The details are often left to our imagination, but as we have likely experienced in other stories, our imagination is quite capable of conjuring up horrors to fill the gaps. A supernatural creature holds sway over his familiars, symbolic of the less fortunate who are often preyed on by folks with bad intentions. Victims range from teens to immigrants to gay people - people in difficult situations who are likely to forget their own strength. And that brings us to the heart of the story - recovering your own strength. That journey towards recovery is exceedingly difficult to traverse, and it's made relatively manageable when you have a support system and a semblance of independence and the beginnings of a ...

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 Death Drive by Pat Jameson (1001 words) SmokeLong Quarterly, Issue 78, December 2022 : Donate or Read Online   A story about how endings could also be new beginnings. What are the things that really matter in life, when it comes down to time for introspection? For an old man with a life full of regrets, what really matters? And are people willing to change their opinions, broaden their horizons? This story may be short, but raises a lot of important questions. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of confessional by James Redfern (97 words) Radon Journal, Issue 03 : Purchase or Read Online Short yet incisive, this is one of the first times I'm encountering SFF poetry, and I'm so pleased. A commentary on capitalism set in a likely post-capitalist society. It'll take a minute, go read it! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks