SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

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 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 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 The Style of Time Travel by Jessie Atkin (575 words) Daily Science Fiction, April 2021 :  Read Online A world where time travel has been understood enough for the existence of time travel agents. These agents have the full support of the organization they work for, with departments dedicated to helping them. Like the costume department. Like the person who needs to put together era-appropriate outfits and accessories for them. A behind-the-scenes look at how much work goes into making sure time travelers do fit in. After all, we don’t want them burnt at the stake for being noticeably out of place, right? Love the tongue-in-cheek humor in this one. 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 Lost Between the Plates by Benjamin Abbott (1008 words) Daily Science Fiction, May 2021 :  Read Online How I love time travel stories! This one is particularly interesting, and our narrator travels through time, only for moments each time. In pursuit. In pursuit of someone with a prescient mind. How do you pursue someone who can see the future? Read this and find out! 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

Review of External Processors by Sherry Yuan (6117 words) Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 051 : Purchase or Read Online Set in a future that is utopian for some, but eerily close to dystopia for others, this story hits all the right notes. People use ExP, or External Processor, stickers to improve their cognitive abilities, but where do those enhanced abilities come from? This story shows two sides of the story, two very different lives of people on both sides of the sticker, so to speak. Very well executed world and plot, and I liked the narrative style and prose too. Spoiler : I was very surprised by one of the character’s decision at the end. Going off their past experiences, it was unexpected. On giving it some thought, it was probably because they knew what it was like and knew the importance of having that to get ahead. The decision was a nice juxtaposition compared to someone else in the story who made a very different switch.     Support us on Ko-fi -...

Review of Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das (7558 words) The Year's Best Science Fiction, Volume 1, Edited by Jonathan Strahan, Purchase Anthology A cyberpunk style story set in India, Kali_Na focuses on our protagonist, a lower caste girl named Durga, and an AI Goddess simply named Devi. Devi is the Hindi word for Goddess - she is simply that. Not one of the many Goddesses from Hindu culture with a rich and varied life and stories, and this is an important distinction. No, she is just generic Goddess 2.0, to whom devotees may ascribe any quality they choose, one who will bless everyone with their own particular type of request, instead of having to ask specific Goddesses for specific things. A product of capitalism, she was supposed to be every Goddess in one. But maybe they forgot to code out the qualities of Kali Maa. And then we see a shift. The sheer power and scale of this story was reminiscent of the scale and scope of Hindu sagas and tales. A truly fantastic story and ...

Review of 2122, Barrel-Aged and Biding by Jordan Hirsch (1000 words) Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 051 : Purchase or Read Online  With an intriguing title and opening paragraph, I was immediately drawn in. Unfortunately, the stakes are never clarified, we are only aware that they are high. All the characters know more than we do, and not enough is revealed to sustain a reader, not even at the very end. Good world-building, though. Once again, as always, this is just my opinion. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks     

Review of Mudslide Milkshake by Rachel Lastra (937 words) SmokeLong Quarterly, Issue 77, September 2022 : Donate or Read Online What a rich story! It's not often that I can find such poignant emotion in flash. The start and the end of the story is at basically the same point in time, so the rest of the story is how she got there and why she reacted like that at the beginning. Again, difficult to pull off in flash. I enjoyed the humor interspersed through this obviously not-humorous event in the narrator's life. A very thoughtful, raw story.  Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of Object! by Matt Goldberg (991 words) SmokeLong Quarterly, Issue 77, September 2022 : Donate or Read Online In this world, there is a game-show where people can be turned into objects! The protagonist is spiraling in life, and he thinks he doesn't have anything left to live for. Turns out, though, that he does. And much like life, sometimes you don't know what you're capable of till you're pushed into a corner. And from there, good things may begin. But you don't know that, because sometimes you need to challenge to understand yourself. Also, pretty fun wordplay here! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks  

Review of The Best Latkes on the Moon by Lauren Ring (996 words) If There's Anyone Left, Issue 1, November 2020 : Purchase or Read Online Second person narratives are difficult to pull off, but it was done so beautifully here. It was a new (or at least new-to-me) concept of personal growth happening simultaneously with growth in cooking a recipe. Sounds so simple now, but it is one of those things that's hard to do well. Even apart from that, it's a lovely combination of ideas that seems to go together so well, and I love the quiet strength and perseverance throughout the story. Our protagonist grows with the recipe, and it helps her become more of herself. All while cooking latkes on the moon. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

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 Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex by Tobias S. Buckell New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color, Purchase Anthology First of all, "Tourist Industrial Complex" is pretty genius, so I've already got my expectations raised. This was exceedingly well-written, and I don't mean plot or prose or arc or any of those things specifically - I mean it was all tied together in this fantastic piece that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end. Earth has become a tourist destination, a delightfully "primitive" one at that, and it has affected all of humanity in varying ways - but mostly bad. This story isn't just surface level science fiction, it is also about how excessive tourism can hamper the local economy and the people. There's also shades of colonialism, in that the outsiders just do not care about the people whose land they've stolen. As someone originally from a country that was previously col...

Review of The Bookstore at the End of America by Charlie Jane Anders (7380 words) Tor.com, Oct 2021, Read Online or Purchase Anthology Exceedingly well written and suffused with emotion and hope, I kept intentionally slowing down while reading this. The plot was so interesting and tight that I wanted to know what happened next, but at the same time, the prose was so lovely that I wanted to slow down and enjoy it. A great problem for a reader to have! The pacing and build up was fantastic too. At this point I must say that the story was set in a dystopian future where America has been split in two halves, and both pretty much hate each other. In a funny quirk, dual citizenship is still an option! Nevertheless, while being a dystopian tale, it still has a spark of hope and friendship - after all, it's set in a bookstore! Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of The Perfect Brick of Feta by Sam Weiss (981 words) Flash Fiction Online, Jan 2022 : Purchase or Read Online What a beautiful story. These are the kind of stories you can't really look for, but when you come across them by a stroke of luck, you just give in and enjoy the pleasure that washes over you. Much like our protagonist eventually learns to, in his own way. This story stayed with me for a good while, and kept running through my head. I'm inspired to try and incorporate some of this in my own life. I absolutely love this story so much - it's one of those stories everyone should read.   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks

Review of Breathe by Adam Fout (950 words) Flash Fiction Online, Jul 2021 : Purchase or Read Online Touching story about how courage can show up in the unlikeliest moments. A nuanced take on addiction, and a reminder that we shouldn't forget the humanity of people, even when they're going through rough times. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks