SFF Reviews - Science Fiction and Fantasy

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    

Review of Mystic Mama by Megha Nayar (2550 words) Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 051 : Purchase or Read Online A series of vignettes that formed a sort of enjoyable story. I liked the fairy-tale like quality of the story, as well as the magic concoctions. The mystic mama was truly the main character of the story! It seemed to have hints of an Indian background (and the author's name speaks to Indian origin), but the story itself did not have much to do with Indian magic or mysticism. It was, rather, a story about magic with an Indian backdrop, but it could have been any backdrop and the story would have been the same. What I'm muddling through saying is that - as an Indian - I would have liked to see more "Indian"-ness in the magic of it too. Nevertheless, still a very engaging story with great prose. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of Congratulations, Clockholder! by R.L. Thull (945 words) Fireside Magazine, Issue 96, October 2021 : Purchase or Read Online You're eligible for a line of credit, but the collateral is years of your life! And some people, like our protagonist, seem to give in to the temptation and sign away decades. Hell has optimized capitalism, and you can also redeem some time for an all-expenses-paid trip to visit your uncle in Hell! A few weeks or months of opulence, and then what? Find out with this sharp bite of a conclusion. A thoughtful yet thoroughly entertaining read. Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks    

Review of Not Quite What We're Looking for Right Now by Jana Bianchi (312 words) Fireside Magazine, Issue 96, October 2021 : Purchase or Read Online An all too familiar story about receiving a rejection letter, but taken to a different plane. A fun mix of fantasy that swerves into horror, I'm amazed at the level of detail the author managed in 312 words. Parts of the story literally tried to harm the slush readers and editors! Very imaginative and tight. Power of words, quite literally! 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 Double Promotion by Sudha Balagopal (991 words) Flash Fiction Online, March 2022 : Purchase or Read Online How quickly some need to grow up. Our narrator experiences this first hand, something she wasn't prepared for. One may believe that it is people who are sheltered that feel so, but people can be sheltered in different ways - some leading to paths with very little joy. Nostalgia for lost innocence is something many experience, and our narrator is faced with it earlier than many. I got goosebumps reading this one.   Support us on Ko-fi -  https://ko-fi.com/ohjustbooks