Quick Sips 08/06/2021

I think I can I think I can I think I can. At least, I seem to be having a little bit of progress to catching up to where I want to be with regards to reviewing. It’s still a bit of a haul, but the big news this week is that I caught up on the amazing Decoded Pride project, which released a work a day back in June. So yay! I also cover the July Mermaids Monthly, and July issues of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, PodCastle, and Cast of Wonders. I’m not all the way caught up, though. Next week I’ll be finishing up the July reviews I can get to (Tor, Clarkesworld, and Strange Horizons), but there are some larger works (novellas mostly), that I’m still behind on, and at least one more large anthology I’d like to get to before too long. So…shit. But, I think I can I think I can I think…

NOTE: This will be a recurring note that will run with every Quick Sips. First, please note that I don’t necessarily mention every story or poem out in an issue. I am giving myself permission to either DNF stories, or else finish and just not comment on them. Please don’t assume it’s because I disliked the work! There are many reasons I might chose not to comment on a piece, and I reserve the right to do just that. Second, you might notice the notations at the end of the micro reviews and wonder what the [c# t#] is. These are for the Scales of Relative Grimness and a full explanation of them can be found through the tab at the top of the page or through this link. With that said, let’s get to the reviews!