Quick Sips - Mithila Review #9 [poetry]

People, there’s a whole lot of SFF poetry in the most recent issue of Mithila Review. Twelve poems from nine different poets means there’s a hell of a lot to experience. The pieces swirl around a lot of themes, but some major ones are growth and imagination. Not surprising, perhaps, given that SFF is about wonder and imagination, about chasing those visions and dreams that are often called foolish or childish. Here we find the value of keeping something of a child’s view of the universe, without borders or limitations. There are other works that look at what happens when we let those borders constrict too much, and how sometimes we might struggle against the injustice of complacency. There’s a lot to get to, though, so I’ll jump right into the reviews!

Quick Sips - Plasma Frequency Q2 2016 Part 1

May might be over but I'm perhaps a little behind on reviews so the May-train keeps on running with a look at the first half(ish) of Plasma Frequency's second quarter issue. Website issues have prevented some of the stories from being available and an art issue has prevented the issue itself from being ready yet, but I'm hoping both of those things will be fixed soon because these stories are quite good. Full disclosure: I have a story in this issue, which is available to read on the website now. Obviously, I will not be looking at it. But the rest of the stories are fair game, and present a fascinating array of science fictional visions circling around, well, circles and cycles of loss and resistance. Time to review!

Quick Sips - Fantasy Scroll #11

The February issue of Fantasy Scroll is out and it's a bit of a departure from what I'm used to from the publication. Not in a bad way, as this issue certainly brings the weird and revels in some strange visions of speculative fiction, from dragon bodies turned into houses to lost children living in a state of suspended bliss, the stories are often uncomfortable in a very effective way. The issue takes a lot of chances and, I think, they mostly pay off. There's a lot of stories full of the Valentine's spirit (and many more with a twist on the romantic impulse) as well as more than a few that feature some sort of revenge. All in all it's an eclectic issue that's unified by a feeling of unease and some fantastic stories. To the reviews!
 

Art by Jeremy Vickery