Magazine Review

Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews and Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (February 2025)

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A short month with a lot of travel means my magazine reviews are coming later than usual, but coming they are. Let’s check out the February 2025 issues of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus.  Clarkesworld As with the January 2025 issue, this month’s Clarkesworld contains fewer than the usual eight stories, but with higher than average word… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews and Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (February 2025)

Reviews

Sci-fi Novel Review: Mechanize My Hands to War by Erin K. Wagner

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I didn’t know that Mechanize My Hands to War even existed until author Erin K. Wagner was interviewed in Clarkesworld in December 2024. But as so often happens with Clarkesworld interviews, she talked about it in a way that caught my attention and sent it flying up my TBR. And I’m glad it did.  Mechanize… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Mechanize My Hands to War by Erin K. Wagner

Reviews

Sci-fi Novel Review: A Swift and Sudden Exit by Nico Vincenty

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My judging team in the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4) has sifted through our 32-book allocation and chosen four quarterfinalists for further evaluation as we seek to identify just two semifinalists to advance to the next stage. For my second quarterfinalist read, I picked up the time travel romance A Swift and Sudden… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: A Swift and Sudden Exit by Nico Vincenty

Reviews

Fantasy Novel Review: The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

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There are plenty of different pockets of fantasy fandom these days, and while I’m not sure I fit neatly into any one in particular—in part by design—I tend to spend more time reading the trimmer books popular among the Hugo-voting crowd than I do on contemporary epic fantasy. And so despite all the hype for… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

Magazine Review

Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Mysterion, Metaphorosis, FIYAH, and Kaleidotrope

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Late in 2024, I started supplementing my regular magazine reviews with Magazine Minis, where I dip into a magazine issue for two or three stories instead of reading it in full. I’ve found some real gems that way, and I’m back at it in 2025.  This month, I’ll be looking at four magazines that are… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Mysterion, Metaphorosis, FIYAH, and Kaleidotrope

Reviews

Fantasy Novel Review: The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry

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I was previously unfamiliar with Jedediah Berry, and despite a striking cover, I would have let The Naming Song pass me by without a strong recommendation from a book club friend who loved the language element. So I decided to give it a try after all.  The Naming Song takes place after an underdescribed apocalypse—when… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry

Reviews

Magical Realism Review: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

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One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez is an undisputed classic of magical realism, with a Nobel Prize under its belt and plenty of staying power. And so it’s been on my TBR for a long time. But at the same time, I don’t have a ton of experience with magical realism, so… Continue reading Magical Realism Review: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Magazine Review

Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (January 2025)

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Am I still catching up on 2024 fiction? Yes. Is it 2025? Also yes. So in between catching up, I’m also reading and reviewing my usual new releases. And let me tell you, there are some good stories out this month.  Clarkesworld The January 2025 issue of Clarkesworld has fewer stories than usual, mostly because… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (January 2025)