Magazine Review

Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (February 2026)

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2026 started with an unexceptional month for my usual short fiction magazines, but the reason they’re my usual magazines is that they don’t tend to miss many times in a row. And I’m pleased to report that I had a lot of fun with my February reading. Let’s take a look at this month’s Clarkesworld… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (February 2026)

Reviews

Horror Novella Review: The Cellar Below the Cellar by Ivy Grimes

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This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The Cellar Below the Cellar will be released on March 25, 2026. I don’t believe I’d read Ivy Grimes before, but I was offered an ARC of The Cellar Below the Cellar and figured there… Continue reading Horror Novella Review: The Cellar Below the Cellar by Ivy Grimes

Reviews

Sci-fi Novella Review: The Rainseekers by Matthew Kressel

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This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Rainseekers will be released on February 17, 2026. After having a wonderful time reading the short story “The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye,” I’ve been curious to try the longer-form work of Matthew… Continue reading Sci-fi Novella Review: The Rainseekers by Matthew Kressel

Magazine Review

Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Asimov’s and Kaleidotrope

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Each month, I supplement my full magazine reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus with Magazine Minis, in which I read a handful of intriguing stories from a couple magazines, despite not reading them cover-to-cover. To open 2026, I’ll be looking at the year’s first issues of Asimov’s and Kaleidotrope. Asimov’s Three stories immediately stood out to… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Asimov’s and Kaleidotrope

Reviews

Fantasy Novel Review: Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim

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This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Sublimation will be released on June 2, 2026. Isabel J. Kim burst onto the scene with the tremendous debut short story “Homecoming Is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self.” Over the… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim

Magazine Review

Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (January 2026)

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It’s a new year, and I’m excited to get started with reviews of both of my regular sci-fi/fantasy magazines, as GigaNotoSaurus returns from hiatus and Clarkesworld keeps chugging along. Let’s take a look.  Clarkesworld The opening Clarkesworld issue of 2026 features five short stories bookending a pair of novelettes. It opens with The Stars You… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (January 2026)