This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. The Memory Hunters was released on July 29, 2025. Seeing a romance reference and an Indiana Jones name-check in the first line of the blurb had me ready to skip Mia Tsai’s new fantasy, The Memory… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Memory Hunters by Mia Tsai
I supplement my full read of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus each month with smaller spotlights on magazines where I may have found 2-3 stories that draw my attention. This month, I had just two magazine issues with multiple stories that caught my eye, so I’m adding a third in Strange Horizons, which typically publishes just one… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Lightspeed, Kaleidotrope, and Strange Horizons
We’ve reached the finals of the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4), and the three finalists chosen on my team’s side of the bracket have been joined by three more from the other side. Over the course of the summer, we’ll be reading and scoring these three books that came with such glowing recommendations from Peripheral Prospectors and Ground Control to Major Tom.… Continue reading Sci-fi Book Review: Yours Celestially by Al Hess
We’ve reached the finals of the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4), and the three finalists chosen on my team’s side of the bracket have been joined by three more from the other side. Over the course of the summer, we’ll be reading and scoring these three books that came with such glowing recommendations from Peripheral Prospectors and Ground Control to Major Tom. And… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Saint Elspeth by Wick Welker
As we open the back half of 2025, I’m continuing my monthly reviews of a couple short fiction publications I enjoy immensely: Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus. Clarkesworld The July issue of Clarkesworld features five short stories and two novelettes, one of which is a translated piece weighing in at nearly 15,000 words. The issue opens with… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (July 2025)
This is my fifth year reading and ranking every finalist for the Hugo Awards for the Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, and Best Short Story in the previous year of sci-fi and fantasy. I’ve already posted Best Novel, Best Novella, and Best Novelette, so now it’s time to take a look at Best Short Story. I… Continue reading 2025 Hugo Awards Ballot: Best Short Story
This is my fifth year reading and ranking every finalist for the Hugo Awards for the Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, and Best Short Story in the previous year of sci-fi and fantasy. I’ve already posted Best Novel and Best Novella, and now it’s time to move to Best Novelette. Novelette is often my… Continue reading 2025 Hugo Awards Ballot: Best Novelette
This is my fifth year reading and ranking every finalist for the Hugo Awards for the Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, and Best Short Story in the previous year of sci-fi and fantasy. After starting with Best Novel last week, it’s time to dive into Best Novella today. Novella is often my least favorite… Continue reading 2025 Hugo Awards Ballot: Best Novella
This is my fifth year reading and ranking every finalist for the Hugo Awards for the Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, and Best Short Story in the previous year of sci-fi and fantasy. This year, I’ll be starting my ballot write-ups with the Best Novel category. To be honest, I found the shortlist a… Continue reading 2025 Hugo Awards Ballot: Best Novel
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Uncertain Sons and Other Stories will be released on September 16, 2025. I’ve been reading Thomas Ha’s work for about four years now, and even though his most natural genre (weird horror) is one I… Continue reading Sci-fi/Horror Short Fiction Review: Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha
