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… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Whiskey and Warfare by E.M. Hamill
June was a little bit of a chaotic reading month–I read a big variety of different lengths, intended audiences, and a couple things that weren’t exactly books, per se. Guess what? I have lots of recommendations, including new favorites of the year in several categories. Let’s dive in! Short Fiction I’ve already reviewed Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus, where I… Continue reading June 2025 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
T. Kingfisher has been popular for a while, but her popularity has grown immensely in the last two years, where her Hugo wins for Best Novella and Best Novel has made her just the fourth person ever (and second named Ursula) to win Hugos in the Novel, Novella, Novelette, and Short Story categories. She also… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Inner Space will be released on July 15, 2025. Jakub Szamalek wasn’t an author I’d heard of before this year, but I’m always looking for intriguing books from outside the US, UK, and Canada,… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Inner Space by Jakub Szamalek
For those who aren’t regulars, 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. If possible, I try to keep those to a single issue, but for weekly or biweekly releases, I’ll sometimes roll a couple months… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Asimov’s, Uncanny, and BCS (Again)
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Bewitching will be released on July 15, 2025. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s period retelling The Daughter of Doctor Moreau was the biggest pleasant surprise in my 2023 Hugo reading. So when I saw she was… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Aliette de Bodard is a favorite in Hugo circles, but while I’ve read three of her previously shortlisted works, she’s an author that’s never really clicked with me. When the short standalone space fantasy Navigational Entanglements hit the Hugo shortlist for Best Novella, I had the opportunity for my fourth try. And while I still… Continue reading Science Fantasy Novel Review: Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard
I’ve been reading John Wiswell’s short fiction for about four years now, and I’ve liked it enough to vote him to win the Hugo Award twice (sadly, the broader electorate did not agree with me in either case). So I was intrigued when I saw he was writing a novel featuring his typical wholesome subversion… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
I’m halfway through another year of reading through each issue of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus, and I might’ve found a new favorite of 2025 from the latter. Let’s take a look! Clarkesworld After several seven-story issues, this month’s Clarkesworld returns to what had been a fairly standard eight, with six short stories and two novelettes. Four… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (June 2025)
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Shroud was released on June 3, 2025. I’ve read a lot of Adrian Tchaikovsky over the past few years, though in light of his shockingly prolific output, it’s still only a tiny fraction of… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
