I’ve gone heavy on the short fiction this month, with a pair of Magazine Minis and my regular magazine review, alongside a couple of longer reviews from my Hugo reading. But as always, that’s not everything, and I have more sci-fi and fantasy short fiction to recommend. Let’s get to it! Short Fiction As I… Continue reading July 2026 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
Two Magazine Minis in a month? In this economy? Earlier this month, I took a look at some stories from OnSpec and The Deadlands that were included in the Hugo packet. But publishers didn’t stop releasing new things just because I was reading stories from last year. And guess what? There are some new releases… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis (Again!): Adventitious, Kaleidotrope, and Reckoning
My Magazine Minis came early this month, but I’ve still got a regular magazine review to share. Let’s take a look at the new short fiction in the July 2026 issues of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus. Clarkesworld Though Clarkesworld does an excellent job platforming new authors, I’ve been reading long enough to recognize quite a few… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (July 2026)
When Jared Pechaček’s debut novel, The West Passage, came out last year, I heard no shortage of praise from my usual circles. However, much of the praise was for the weird worldbuilding (not usually a huge selling point for me), and it appeared to have a quest plot structure (something I actively dislike), so I… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: The West Passage by Jared Pechaček
This month, I’m pivoting a bit away from my usual Magazine Minis habit, which typically involves sampling some sci-fi/fantasy new releases and dedicating small review sections to publications with multiple stories that catch my eye. The process this month is the same, the difference is that the focus has not been on new releases. Instead,… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: On Spec and The Deadlands
Automatic Noodle was one of those books that was impossible to avoid in certain spaces last year. I haven’t been particularly wowed by the cozy trend in SFF, so I let it pass upon release, figuring I’d circle back after the inevitable Hugo nomination. Fast-forward a year and it’s been shortlisted for Best Novella, so… Continue reading Sci-fi Novella Review: Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
It’s been a bit of a slow novel-reading month, but I’ve still been hitting the short fiction plenty hard. I’ve already shared some recommendations in my magazine reviews, but guess what? I’ve got more. Let’s get to it: Short Fiction June Favorites Don’t miss my Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus review or my Magazine Minis. There are several recommendations between them,… Continue reading June 2026 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Everybody’s Perfect was released on June 30, 2026. I’ve heard a lot about Jo Walton—both for her fiction and her nonfiction—but the only novel of hers I’d read was Lifelode, a strange, experimental piece… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Everybody’s Perfect by Jo Walton
A new issue of Asimov’s, a review copy of Otherside, and several eye-catching pieces from Uncanny have given me a nice three-zine spread for this month’s Magazine Minis. As always, I have plenty of short fiction to recommend, so let’s get to it. Asimov’s A quick scan through the new fiction in the July/August 2026… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Asimov’s, Otherside, and Uncanny
I don’t read too much middle-grade fiction, but I do occasionally dip my toe, and The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera has been recommended by enough friends that it was high on my list to try. And with Middle Grade on this year’s Bingo board, there was no better time than the present. The… Continue reading Middle-Grade Sci-fi Novel Review: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
