For my second short fiction review of the month, I usually take some time to dig into a couple of magazines outside the two that I read every month. But with the announcement of an Asimov’s Readers’ Award shortlist that included half stories I’d read last year, I decided to take that time and read… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads the 39th Asimov’s Readers’ Award Finalists
Another month, another review of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus. April was a great month, with a lot to recommend and no real misses, so let’s get started. Clarkesworld The April 2025 issue of Clarkesworld follows their recent pattern of seven stories with slightly heftier average length than in past years. Both novelettes are around 10,000 words,… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (April 2025)
With Hugo nominations in the books, I’ve more or less wrapped up my 2024 reading, so it’s on to 2025 short fiction. As always, that starts with my monthly reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus. Clarkesworld The March 2025 issue of Clarkesworld features a novella-length centerpiece, with three stories under 8,000 words on either side. And—unusually—for… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (March 2025)
A short month with lots of travel means my Magazine Minis are even smaller than usual this month, but I did read more than one story from two different magazine issues this month, so let’s take a brief look at a couple that caught my eye from the Winter 2025 issue of Apex and the… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Apex and Asimov’s
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)
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
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)
Everybody may be posting Best of the Year lists–and don’t get me wrong, I’ll be doing the same later this week–but there are still new stories coming out this month. As always, I read a couple magazines and am here to talk about them. Clarkesworld The December 2024 issue of Clarkesworld had a wonderfully international… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (December 2024)
In my first two months of Magazine Minis—where I review a few stories from a particular magazine, even if I haven’t read the entire issue—I’ve collected groups of stories that were at least published in the same issue. But some magazines don’t publish multi-story issues at all. And just because a venue publishes one story… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Podcastle and Strange Horizons
This is the same every month. I read some genre magazines, I talk about them. Let’s go. Clarkesworld My favorite genre magazine over the last several years has been Clarkesworld, which generally mixes experimental or boundary-pushing sci-fi with well-executed takes on classic premises. The former is unsurprisingly more boom-or-bust, but I regularly find favorites in… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (November 2024)
