I loved M V Melcer’s 2021 short story “The Falling,” so it didn’t take too many positive reviews to convince me to shell out the four dollars for her new space opera: Refractions. Refractions is a story of sabotage in space, with a pilot fleeing her past thrust into an unfamiliar leadership role with no… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: Refractions by M V Melcer
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Brides of High Hill will be released on May 7, 2024. While I still haven’t circled back to When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, I’ve read and enjoyed everything else in The… Continue reading Fantasy Novella Review: The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
Was a big book month, with the start of the Hugo Readalong, a new Bingo season, and the announcement of the SPSFC3 finalists. I haven’t read as much new short fiction as in a normal month, because I’ve been rereading Hugo finalists, but I’ve still found a few real gems. So let’s get to it!… Continue reading April 2024 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. I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons will be released on May 14, 2024. I read The Last Unicorn years ago and didn’t necessarily have the adoring response that seems typical in the fantasy world—it probably… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
For the past few years, I’ve been doing two r/Fantasy Bingo cards each year: one themed card, and one regular card. I finished my 2023 themed card back in 2023, but with my regular card coming so close to the deadline, I decided to hold my full review so that I could highlight which squares… Continue reading 2023 Fantasy Bingo, 2024 Bingo Squares
It’s my favorite part of the reading year: r/Fantasy Bingo is back! For those who aren’t familiar, Bingo is an annual challenge that runs from April 1 until March 31 of the following year. Five in a row (or column, or diagonal) is the traditional bingo, but the most popular way to play r/Fantasy Bingo… Continue reading Planning 2024 Fantasy Bingo
Hi, I am still here reading short fiction. I read two magazines each month, along with dips here and there into others. This is a review of the first two, for April 2024 Clarkesworld Clarkesworld rarely disappoints, and I’ve yet to see it ever disappoint two months in a row. So after my least favorite… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (April 2024)
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Small Gods of Calamity was released on March 4, 2024. I read my first Sam Kyung Yoo story this winter, and it was good enough to immediately find and read a second, which was… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo
What a whirlwind of a month! The old Bingo year wrapped up, a new Bingo started, the Hugo finalists were released, and the SPSFC semifinals wrapped up. My miscellaneous reading wasn’t as extensive as in some other months, but there were a couple I really liked, and there’s plenty of other bookish things to recap.… Continue reading March 2024 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) Team Tar Vol On has sent our two semifinalists to a pair of other teams, and in return, we’ve gotten four new semifinalists to review and rate. Our scores will combine with those of these two other teams in order to select two books to advance to the finals, starting… Continue reading SPSFC Finalist Review: Kenai by Dave Dobson
