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
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A Rebel’s History of Mars will be released on June 10, 2025. I am known to be a sucker for a good suppressed history story, and I’ve enjoyed Nadia Afifi in shorter form, so… Continue reading Sci-fi Novel Review: A Rebel’s History of Mars by Nadia Afifi
My Hugo Awards reading is in full swing–which mostly has meant short fiction rereads, as I’d already read most of the shortlist–I’ve been working through the SPSFC4 semifinalists, and I have a pile of ARCs to review for this summer. There’s been a lot of reading this month, and as always, I have something to… Continue reading May 2025 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
June 5 update: Accidental Intelligence has been named a finalist! We’ve made it to the semifinals of the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4). Team Tar Vol On advanced two semifinalists, which were joined in our half of the bracket by semifinalists from Space Girls and Red Stars. In this round, the three teams are reading each other’s selections… Continue reading SPSFC Finalist Review: Accidental Intelligence by Bryan Chaffin
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A Song of Legends Lost will be released on June 3, 2025. A Song of Legends Lost is a debut epic fantasy novel from M.H. Ayinde. While I don’t read as much epic fantasy… Continue reading Fantasy Novel Review: A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde
June 5 update: Bisection has been named a finalist! We’ve made it to the semifinals of the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4). Team Tar Vol On advanced two semifinalists, which were joined in our half of the bracket by semifinalists from Space Girls and Red Stars. In this round, the three teams are reading each other’s selections and… Continue reading SPSFC Finalist Review: Bisection by Sheila Jenné
June 5 update: We’ve made it to the semifinals of the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4). Team Tar Vol On advanced two semifinalists, which were joined in our half of the bracket by semifinalists from Space Girls and Red Stars. In this round, the three teams are reading each other’s selections and combining scores to identify the top… Continue reading SPSFC Finalist Review: On Impulse by Heather Texle
We’ve made it to the semifinals of the fourth annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4). Team Tar Vol On advanced two semifinalists, which were joined in our half of the bracket by semifinalists from Space Girls and Red Stars. In this round, the three teams are reading each other’s selections and combining scores to identify… Continue reading SPSFC Semifinalist Review: Proliferation by Erik A. Otto
