A lot happened in April! I had a lot of chunky posts, so we will be short on the short fiction miscellany this month. But there’s still some. And it’s disproportionately good. So let’s get to some sci-fi fantasy: Short Fiction I posted my usual magazine review, a five-zine mini, and a review of If We Cannot Go… Continue reading April 2026 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
For the second month in a row, my Magazine Minis post will be a five-zine blitz. Well, I suppose not technically the second month in a row, since I didn’t get this one up before the calendar flipped to May, but they were read two months in a row. Point is, I found five magazines… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Five-Zine Blitz, Again (April 2026)
This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light will be released on April 28, 2026. For all that I adore sci-fi short fiction, I don’t read many collections cover-to-cover unless they’re coming from… Continue reading Sci-fi Short Fiction Review: If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop
There’s always a bit of lag in genre discussion—at least on the short fiction side—such that it feels like people don’t really start digging into the current year’s offerings until summer. But it’s spring, and new things are being released. As always, I’ve taken a look at this month’s Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus. Clarkesworld Clarkesworld typically… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (April 2026)
My March round-up is always late because I got distracted by Bingo. It’s an annual occurrence. But I read things, let me share my thoughts and recommendations! Short Fiction As usual, I started with two separate short fiction posts, one on Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus and the Magazine Minis post dipping into five different zines. I won’t repeat those… Continue reading March 2026 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
For the last year or so, my habit has been to supplement my monthly Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus review with a second feature where I highlight a couple different publications with multiple stories that caught my eye. This month it’s a bit longer than usual, as I’ve rolled up stories from two magazines that do smaller,… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Five-Zine Blitz (March 2026)
Everyone (myself included) is distracted by award shortlists, but there’s still new fiction being published, and there’s plenty to talk about in my review of the March issues of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus. Clarkesworld This month’s Clarkesworld features six short stories surrounding a novella-length centerpiece from Thomas Ha. The issue opens with Bend Like the Palm… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (March 2026)
2026 started with an unexceptional month for my usual short fiction magazines, but the reason they’re my usual magazines is that they don’t tend to miss many times in a row. And I’m pleased to report that I had a lot of fun with my February reading. Let’s take a look at this month’s Clarkesworld… Continue reading Tar Vol Reads a Magazine (or Two): Reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus (February 2026)
I’ve spent a bit of this month traveling and a bit snowed in with the kids, so my short fiction reading has been a little down from my usual. Does that mean I have nothing to recommend? (I always ask this, and the answer is always “no”). It may be a light round-up, but the… Continue reading January 2026 Round-up and Short Fiction Miscellany
Each month, I supplement my full magazine reviews of Clarkesworld and GigaNotoSaurus with Magazine Minis, in which I read a handful of intriguing stories from a couple magazines, despite not reading them cover-to-cover. To open 2026, I’ll be looking at the year’s first issues of Asimov’s and Kaleidotrope. Asimov’s Three stories immediately stood out to… Continue reading Tar Vol’s Magazine Minis: Asimov’s and Kaleidotrope
