Category archives: read

Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction

by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight (Editors)
  • “Simbi” by Sandra Jackson-Opoku ★★½
  • “Housewarming for a Lion Goddess” by Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga ★★★
  • “A Knight in Tunisia” by Alex Jennings ★★★
  • “The Devil Is Us” by Mirette Bahgat ★★½
  • “The Lady of the Yellow-painted Library” by Tobi Ogundiran ★★½
  • “The
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Pretend I’m Dead

by Jen Beagin

Her work is peppered with white moments in otherwise humorous, off-center, compulsive reading. This one includes racist lampshading (‘I choose to have my character say something racist apropos of no theme, but she acknowledges it’s racist so it’s ok’).

The Wishing Pool and Other Stories

by Tananarive Due
  • “The Wishing Pool” ★★★
  • “Haint in the Window” ★★★
  • “Incident at Bear Creek Lodge” ★★★
  • “Thursday Night Shift” ★★★★
  • “Last Stop on Route 9” ★★
  • “Suppertime” ★★★
  • “Rumpus Room” ★★★
  • “Migration” ★½
  • “Caretaker” ★★
  • “One Day Only” ★★★½
  • “Attachment Disorder” ★★★
  • “Ghost Ship” ★★★½
  • “Shopping Day” ★★★
  • “The
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Wylding Hall

by Elizabeth Hand

The Mary Poppins-speak is beyond belabored, alongside amateur journalist mythmaking with the principal characters speaking about themselves as if they were their own fans (‘history in the making‘, ‘we were all young and beautiful and gifted‘). The author compares characters to celebrities instead of … Read more