My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Novella category. I had read and loved the previous instalment of the series, and I was looking forward to reading this one. I was not disappointed.
In What Feasts at Night retired soldier Alex Easton returns in a horrifying new adventure. After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia. In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I believe this to be a strong contender for the Hugo this year. (★★★★)
Started: Apr 07 2025 Finished: Apr 13 2025

My review: This review is for "Three Faces of a Beheading" by Arkady Martine (goodreads keeps merging the story with the magazine it first appear on).
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Stories category. I had previously read and deeply loved other fiction by the author, hence I was looking forward to reading this.
The story is about how history is shaped and interpreted by the winners, triggered by the internal turmoil of being a pro-Palestine and Jewish writer during the tragic 2024 events in the region. The story is particularly interesting because of this juxtaposition of an academic, intellectual analysis of the narrative being shaped, and the internal screaming for what is happening.
This is one of the strongest contenders for the Hugo in the category (but this year is full of strong candidates... I am having an hard time to rank them this year!). (★★★★)
Started: Apr 13 2025 Finished: Apr 13 2025

My review: This review is for "We Will Teach You How To Read We Will Teach You How To Read" by Caroline M. Yoachim (goodreads keeps merging the story with the magazine it first appear on).
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Stories category. I had previously read and deeply liked other fiction by the author, hence I was looking forward to reading this.
I really liked this story: the plot is interesting, but what really makes it stand apart is the originality of the story form. It really succeed in creating an uncanny feel of weird, alien that is so hard to really create.
I both read both the short story and listened to its audio adaptation. They are both great, and I recommend trying both because each of them is able to provide something that the other cannot.
This is another strong contender for the award this year... it will be hard to pick one among so many good options. (★★★★★)
Started: Apr 13 2025 Finished: Apr 13 2025

My review: This review is for "Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole" by Isabel J. Kim (goodreads keeps merging the story with the magazine it first appear on).
Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Stories category. I had never read anything by this author, and I was looking forward to discover somebody new!
As it should be obvious from the title, this story continues the conversation that Ursula K. Le Guin started with The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, and continued over the years by others (notably Jemisin's The Ones Who Stay and Fight). The continued conversation is proof of how deep and influential was Le Guin's story. Expecially when each new story turns out has a lot more to say.
This is a great story and I am looking forward to reading more by this author. (★★★)
Started: Apr 13 2025 Finished: Apr 13 2025

My review: This review is for Marginalia by Mary Robinette Kowal (goodreads keeps merging the story with the magazine where it was first published, even if it is available separately).
I had previously read and enjoyed this author's sci-fi work, but this is the first time I read one of her fantasy stories. There are clearly some of her signature themes mixed in, for example the exploration of gender roles, but it reads very different from her usual work. It's an enjoyable and good story, with an original "monster". Who needs dragons when you have giant acid snails?
I re-read this story when it became a Hugo finalist because I did not remember it well. I have to say the story grew on me and I liked it more the second time around. It's a good story, with a good heart. (★★★)
Number of times I read it: 2
Started (last time): Apr 12 2025 Finished (last time): Apr 12 2025

My review: Every year I read all the finalists of the most prestigious science fiction awards (at least in the English speaking world): the Hugo awards. This story is a finalist in the Short Stories category.
This review if for Five Views of the Planet Tartarus by Rachael K. Jones (goodreads keeps merging the short story with the magazine where it first appeared).
This is an extremely short story and it was marked as flash fiction when it first appeared. While I am usually not fond of the extremely short format, this is a notable exception: despite its length, it manages to be disquieting. The story is set in a future where interstellar travel is possible, and the worst criminal are given a very severe form of punishment on planet Tartarus. I will not say more to avoid spoilers.
I could see this story winning the Hugo... it's definitely one of the best flash fiction story I have ever come across. (★★★★)
Started: Apr 12 2025 Finished: Apr 12 2025

My review: I am fond of the Star Wars fictional universe: I have a nostalgic attachment to it, and despite some drops in quality along the way (e.g. The Phantom Menace), recent installments like Rogue One, The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi were even better than the original series. Because of this fondness, I started reading some of Star Wars books during my commute or doing some chores. The quality is not always great, but they are usually at least enjoyable.
This is the second book of the Padmé trilogy I read, and while the first one was just OK, this one is remarkably good. It's the story of the first prequel movie, but seen from Queen Amidala point of view... and much better than the movie!
When fourteen-year-old Padmé Naberrie wins the election for Queen of Naboo, she adopts the name Amidala and leaves her family to the rule from the royal palace. To keep her safe and secure, she’ll need a group of skilled handmaidens who can be her assistants, confidantes, defenders, and decoys. Each girl is selected for her particular talents, but it will be up to Padmé to unite them as a group. When Naboo is invaded by forces of the Trade Federation, Queen Amidala and her handmaidens will face the greatest test—of themselves, and of each other.
I am looking forward reading the third and last instalment of the series (even if each book so far is pretty much stand alone). (★★★★★)
Started: Mar 29 2025 Finished: Apr 09 2025

My review: Goodreads keeps collapsing multiple short stories into the magazine they first appear in. So I'll just merge the various reviews together here.
• This review is for 10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days by Samantha Mills.
I have previously read and deeply loved another story by this same author (Rabbit Test) and I was quite excited to read something else by the same author. I was not disappointed.
The story was written shortly after the USA 2024 Presidential election as the author is trying to come to term with the results while also trying to not give up to despair. It's a very interestingly written story, deeply powerful and, at the end, despite the topics (10 very tragic futures), is also full of hope. I am looking forward to read more by this author. (★★★★★)
• This review is for Butterfly Pavilion by G. Willow Wilson.
I had read some comics by this author (they were quite good!), but never some of her non graphic fiction. I liked it, but I am left wanting for more. The story is too short, I think it could be extended into a longer story. I will definitely read more by this author in the future. (★★★)
Overall: (★★★★)
Started: Mar 22 2025 Finished: Mar 22 2025

My review: Goodreads keeps collapsing multiple short stories into the magazine they first appear in. So I'll just merge the various reviews together here.
• This review is for The Flaming Embusen by Tade Thompson
I had not read anything by this author, so I did not know what to expect.... I was in for a treat. The story is deep and exquisite, a very interesting reflection on personhood, ethics, and AGI... and implicitly on "race" and slavery. If it was for the ending that I found a little disappointing and confusing, it would be a solid 5 stars. I definitely want to read more by this author. (★★★★)
• This review is for Six People to Revise You by J.R. Dawson
I never read anything by this author before, but... I as blow away. It's by far one of the best short stories I read in years. It is not only extremely well-written, but it is also prefund. The story is set in a future where people can get "revisions" and change themselves. In order to do so, they need to collect notes from 6 people... I won't say more to avoid any spoiler... you should really read this one! It looks like the author has a high rated book out... I'll definitely read that soon. (★★★★★)
Overall: (★★★★)
Started: Mar 22 2025 Finished: Mar 22 2025

My review: Stephen King has written quite a lot, including some remarkable books and some less great ones. Years ago I decided to read his Magnus Opus, the extended Dark Tower series, and I have been slowly working my way through it. The previous installments have been a mixed bag, some mediocre, some good. This one was entertaining.
Roland Deschain and his ka-tet—Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler—encounter a ferocious storm just after crossing the River Whye on their way to the Outer Baronies. As they shelter from the howling gale, Roland tells his friends not just one strange story but two . . . and in so doing, casts new light on his own troubled past.
In his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt-ridden year following his mother’s death, Roland is sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a “skin-man” preying upon the population around Debaria. Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, the brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast’s most recent slaughter. Only a teenager himself, Roland calms the boy and prepares him for the following day’s trials by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother often read to him at bedtime. “A person’s never too old for stories,” Roland says to Bill. “Man and boy, girl and woman, never too old. We live for them.” And indeed, the tale that Roland unfolds, the legend of Tim Stoutheart, is a timeless treasure for all ages, a story that lives for us.
The novel structure is reminiscent of the One Thousands and One Nights, with the story nested one inside the other. It was entertaining and fun to read, but King's has done better in other books. (★★★)
Started: Feb 01 2025 Finished: Feb 23 2025

My review: Octavia Butler was an incredibly talented author of moving and prophetic science fiction novels.
Back in 2000 she wrote an essay for Essence Magazine that teaches us the capacity we have to understand the future, as well as our limitations.
In Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, she foresee a near future of increasing drug addiction and illiteracy, marked by the popularity of prisons and the unpopularity of public schools, the vast and growing gap between the rich and everyone else, and the whole nasty family of problems brought on by global warming.... including populist ultra-religious dictators.
In this essay she says there's no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There's no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers–at least. Each one of us can be one of them if we choose to be.
I am very sad we lost her in her prime. She was an bright and insightful writer, and she had a tons still to offer. (★★★★)
Started: Feb 01 2025 Finished: Feb 01 2025

My review: Despite the book being so popular that the title became a commonly used expression, I had never read it. It was picked by my book club and I was happy to finally read this classic.
The book is set in Italy during World War II. It is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.
While set in WWII, it was written after the Korean war and during the Vietnam war, and it does reflect some of the attitudes towards war of the era.
It's a good read and I am planning to read the sequel sometime soon! (★★★)
Started: Nov 29 2024 Finished: Jan 29 2025

My review: I have previously read and loved stories by Mary Robinette Kowal, and I was quite eager to read this latest collaboration of her with Sanderson.
In the near future, humans choose life - for a price. Injectable nanite technology is the lifeblood that flows through every individual wishing to experience the world through the lens of their own theme. While death from mortal wounds is still possible, life is made easier in a socially liberated society where automation and income equality allow passion pursuits to flourish over traditional work. Renewal stations are provided to every law-abiding citizen for weekly check-ins, which issue life-sustaining repairs in exchange for personal privacy. But what becomes of those who check out, of those who dare to resist immortality and risk being edited under the gaze of an identity-extracting government surveillance system? When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room, her memory compromised and a new identity imposed on her, a team of government agents wastes no time stating their objective. With intent to infiltrate and defeat the terrorist group ICON, the agents tell Holly that she is now a Provisional Replica and has one week to hunt down and kill her Original for the murder of her husband, Jonathan. If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s place in society. If she fails, her life will end. Holly’s progress is monitored by an assigned contact that feeds her information as she confronts the blank, robotic world around her, discovering that others view life through the theme of their own choosing. With her newly implanted combat and deduction skills, Holly fends off both attacks by terrorists and doubts about her own trustworthiness as clues lead her to her Original - and to the truth about Jonathan.
It's an extremely entertaining story, even if [spoilers removed]. Still, this was quite a lot of fun. (★★★★)
Started: Jan 04 2025 Finished: Jan 05 2025

My review: Stephen King has written quite a lot, including some remarkable books and some less great ones. His work can be relatively diverse for a genre author, and I did not know what to expect. The plot was relatively "standard" as horror goes: a horror author who is traveling home after a writer conference. On his way home he stops at a yard sale, where he buys a creepy painting which was painted by a metal-head neighbor just before he committed suicide. He does not know at the time, but he will get more than he has bargained for.
It's an entertaining ok story, but if you are new to King do not start here, he has written much more interesting stories. (★★)
Started: Jan 04 2025 Finished: Jan 04 2025

My review: This review is for The Geckomancer’s Lament by Lauren Beukes (Goodreads keeps merging it with the magazine where it first appeared), that I read in January 2025.
I have never read anything by this author, so I did not know what to expect. It was quite remarkable. On the surface it is a funny romp of a story, with a lot of funny moments, but with a lot of depth at the same time, with a reflection on colonialism and other-ness. I strongly recommend listening to the interview with the author available on the podcast version of the magazine.
This is the story of TrkTkTskTkTrkTs, a gecko necromancer that is traveling with Oberon, Nokwazi, and Disebo (all magical creatures) to get back for different reasons to the Conquistas.... I will not say more to avoid spoilers!

This review is for Woodmask by Adrian Tchaikovsky (goodreads keeps merging it with the magazine where it first appeared), that I read in December 2024.
This is the story of Leskia, one among the poorest of the poor in the occupied city of Ilmar. Her life is tough, her mum is dead and her dad has a gambling addiction. She barely survives begging, and the few coins she sometimes manage to get are soon in the pockets of the thugs, the poor that prey on other poor to survive. One day, desperate, she set foot into the Grove, that was always there even before Ilmar was built. The Grove, where everyone is afraid to go... (★★★)
Number of times I read it: 2
Started (last time): Jan 04 2025 Finished (last time): Jan 04 2025

My review: This review is for Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont by P.A. Cornell (Goodreads keeps merging it with the magazine it first appeared in). I have never read anything by this author, and I did not know what to expect... I was quite positively surprised!
The story is set in New York, in Manhattan. Over there there is a special building that lives out of time and called The Oakmont. In there people from different historical periods live across the aisle from each other... but they must follow very strict rules. The main character is Sarah, living in our time, and slowly falling for Roger, living during world war II.
A great read, and I cannot wait to read more by this author! (★★★★)
Started: Jan 03 2025 Finished: Jan 03 2025

My review: I had never read anything by this author before, so I did not know what to expect. I heard a lot of good things about it, so I decided to give it a try. It turned out to be one of the best books I have read in decades: it's impossible to put down, fast-paced and fun, well-written, characters are memorable, diverse, intriguing, and very complex. I really cannot wait to read the prequel next!
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. And Niclays, an embittered alchemist, who seeks the key to eternal life while in exhile. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
This is really a good book, that I strongly recommend to everyone. (★★★★★)
Started: Oct 27 2024 Finished: Jan 02 2025

My review: This review is for The Music of the Siphorophenes by C. L. Polk. I had previously read and deeply loved Even Though I Knew the End, and I was looking forward reading more by this author. I was not disappointed. This is the story of a space tour guide, with a hunch to find Siphorophenes, magical looking creatures floating in space on the pirate infested edges of the solar system. One day a famous pop singer try to convince them to risk it to meet these incredible sentient species... and get more than she bargained for. (★★★★)
Started: Jan 02 2025 Finished: Jan 02 2025