Two of my stories have been reviewed over on The Fix, to mixed opinions.

Of "Praise and Criticism for M. Rekling's The Bottle" (Farrago's Wainscot #5), Damien G Walter writes:

"Whilst there is an implicit sense of mystery, the real question is what MacFarlane was trying to achieve by employing such distancing effects. It isn't possible to engage on any emotional level with a series of reviews, and there isn't enough depth or detail to enter effectively into the world of the story, so the reader is left with the intellectual challenge of matching conflicting accounts of the same story to reach some understanding of their truth or otherwise."

This is a bad review I can live with, as it seems (from my perspective, anyway) to mostly illuminate the difference in our reading tastes. I can enjoy fiction that has no emotional element, that is more intellectual challenge than character/setting-rich story; Damien evidently feels differently. Which, of course, is his right.

Full review here.

"Jumping Over the Moon" (Sporty Spec) went down better:

"[the story] is a new take on the nursery rhyme, "Hey, Diddle Diddle," that takes place in an alchemist's workshop. The treatment is original, and the language playful in this entertaining romp." writes Kimberly Lundstrom.

Full review here.

It feels good to be getting reviews for my fiction, especially getting my first two in close succession. Another milestone, reached.

I also have updates on some forthcoming publications:
+ "Two Coins" has now been placed in Electric Velocipede's Issue 16, which is currently scheduled for November 2008.
+ Sybil's Garage #5, which will contain my story "Tattoos of the Sky, Tattoos of the Days," is nearing publication. No date yet, but it looks like it will be released within the next month. More news as I have it. I'm particularly excited about this one!

Tags: reviews, short fiction