Tales from the Raven

The Men in the Mirror, by Steve Ray* A well-told tale of alternate time travel, this story was engaging and carefully plotted.  I occasionally found the descriptions long-winded, but they were also poetic.  Some nitpics: In the first scene it is clear from the pov character’s reaction to his older self that he’s not met Chuck [...]

Gnome Improvement, by Rebecca Lickiss. Short Review: This delightful story will have you checking your garden dragon for a slight change in position and going in search of a lawn gnome to purchase.  Winsome and humorous by turns, this story feels like a modern fairy tale or fable in disguise. Long Reveiw: While there is [...]

Baby Girl, by Jon Skovron Short Reveiw: Not your typical ‘to hell and back’ piece, this story was a little slow in the begining, but creative and fun.  Who knew the devil had good parenting advice? Long Review: I found this story more intriguing than interesting, if you’ll allow me to split hairs.  The writer [...]

Protection Money, by Wen Spencer Short Review: A well fleshed-out world and tough characters bring this story to life.  Gritty by turns yet emotionally touching, I found it a very enjoyable read. Long Review: The truth is, I’m trying not to gush.  The depth of the world-creation is very impressive, and the characters will live on [...]

Power of Illusion, by Christopher Anvil Short Review: As a fitting final story to the Sci Fi portion of the zine and a bridge introduction to the fantasy portion, this story draws strongly on the heritage of both genres.  With realistic characterization, a good sub-plot, and impressive use of all the senses to create a vivid [...]

Little Sips, by Barbara J. Ferrenz Short Review: One of those unusual stories which manages to mix fantasy, horror, and humor.  Like a carefully made cake, each ingredient must go into the mix at the right time and be the right portion.  Barbara has baked this story into a tasty morsel. Long Review: The story begins [...]

A Time to Kill, by S. Andrew Swann Short Review: A chilling story that definitely got me thinking.  Not a story I’d read or share so much for enjoyment as for discussion, both of the story and its flaws. Long Review: An excellent sample of the complexity of human existence and the difficulty in predicting [...]

The Old Woman in the Young Woman, by Gene Wolfe.  Illustrated by Emily Tolson (scroll link to bottom of page). Short Review: The kind of story that sticks in your brain, and maybe you find yourself mentioning to a friend or coworker.  Has a few small kinks in the plot which I go into below, [...]

All the Things You Are, by Mike Resnick.  Illustrated by Pamelina H.  Short Review: I’d recomend this story to someone interested in a light, easy read, that will still take the brain out for a thought exploration.  Each step of the story is fairly predictable, but is written in an entertaining style. Long Reveiw: (no really blatant spoilers, [...]

I’ve been interested in Baen’s Universe for awhile, so I jumped at the chance to get a free copy of V1 #3 in exchange for a reveiw and a link.  Once I downloaded the pdf, I realized that the 163 pages of content was more than I could read in a sitting or two.  So I’ve decided to [...]