Wombling Along!

reviews

Dec 6

Helloooo!

Welcome to the weekend! This is the blog’ s weekly look at reviews and other online articles that may be worth a look.

It’s been a very busy week at work as we rush to the end of the year and reading time is limited but rather than complain I thought it’d share some recent book focused podcasts entertaining me before shifts start. Today’s gif is very much how I feel After five days of them!

A Meal of Thorns - two people doing a deep dive into a book each episode. Really interesting choices and discussions

Breaking The Glass Slipper - a podcast with a feminist approach to the genres. This longstanding favourite of mine mixes author interviews with discussions.

Fiction Fans - another very interesting podcast taking a book and giving a non spoiler and spoiler filled review. Also mixed with author interviews

Starship Alexandria - two great authors discuss and tempt each other with their favourite things. I really love the discussions

Long Story Short - this book podcast by the British Fantasy society mixes guests with topics and is really growing to be a regular listen

Now back to the Booktempting (not by me but other people!

Reviews

Locus looks very impressed by Snake-eater by Gary K Wolfe

https://locusmag.com/review/snake-eater-by-t-kingfisher-review-by-gary-k-wolfe/

I also need to seek out The Map of Lost Places edited by Sheree Renee Thomas and Lesley Connor

https://locusmag.com/review/the-map-of-lost-places-edited-by-sheree-renee-thomas-lesley-conner-review-by-gabino-iglesias/

Strange Horizons really likes The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi

http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/the-autumn-springs-retirement-home-massacre-by-philip-fracassi/

Reactor tempts with a look at some interesting October short fiction

https://reactormag.com/must-read-short-speculative-fiction-october-2025/

Fantasy Hive thinks well of The Cellar Below The Cellar by Ivy Grimes

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/12/the-cellar-below-the-cellar-by-ivy-grimes-book-review/

Jamedi adds to the many enjoying All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu

https://jamreads.com/reviews/all-that-we-see-or-seem-julia-z-1-by-ken-liu

The Bookwyrm’s Hoard reminds me to soon read Audition for the Fox by Martin Cahill

https://thebookwyrmshoard25.blogspot.com/2025/12/audition-for-fox-by-martin-cahill.html?m=1

I also liked this very balanced review of Song of the Dryads by Bailey Saxon

https://beforewegoblog.com/sfincs-review-song-of-the-dryads-bailey-saxon/?amp=1

Articles

Very rightly everyone is praising this Speculative night interview with Anne Leckie and Arkady Martine

https://www.speculativeinsight.com/extras/leckie-and-martine

the site has also this impressive essay about playing with the format and issues of the ‘classic’ hero’s journey

https://www.speculativeinsight.com/essays/hero-journey

Strange Horizons equally has this look at how a lot of SF has a skewed look at complex issues. This excellent bit of analysis

http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/photon-torpedoes-break-the-space-muqarnas-sff-audiovisuals-and-anti-muslim-violence/

Gingernuts celebrated St Andrews Day with a tempting list of Scottish horror authors

https://gnofhorror.com/scottish-horror-authors-to-read-on-st-andrews-day/

Reactor points out there is more to Chinese SF and fantasy than Liu Cixin

https://reactormag.com/beyond-liu-cixin-5-new-translated-chinese-sff-books/

At Sci Fi Now Lorraine Wilson explores ocean themed genre tales

https://www.scifinow.co.uk/books/gazing-into-the-abyss-ten-sff-books-that-dive-into-the-ocean-and-our-relationship-with-it/

There is Always Room For One More goes back to Ancillary Justice

https://onemore.org/2025/11/30/ancillary-justice-week-four/

I really like Lizbeth Myles exploring the Time Lords of Doctor Who and their relationship to constitutional law

https://lmmyles.com/2025/12/03/the-laws-of-rassilon-constitutional-and-criminal-law-on-gallifrey/

Alex Pagliuca looks at why we love horror

https://www.patreon.com/posts/art-of-fear-and-136768294

Reactor has this really good look at why we keep reading - I really related to this

https://reactormag.com/what-keeps-you-reading/

This week the playwright Tom Stoppard passed away and while acclaimed for his theatre work he also worked on film scripts as a script doctor. Juliet E McKenna shared this article which shows both the talent and how editing improves a story

https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade-learning-from-stoppard/

Last up and a useful reminder when this time of year gets to us I really liked Stop doing a Kirk

https://www.cavletter.com/stop-beating-yourself-up/

Round Ups

Salon Futura has a new issue mixing reviews and more

https://www.salonfutura.net/2025/12/issue-74/

There Is Always Room For One More rounds up Sci Fi Month

https://onemore.org/2025/12/01/redux-scifimonth-2025/

Words for Worlds has another great edition

https://gautambhatia.substack.com/p/words-for-worlds-issue-109

The Full Lid needs to be in your inbox

https://mailchi.mp/80c6e21f4c2f/the-full-lid-5th-december-2025