Reactor, February 2026

“Agency” by George Sandison

“Of Two Bloods” by Nisi Shawl & Cynthia Ward (not SF/F, not reviewed)

“Deathcap” by Lara Elena Donnelly

Reviewed by Mike Bickerdike

“Agency” by George Sandison is a horror novelette. An estate agent in England shows rental houses to prospective clients, knowing that the ‘landlord’ of many houses is a malevolent and horrific spirit with an urge to devour its tenants. The exact nature of the beast is never clearly divulged, but this isn’t a criticism, as it helps the story present the idea as a metaphor for the realty market, the suffocating nature of rental agreements, and the challenges many face in meeting their rent. The story offers an interesting horror theme, and while the metaphors perhaps seem a little heavy-handed, its novelty is enough to make it recommended reading.

“Deathcap” by Lara Elena Donnelly is an SF short story, written in second person (‘you’ do this, ‘you’ do that), which is generally a bad idea. Two remaining crew onboard a spaceship that has been taken over by an alien menace confront their sexual desires. The tone is meant to be confronting and gutsy, but it mostly comes across as crude and unpleasant. The problem here is that the story is too short to build any character depth or empathy, so the conclusion lacks the hammer fall it strives to produce.

More of Mike Bickerdike’s reviews and thoughts on science-fiction can be found at https://starfarersf.nicepage.io/