[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]

Strange Horizons, May 13, 2024

“A Recipe for Life, A Tonic for Grief” by Christopher Blake

Reviewed by Mike Bickerdike

“A Recipe for Life, A Tonic for Grief” by Christopher Blake is a short story concerned with grief. The fantasy elements play a secondary, supportive role to the tale; an approach which works rather well. A woman lost her mother a few years ago but has had no opportunity to grieve as she’s been caring for her father, who is also dying. Not the most uplifting subject-matter perhaps, but it manages to avoid being too maudlin and indulgent. The fantasy elements come from the woman’s search for a cure of any kind for her father—a wish that leads to the delivery of a book of recipes that may hold the key to her grief and sadness. It’s quite well-written, and the end is not exactly as expected, which raises the story above the average. That said, one can’t help feeling the ideas presented here cover pretty well-trodden ground, and the ‘fantasy recipe’ seems to be an increasingly used trope.

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