First Review for “Whatever Happened to the Boy Who Fell Into the Lake?”

I'm so proud to share Maria Haskins' full review of my short story "Whatever Happened to the Boy Who Fell Into the Lake?" featured in the July/August, 2021 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, ed. by Sheree Renée Thomas!

"I give this story a rating of five broken hearts, meaning, I loved it. Costello's devastating tale about a boy called Tick, a boy who lives with his violent father; who has lost his mother under mysterious circumstances; and who almost, almost finds love, is beautiful, painful, and powerful. It's a story about transformation (Tick's and his mother's), it's a story about family and violence, and about curses. It's also about the call of the sea, and about how sometimes, it is impossible to escape the consequences of wrongs that were committed in the past, even before your birth, no matter how hard we try, or how much we wish things could be different."

Adds Maria: "Note: This whole issue of the magazine is outstanding and my advice is really to buy it and read the whole thing..."

Print copies of this issue will be available on newsstands soon. In the meantime, you can purchase an e-copy here.

Jul y/August, 2021 Issue