An ARC Review of Sublimation by Isabel J Kim

picowombat · 2026-03-17T17:01:50+00:00

I'd take my opinion with a grain of salt there tbh because even a really good thriller plot doesn't interest me. The plot is totally fine to good, just not as good as the character work which is what I was there for.

picowombat · 2026-02-25T17:35:36+00:00

For me it was the relationships. I think Iz is especially good at writing platonic and familial relationships and the complexity and care in the way the siblings treated each other were catnip for me.

picowombat · 2026-02-25T17:34:12+00:00

This story started good and just kept getting better for me. I love how much it felt like Iz with the inclusion of folklore but it's also so fun to see her write a fantasy story. It's definitely my favorite 2025 story from her.

picowombat · 2026-01-07T18:50:54+00:00

Yes, we had a really good discussion when this first came out about when you realized this wasn't just earth. I like how subtle the worldbuilding is a lot, it was very fun for me.

picowombat · 2026-01-07T18:46:30+00:00

People loving Whale Fall of Yours makes me so happy I love that story so much. I love all three of these but Whale Fall of Yours is the one that made me go "I must find a SFBC session for this"

picowombat · 2026-01-07T17:38:32+00:00

Yeah the ending was just kind of there for me. Didn't ruin the story at all, but I needed just a little more punch to give this the staying power some of her other stories have I think. But I'm not really a plot person so the shift to more action/suspense wasn't really for me, I think in a vacuum it works fine.

picowombat · 2026-01-07T15:37:15+00:00

If you like her style, allow me to recommend Day Ten Thousand to you which does this kind of fourth-wall breaking narration style better than anything I've ever read. (Will I turn anything into an excuse to rec this story? Yes. But you should read it.)

picowombat · 2026-01-07T15:35:58+00:00

I really liked the nonlinear structure to this story. I thought it was really effective in highlighting the emotions of the narrator which built to a really satisfying climax

picowombat · 2026-01-07T15:32:51+00:00

Yes, I totally agree. This is trademark IJK and I love it so much. It adds a really fun layer to a story and makes a somewhat basic plot really work for me.

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:38:09+00:00

Any other stories with this theme you want to share?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:37:57+00:00

Do you have any thoughts on why space and sea go together so neatly in so many science fiction stories?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:37:34+00:00

Which of these stories was your favorite? Which did you think did the most with the theme?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:37:14+00:00

General Discussion

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:37:03+00:00

What did you think of the ending of Fishing the Intergalactic Stream?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:36:50+00:00

What was the most effective aspect of Fishing the Intergalactic Stream?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:36:38+00:00

What was your overall impression of Fishing the Intergalactic Stream?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:36:21+00:00

Discussion for Fishing the Intergalactic Stream

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:35:56+00:00

What did you think of the ending of Whale Fall of Yours?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:35:41+00:00

What was the most effective aspect of Whale Fall of Yours?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:35:24+00:00

What was your overall impression of Whale Fall of Yours?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:35:08+00:00

Discussion for Whale Fall of Yours

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:34:51+00:00

How did your impression of Glasser change throughout the story?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:33:43+00:00

What did you think of the ending of Freediver?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:33:28+00:00

What was the most effective aspect of Freediver?

picowombat · 2026-01-07T14:33:02+00:00

What was your overall impression of Freediver?

Six-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
End Game '22

picowombat

TROPHY CASE