Title: Rabbit Test and Other Stories
Author: Samantha Mills
Pages: 256
Genre: Short Stories
This subversive debut short-fiction collection comes from one of the hottest talents in speculative fiction: 2025 Compton Crook Award winner and World Fantasy and Pushcart Prize nominee Samantha Mills (The Wings Upon Her Back). The cornerstone of the collection is Mills’ pivotal Nebula, Locus, and Sturgeon award-winning story “Rabbit Test,” which interrogates the past, present, and future of abortion rights in America.
Introduction by Meg Elison
A time-traveling fisherwoman keeps landing on the right shore, but at the wrong time. A pair of witches fight over the gate between life and death. A new consciousness, intent upon seeing all the wonders of the universe, visits a floating library. A rock-and-roll legend squares off against a town full of devils. Humanity makes first contact, but falters when put in charge of selecting the world’s representatives.
These riveting stories run the gamut of the genre, transitioning from fantasy to contemporary, then into the farthest reaches of space. They take place in strange and emotional worlds, with stakes ranging from the epic to the personal, with ample room for humor and hope amidst tragedy.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this collection from NetGalley and it’s officially out in the world as of April 21st! From what I’ve seen, it’s been getting a lot of love and honestly? I get it.
This is a beautifully crafted collection of short stories that blends fantasy, sci-fi, and soft horror in a way that feels both immersive and emotionally sharp. This was my first time reading Samantha Mills, and saying I’m impressed feels like an understatement. The atmosphere, the shifting narrative voices, the emotional weight carried through each story, well it’s all done beautifully. It takes serious skill to make a collection feel this cohesive while still giving each story its own identity.
That said, I found myself personally gravitating more toward the fantasy and soft horror pieces over the sci-fi, but that’s purely preference, not a critique of the writing itself.
There were a few stories I desperately wanted more from, ones that honestly could’ve stood on their own as novellas:
Strange Waters is a beautifully haunting story about a fisherwoman caught in a relentless loop through time, driven by one goal: to return to her own time and be reunited with her children. It’s not only atmospheric but deeply emotional. As a mother, it stirred something personal and emotional in me.
Adrianna in Pomegranate was just an intriguing story that I felt needed more substance, more detail and a bit of a longer story. It explores grief in a way that feels raw and familiar, especially for anyone who has experienced the loss of a child, myself included.
A Shadow is a Memory of a Ghost is complicated, layered, and quietly powerful. Two sisters shaped by an abusive father, now raising children of their own in very different ways. There’s tension, shared trauma, and this underlying sense of love that never fully disappeared. It felt unfinished in the best (and most frustrating) way because it was truly an oddly beautiful story. I really wanted to see where their children’s stories would go as well.
Kiki Hernandez Beats the Devil is absolute pure chaotic fun! This one doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s exactly why it works. It’s sassy, a little absurd, and completely entertaining. I would’ve loved more backstory and more adventures with her new companion Lucy and her lovable hellhound companion, Ozzy.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this collection if you love stories that are atmospheric, a little dystopian, emotionally driven, and genre-blending. There’s something here for everyone and at least a few that will stay with you long after you’ve finished.
Hope you enjoyed the review!
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