Review of "Mindlessly Massive (2026): Deluxe issue" from Foofaraw
- Megan Diedericks
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
What strikes me most (not just my excitement over a longer issue from Foofaraw Press) is how everything in Mindlessly Massive (2026) is transportational. You will get sucked in by each and every single piece of writing: fiction, review, or otherwise.
This issue lives on a plane where the world is flipped on its head, yet everything ties in with the "normal" world we live in. Which is very on brand for Foofaraw!
The fiction is incredible, so naturally, here's my list of (small-ish) thoughts:
• Moon Drama – Ashlee Lhamon
Funny in that perfectly dark way.
• My Personal Thief – Rachel Davey
The ending that gave me chills. The theme that's mostly coming to mind is reclamation of the self.
• Ecsape Algorithm – B. Morris Allen
A fantasy tale in a way I've never read before—the repetition, the slow build to the end... so good!
• The Abyss in the Depths of Her Eyes – Isis Aquino (translated by Monica Louzon)
The ending makes silence feel palpable. The way it's so character-driven really solidfies the ending.
• Basement Girls & Attic Gods – H. Marin
Such a powerful story about perseverance and moving forward. Another thing I loved about it is the monster (which I suspect can also act as a metaphor)—it was very unsettling!
• Silent Disco – A.J. Hodges
This made me question the fabric of reality. I love when a story makes me pause and go, "Wait... what the f*ck?"
• How To Paint a Prairie Ghost Train – Tyler Lee
Probably my favorite (very difficult to choose just one), the friendship between the characters at the heart of this story did it for me.
• Of Iron & Oatmeal – Michael Allen Rose
The type of horror that isn't immediately in your face; with the way humor is intertwined with impossible expectations and what could be classified as a small dash of trauma—the ending is like a gut-punch and the final line is the best of all.
The one poem, "Something Stirs" by T.K. Kestrel, reads to me like a nightmare (in a good way). It feels surreal, somewhere nothing is real yet everything is real. There's also this flow from being the spectator to being spectated. Or maybe I'm not making any sense and you need to read it for yourself... 👀
I can't forget the essays, observation, or cartoons; they are delightful in their underlying dread! I'm aware there's a lot of contrast going on in my review... that's how it felt reading Mindlessly Massive too, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
And finally, if you love knowing what inspired authors, the interviews at the end of the issue supply that and much more!
