"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
A quick one to take you into the weekend on a more uplifting note.
Every Shade of Healing by Taryn Frazier — 1,000 words (about 4 minutes for the average reader)
From Issue 136 of Apex Magazine originally published 7 March 2023
Here is a story in the category of “Be careful what you wish for.” Remember, everything has a price.
The Boy Who Will Become Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker (2018) — 3,160 words (about 12 minutes for the average reader)
From Issue 92 of Lightspeed Magazine originally published January 2018
Here is a very short fantasy with something to say about wealth and greed.
Simmered in Their Wealth Like the Richest of Sauces by Jo Miles (2023) — 1,568 words (about 6 minutes for the average reader)
From Issue 160 of Lightspeed Magazine originally published September 2023
A Chinese woman arrives in Hollywood to make it big; she signs a contract but things don’t quite go to her liking, or her agent’s.
The Toll of the Snake by Grace P. Fong (2023) — 4,900 words (about 19 minutes for the average reader)
I’m a big fan of this author. Both of her novels (A Song for a New Day and We Are Satellites) are fantastic. Highly recommended. This story was rated the fourth best story of 2024 by Uncanny magazine readers. For me, it was the best of the top five stories selected by readers.
Signs of Life by Sarah Pinsker (2024) — 11,996 words (about 48 minutes for the average reader)
I used to be an Uber driver. Many riders asked me if I was ever afraid of someone getting in my car. I never was, but this amazing story may have changed my answer.
Your Rover Is Here by LP Kindred (2023) – 3,500 words (about 14 minutes for the average reader)
As part of my starting to read more short fiction again in the new year, I decided to read the original fiction published online by Tor in the their *Reactor* magazine. It is free and stories are published intermittently throughout the year at https://reactormag.com/fictions/original-fiction/. This story came out on Monday, and I read it while eating breakfast Wednesday morning.
When a tragedy befalls an unnamed resort town in the woods, a teenage girl is forced to come to terms with who she is and what she needs to do to preserve her town. Saying much more than that would spoil the experience of such a short work of fiction (14,080 words). It is dark fantasy with a foreboding feel. It takes place in the spring and the sense of potential jumps from the page. It is ultimately a coming of age story with the heaviness of decision and responsibility.
The writing is very evocative, dripping with emotion throughout. A very atmospheric tale where spring almost feels like a character.
My rating: 4/5
After finishing my previous audiobook, I looked for another Hugo award-winning novel that was available to borrow without a wait. I ended up borrowing this one. It was published on the tenth anniversary of the original. The text of this audiobook is that favored by the author. It is somewhat longer than the original with some minor changes, as the author explains in his “Note on the Text” in the front of the book.
Shadow, a man just getting out of prison, is approached and offered a job working for a man named Wednesday. He is to be his driver and errand boy. At first he declines. After a tragedy in his life, with nothing else going on, he agrees. The book is largely the story of their relationship. As you can probably guess from the book’s title, Wednesday is a god. I’ll leave it up to the reader to decide which one. The story follows the two as a war brews between the old gods and the new gods.
I really enjoyed the storytelling in this book. The audiobook is a full cast production and really brings the story to life. Shadow struggles with meaning in his life and his relationships. I really appreciate stories that explore aspects of the human condition. Interestingly, even the gods seem to struggle with that. The writing isn’t in any sense what I would call literary. That said, it does get out of the way and let the story sing.
My rating: 4/5
I learned about this book from my partner. She had suggested I read the first three books in the series. Not long after, she told me that the author had written a fourth. We recently watched the entire TV series on Netflix, so I decided to finally read this book as it picks up where the series left off.
This is the story of Marcus and Phoebe. Phoebe becomes a vampire in order to mate with Marcus. We follow her experience as a fledgling and learn about the tribulations of the change. At the same time, we learn of Marcus’s past, including how he met Matthew and became a vampire himself. While I highly recommend reading the other books in the series first, the author does an excellent job of bringing to the reader’s mind the things that came before.
There wasn’t anything spectacular about this book. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed learning about the continuing lives of characters that I have come to care about in earlier books. But there isn’t any great conflict that drives this story. It just kind of sits there. I’m glad I read it and spent more time in this world. But it would not have been any great loss if I had skipped it either.
My rating: 3.5/5
I came across an interview with the author of this novella in Locus, “the magazine of science fiction and fantasy field”. What really got me interested enough to read it was this passage from the interview. “… you can’t discuss what that book is about without spoiling it. It’s got a big twist, and even to summarize what the book is about is to take a step towards spoilers. It’s basically a Stepford Wives meets ‘Bluebeard’ thing – but it’s not either of those things.” I was intrigued.
Despite what the author says, I will make a short attempt to summarize the plot. This is a fantasy thriller. Each chapter is named after a variety of apple. It opens with the beginning of an agreement that residents of a neighborhood have to sign and live by. The next chapter opens with the protagonist saying, “I was made for him.” Right away that was creepy for me, making me feel something was wrong. From there the chapters alternate between continuing the resident agreement (which gets weirder and weirder) and the woman as she slowly starts to question her life and her world. As the author says, there is a big twist at the end that will have you looking back on what you read and seeing it in a very different light.
The writing here is very engaging. I was enveloped by the story and the mystery. The use of the first person is very effective at bringing you into the protagonist’s world and viewpoint. At first I was turned off by the whole “I was made for my man” vibe. But as the protagonist grows to question things, the story become more and more feminist. in the end, it is a fantastic fresh look at an old familiar allegory.
My rating: 4/5