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The Long Way Up
In a contemporary retelling of the Orpheus myth, one lover descends into hell to retrieve another.
Content warnings: Depicts suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, car accidents.
Content warnings: Depicts suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, car accidents.
14 pages, ebook
Published January 19, 2022
About the author
Alix E. Harrow
42 books20.7k followersa former academic, adjunct, cashier, blueberry-harvester, and kentuckian, alix e. harrow is now a full-time writer living in virginia with her husband and their semi-feral kids.
she is the hugo award-winning and nyt-bestselling author of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY (2019), THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES (2020), a duology of fairytale novellas (A SPINDLE SPLINTERED and A MIRROR MENDED), and various short fiction. her next book, STARLING HOUSE will be out on october 3rd, 2023!
her writing is represented by kate mckean at howard morhaim literary agency.
newsletter: https://writtenworld.substack.com/
email: alixeharrow at gmail.com
insta: alix.e.harrow
she is the hugo award-winning and nyt-bestselling author of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY (2019), THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES (2020), a duology of fairytale novellas (A SPINDLE SPLINTERED and A MIRROR MENDED), and various short fiction. her next book, STARLING HOUSE will be out on october 3rd, 2023!
her writing is represented by kate mckean at howard morhaim literary agency.
newsletter: https://writtenworld.substack.com/
email: alixeharrow at gmail.com
insta: alix.e.harrow
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 12, 2022
This author really can't do any wrong for me, but this was particularly beautiful.
Available here: https://thedeadlands.com/issue-09/the...
Side note though, this looks like a great issue of The Deadlands - definitely consider the buy if you can.
Available here: https://thedeadlands.com/issue-09/the...
Side note though, this looks like a great issue of The Deadlands - definitely consider the buy if you can.
February 2, 2024
"𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦.
𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭: 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠."
Mene ova žena baš pogađa. Još jedna kratka priča Alix E. Harrow koja sa tako malo reči donosi toliko emocija i daje nam suštinu ljubavi. Ovo je njena verzija mita o Orfeju i Euridiki, smeštena u moderno doba, sa problemima i barijerama savremenog čoveka, koja obrađuje važne teme.
P r e d i v n o.
𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭: 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠."
Mene ova žena baš pogađa. Još jedna kratka priča Alix E. Harrow koja sa tako malo reči donosi toliko emocija i daje nam suštinu ljubavi. Ovo je njena verzija mita o Orfeju i Euridiki, smeštena u moderno doba, sa problemima i barijerama savremenog čoveka, koja obrađuje važne teme.
P r e d i v n o.
February 10, 2023
2.5 stars. Read it because I was sampling The Deadlands and saw a familiar author name, but didn't like it. The main character sounded ridiculous from the very beginning, and the ending felt too forced to redeem anything. I wish the plot took that darker turn instead.
December 18, 2023
A sad story about loss, but also about facing the truth and what love is and can be.
May 8, 2022
Fantasy, or at least, symbolic story, of love fighting depression and a descent into hell. Very Alix Harrow (and I know have run out of her short fiction apart from something only in audiobook and the new story in an anthology coming this month). Probably one of my least favorite of her stories, though maybe I will think about it for a while...
Incidentally, touches a bit the myth underlying L'Esprit de L'Escalier but from totally different directions, and I am not sure if that did not affect my enjoyment of it.
Incidentally, touches a bit the myth underlying L'Esprit de L'Escalier but from totally different directions, and I am not sure if that did not affect my enjoyment of it.
February 20, 2023
An Orpheus & Eurydice retelling, kinda sorta, and very nicely done. Here it is online:
https://thedeadlands.com/issue-09/the...
Thanks to my GR friend Jess for the reco! Don't miss this one, if you are a sucker for a romance that death does not part. . . .
https://thedeadlands.com/issue-09/the...
Thanks to my GR friend Jess for the reco! Don't miss this one, if you are a sucker for a romance that death does not part. . . .
December 12, 2022
Reread 12/12/22
Still just as good as the first time
Love the ambiguity of the ending, so very Alix, so very beautiful.
Still just as good as the first time
Love the ambiguity of the ending, so very Alix, so very beautiful.
February 15, 2023
Ööf. In the best way. In case this gets merged, this review is for "The Long Way Up" by Alix Harrow
May 24, 2023
Vague spoilers?
Halfway thru I thought we were getting this toxic tragic selfish love that wasn't love at all. I thought it was gonna be about being in love with the IDEA of love and with someone who crumbles under the weight of that. But then the ending came... and I felt the tone change. I think the ending kind of ruined the rest of the story. So the 3 stars are for everything else and the what could have been if the ending wasn't what it was.
Halfway thru I thought we were getting this toxic tragic selfish love that wasn't love at all. I thought it was gonna be about being in love with the IDEA of love and with someone who crumbles under the weight of that. But then the ending came... and I felt the tone change. I think the ending kind of ruined the rest of the story. So the 3 stars are for everything else and the what could have been if the ending wasn't what it was.
June 13, 2023
Just read this to pass the time and bc I loved this author’s other short story but this one wasn’t nearly as good
March 23, 2024
If I was a writer, I'd want to write like Alix. E. Harrow. 🥹
April 16, 2022
The story can be read here: https://thedeadlands.com/issue-09/the...
I think this story bears re-reading, but it's a rather sweet and simple retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth.
I think this story bears re-reading, but it's a rather sweet and simple retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth.
February 21, 2022
It’s a beautiful little story about love, and about what it takes to love a depressed person. How one basically just needs to keep loving. Not to push them to get better, not to get upset that they don’t, not to pretend everything is fine. Mainly, not to inject ego into the equation, because their depression really has nothing to do with you. If one could just stay, be there, love, listen, and trust. That’s all.
January 1, 2024
I was introduced to Alix E. Harrow's writing through "The Six Deaths of the Saint" which easily became one of my favorite stories of all time. I decided to look for more of her works and discovered "The Long Way Up," a modern retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. I'm a sucker for modernized Greek mythologies so of course I had to read it, and it certainly didn't disappoint.
"The Long Way Up" follows Ocean, a widow struggling to accept the death of her husband, Ethan. She ventures into THE HOUSE OF STICKS after being tipped off by her therapist, only to discover that her husband
The writing is simple and straightforward which made it quick and easy to read, focusing instead on the story, characterization, and themes. With that said, the writing is in no means inelegant. It doesn't rely on purple prose yet it will tug at your heartstrings. The last few paragraphs in particular are very moving. Here's a part of it:
A very lovely story. Highly recommend.
"The Long Way Up" follows Ocean, a widow struggling to accept the death of her husband, Ethan. She ventures into THE HOUSE OF STICKS after being tipped off by her therapist, only to discover that her husband
The writing is simple and straightforward which made it quick and easy to read, focusing instead on the story, characterization, and themes. With that said, the writing is in no means inelegant. It doesn't rely on purple prose yet it will tug at your heartstrings. The last few paragraphs in particular are very moving. Here's a part of it:
Ocean meets Ethan’s eyes and sees love there. Not certainty, not even much confidence, but Ocean supposes that makes sense. If love isn’t preordained and perfect, if it isn’t written in the stars or divinely decided, then it’s just an act of trust, repeated. It’s an endless staircase climbed in the dark, the steps worn smooth by all the lovers who have climbed and fallen and climbed again, long before you.
It doesn’t seem like enough; she decides it is.
A very lovely story. Highly recommend.
February 19, 2022
The style and prose I have come to expect form Alix E. Harrow is a main draw for me with her work. This short story has that signature feel to it that fans will connect with from the first page. The content warning is for spoilers, so I won't get into them specifically but the relationship dynamics involving them are fascinating and visceral. Then there is this masterful foreboding that comes with how the story is structured that pairs well with what is going on in the plot. It struck a chord with me and delivered an impactful climax. The last paragraph or so especially left a mark. There is a quote in there that I wrote down, in fact. It is lovely. The sentiment of this quote and this story were wonderfully reaffirming to me and I am shocked I don't see it more often. At this point, I am awaiting the day all these shorts are bundled up in a collection that I can put on the shelf next to the other works. At this recent pace I can’t imagine it is too far off. Keep doing what you are doing at your own pace though, I’ll keep pre-ordering and hyping your work to my friends and family.
January 5, 2023
This is the first short story I’ve read by Ms. Harrow, and it hooked me just as quickly as Once and Future Witches and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. She has a gift with such a hook, which I appreciate very much.
I liked this story, but will likely need to come back to it again to really be involved. I wanted to care about the characters, and the main character’s name, Ocean, is not lost on me; I’ve lost half a dozen people in my life since 2015, including both parents and a longtime friend, and have always compared grief to waves, ebbing, flowing, quiet, then crashing and toiling about. I’m not sure if this is a spoiler in its truest sense, but the overall sentiment of the story felt just like that for me; it was too short to be entrenched in Ocean’s experiences, however, and the sudden shift with her therapist felt too easy. I wish it were just a bit longer, that it had the time to truly swallow me in its melancholy. Alas, it’s not, and so 4 stars it is.
I liked this story, but will likely need to come back to it again to really be involved. I wanted to care about the characters, and the main character’s name, Ocean, is not lost on me; I’ve lost half a dozen people in my life since 2015, including both parents and a longtime friend, and have always compared grief to waves, ebbing, flowing, quiet, then crashing and toiling about. I’m not sure if this is a spoiler in its truest sense, but the overall sentiment of the story felt just like that for me; it was too short to be entrenched in Ocean’s experiences, however, and the sudden shift with her therapist felt too easy. I wish it were just a bit longer, that it had the time to truly swallow me in its melancholy. Alas, it’s not, and so 4 stars it is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2022
"The ferry comes out of the mist like a Polaroid developing. A shadow, then a shape, then a flatboat big enough for three cars and an operator’s booth. Ocean watches it arrive with a pleasant feeling of purpose, a sense that she is finally correcting a cosmic mistake."
@alix.e.harrow remains one of my favorite writers and this short story is proof that she doesn't even need a full length book to spell us with a retelling of Orpheus and Euridice where Orpheus is a woman who will do anything to get her man back. Even if she has to go to literal hell
I loved it. Thank you, Alix!
@alix.e.harrow remains one of my favorite writers and this short story is proof that she doesn't even need a full length book to spell us with a retelling of Orpheus and Euridice where Orpheus is a woman who will do anything to get her man back. Even if she has to go to literal hell
I loved it. Thank you, Alix!
January 29, 2024
He descubierto este relato en Cuentos para Algernon, el maravilloso proyecto llevado por Marcheto.
Aquí nos encontramos con un retelling del Mito de Orfeo, modernizado y con una perspectiva más apropiada de la sociedad estadounidense. Es un relato duro, ya que no solo habla de la muerte, sino también del suicidio y del impacto que tiene en los seres queridos de la persona suicida.
Pero también es una historia de amor que intenta desafiar a la muerte.
Me ha gustado el planteamiento, la verdad.
Aquí nos encontramos con un retelling del Mito de Orfeo, modernizado y con una perspectiva más apropiada de la sociedad estadounidense. Es un relato duro, ya que no solo habla de la muerte, sino también del suicidio y del impacto que tiene en los seres queridos de la persona suicida.
Pero también es una historia de amor que intenta desafiar a la muerte.
Me ha gustado el planteamiento, la verdad.
January 2, 2024
Primer lectura de 2024! Me gusta bastante como Alix E. Harrow cuenta las historias cortas y esta no es excepción.
En este caso se trata de un retelling del mito de Orfeo (quien bajó al infierno en busca de su amante), pero la autora logra darle un giro interesante, y logra una excelente construcción de personajes en tan solo 15 paginas.
Se puede leer online de forma gratuita. Altamente recomendable!
En este caso se trata de un retelling del mito de Orfeo (quien bajó al infierno en busca de su amante), pero la autora logra darle un giro interesante, y logra una excelente construcción de personajes en tan solo 15 paginas.
Se puede leer online de forma gratuita. Altamente recomendable!
June 21, 2022
Sigue siendo una de mis autoras favoritas, su forma de escribir tiene algo que siempre conecta conmigo. En este caso tenemos un cuento cortito, una reescritura del mito de Orfeo y Euridice, que creo que habla de la depresión.
Además se lee gratis, merece el ratito.
Además se lee gratis, merece el ratito.
September 13, 2023
"Apparently a final thread remains between them, spun from some stubborn substance that persists after everything else—trust, hope, pride—is gone, refusing to let either of them go. (...) It does not occur to her that it might be nothing but ordinary, everyday love."
July 12, 2024
⬇️❤️⬆️
oops im crying! came for the orpheus and eurydice retelling, stayed for “It strikes him as another ouroboros, even more simple and seductive than the first: because she loves him, he becomes worth loving.” i mean COME ON 😭❤️
oops im crying! came for the orpheus and eurydice retelling, stayed for “It strikes him as another ouroboros, even more simple and seductive than the first: because she loves him, he becomes worth loving.” i mean COME ON 😭❤️
February 22, 2022
A lovely modern Orpheus/Eurydice retelling, gender swapped, and with mental illness. ❤️
July 27, 2022
I quite enjoyed this retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. Please note the content warning.
"But that’s what trust is: a function of doubt, an act of faith."
"But that’s what trust is: a function of doubt, an act of faith."
September 26, 2022
Interesting twist on the Orpheus story.
December 12, 2022
HOW IS SHE ALWAYS THIS GOOD. HOW
February 2, 2023
Alix knows her way around a short story. 😍 Fantastic as always!
March 30, 2023
absolutely floors me every time
May 4, 2023
Alix E Harrow makes me cry everytime
May 23, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
“You know it wasn’t—it wasn’t totally an accident, right?”
A simple, short yet well done retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice in a modern setting.
“You know it wasn’t—it wasn’t totally an accident, right?”
A simple, short yet well done retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice in a modern setting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews