What foolish folk, the men of Erl, who walk the fields we know! In Erl that had sighed for magic there was indeed magic now. The pigeon-loft and old lWhat foolish folk, the men of Erl, who walk the fields we know! In Erl that had sighed for magic there was indeed magic now. The pigeon-loft and old lumber-lofts over stables were all full of trolls, the ways were full of their antics, and lights bobbed up and down the street at night long after traffic was home. For the will-o'-the-wisps would go dancing along the gutters, and had made their homes round the soft edges of duck-ponds and in green-black patches of moss that grew upon oldest thatch. And nothing seemed the same in the old village....more
"The Ysidra," is about some lowly soldiers stumbling around a high fantasy battlefield in the battle's chaotic aftermath. ThI've got a story in this.
"The Ysidra," is about some lowly soldiers stumbling around a high fantasy battlefield in the battle's chaotic aftermath. They see a dead wizard and some dead knights and some other fun stuff. I was thinking a tiny little bit about Farley Mowat's tall tale about acquiring a V2 rocket in April 1945, but mostly a lot about Die Nibelungenklage, a medieval german lament for the passing of a generation of warriors. BTW, the title comes from a parrot-like bird I read about in a medieval bestiary.
It's always fun to see who gets published alongside you in these things, and the stories I've enjoyed reading so far are:
"Aloof Stars and Their Distant Answers" by Eric de Roulet — a woman travels to a remote mountain to ask a magic statue (?) to help her find her missing friend
"Wizards Unwelcome" by Adie Hart — a jaded jeweller reluctantly teams up for a journey with a wizard.
"Ignorance Is Bliss" by Josie Jaffrey— a demon in lapus lazuli becomes trapped in a time loop while trying to carry out a woman’s three wishes. Some very neat logic games here.
"I See You, Witch" by Zoe Shakes — about a witch on Hallowe'en
I guess if these stories have anything in common it's that for the most part they're strong on atmosphere?
I haven't finished reading this yet, but I look forward to returning to it.
Safe to say I loved it and it's going to stick with me for a long time to come. Holder has a real talent and I believe he's doing something unique witSafe to say I loved it and it's going to stick with me for a long time to come. Holder has a real talent and I believe he's doing something unique within genre fiction.
Elfin anthropology. Really enjoyed this, but didn't finish it. Will return eventually.Elfin anthropology. Really enjoyed this, but didn't finish it. Will return eventually....more
Okay yeah, this is getting five stars because my story "Diary of the Wolf" is in here and I think it's the best thing I've written so far. It's about Okay yeah, this is getting five stars because my story "Diary of the Wolf" is in here and I think it's the best thing I've written so far. It's about werewolfery and it's set in Samuel Pepys' 17th-century London and written in the style of his diary.
But that said, there's a lot of great stuff in here. One of the great things about submitting your short stories for publication is seeing who you get published alongside. Dariel Quiogue's "The Marchers in the Fog" and R.L. Summerling's "Corpse Wax" are both a lot of fun, but I think my story was Matt Holder's "Towards a Justice." What I like about Holder's writing--here and elsewhere--is that he's really able to evoke a medievalesque mind, and the in the course of the story force it to confront something totally alien to its experience.
Also I really liked the editors' intro. Normally when someone tries to do this sort of thing in character it comes off really cringe, like someone doing a bad Stan Lee. But this one was good and I actually ended up understanding my own story a little bit better....more
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