Beneath Ceaseless Skies #335, July 29, 2021

“The God Skrae Eats Death” by Stephen Case

“Faithful Delirium” by Brent Lambert

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

A pair of grim tales featuring deities involved in bloody warfare appear in this issue.

In “The God Skrae Eats Death” by Stephen Case, a woman who can kill with a gesture and a man who can bring the newly dead back to life become reluctant allies when undead beings threaten to kill an emperor, destroying large numbers of people in the process. Complicating matters is the fact that oracles of the gods bring seemingly contradictory messages concerning what should be done to save the life of the monarch.

This is an imaginative and carefully plotted story, with complex and believable characters. The climax is both logical and highly dramatic, bringing the tale to a fully satisfying conclusion.

The protagonist of “Faithful Delirium” by Brent Lambert serves a goddess who is suffering the effects of a conflict with a god. He attacks the followers of other deities in order to obtain an elixir that will cure her. After gruesome battles against both human and inhuman adversaries, the truth about the goddess comes to light in an ironic fashion.

This dark tale is vividly written, with scenes that powerfully convey the ghastliness of warfare. Some of the fantasy content, such as mantis-like warriors, seems random and irrelevant. The story’s theme, obvious from the start, that fanatical religious devotion blinds one to reality, is a worthy one, but is conveyed in a manner lacking subtlety.

Victoria Silverwolf had to wait in a long line to buy some sliced sourdough bread this morning.