Tor.com, September 2021
“The Wonderful Stag, or the Courtship of Red Elsie” by Kathleen Jennings
“The Station of the Twelfth” by Chaz Brenchley
“Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre” by Lavie Tidhar
“Questions Asked in the Belly of the World” by A. T. Greenblatt
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There are four first publication stories at Tor.com for September, two of which are novelettes.
The Wonderful Stag, or the Courtship of Red Elsie” by Kathleen Jennings
Jennings sets her short fantasy in a village where suitors seek their wedding bands from a mystical stag that roams the forests. Legend has it that if the stag refuses to give up a ring, the marriage has no lasting hope.
George-the-Wolf wants to marry Red Elsie, but the stag refuses to give him a ring. He should have left it there, but George-the-Wolf was ambitious and self-centered, traits that Red Elsie surely saw and a quality that spelled trouble for the stag.
The short story had a fairy-tale moral and pace to it that made it a pleasure to read.
“The Station of the Twelfth” by Chaz Brenchley
Set on Mars, this short SF story relays the history behind a memorial at the Cassini crater. Humans have been on Mars long enough to terraform the land around the crater and fight a war for control of the planet.
The British Twelfth died to a man to prevent Russia’s ambitions to conquer the red planet. And the memorial beside the lake in the crater is a tribute to their sacrifice.
The author created an interesting image of Mars in the distant future and placed a mundane story of a war on it. It was an unusual structure and one that offered very little mystery or intrigue.
“Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre” by Lavie Tidhar
This who-done-it fantasy novelette occurs a few centuries ago. Jonathan is the human servant of the vampire Judge Dee summoned to Paris to solve the fifty-year-old Sang Noir case.
Zaragoza is an arrogant vampire hated by most other vampires and considered responsible for perpetrating the Sang Noir. A noblewoman invites Judge Dee and Zaragoza to a party where living humans will be on the menu.
But when Zaragoza jumps on an unsteady boy and drinks him dry, he dies from poisoning. But who killed him? The Judge must consider four vampires, including himself, as potential culprits.
This story was a murder mystery set in a vampire world. The author dedicated half the plot to set the stage for the murder.
“Questions Asked in the Belly of the World” by A. T. Greenblatt
Kenji’s internal voice is dying in this SF novelette set on a new world. Each person’s voice is an implant that helps them make the right decision, but if you ask too many difficult questions, it dies early. And Kenji is the curious kind.
Eva, is an artist who wants to explore new art forms. And when Kenji finds a book showing a better way to make paper, they become partners and lovers. He makes the paper, and she uses it to create original sculptures that depict the time of the first settlers.
All is well until Kenji’s internal voice rebels. Is this the first sign it will die soon, and can Kenji dodge the fatal fate of the voiceless?
The author built a world of mystery with two interesting characters who became trapped in the world’s intrigues. This plot was an excellent use of a novelette’s greater length.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com