Mysterion, December 2021
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
There is one first-publication story in the December issue of Mysterion.
“Soul’s Wager” by K. J. Khan
Eurydice dies from a snake bite on her wedding day in this short fantasy. Her spirit crosses the river of the dead, and she thinks she is in Hades. Feeling the Gods wrongly took her, she appeals to be returned. The servant of the afterworld offers her the chance if she can answer four riddles.
Answering each riddle forces her to see the world of the ancient Greeks clearer. In time, she comes to question the Gods themselves even as she earns the right to return to the husband she loves. But that world now seems false to her.
This plot followed the style of the old stories where the protagonist must solve riddles. However, at the end of the story, the moral of the story is revealed.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com