"The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton 1834-1902
"Valley of the Shadows" by Stephen Dedman
"The Dragons of Fair D'Ellene" by Sarah Prineas
"The Making of the Numbers" by James Allison

Originally posted at Ideomancer in November, 2002.

"The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton (1834-1902)
I first encountered this short story in a high school literature anthology in the very olden times. It features a barbaric king and his equally barbaric daughter, she as one of a pair of star-crossed lovers. I remember as a child being dissatisfied with the ambiguous ending. It's worth a reread, like meeting an old friend. But oh, how florid is the language!

"Valley of the Shadows" by Stephen Dedman
A greedy knight, some monsters, a hermit and a heresy. An indeterminate time somewhere between folklore time and the crusades. There are plenty of appealing elements in this story, and it all moves to a satisfying conclusion. There is also something unsatisfying about it. It doesn't give the reader very much to chew on in the hours and days after reading it.

"The Dragons of Fair D'Ellene" by Sarah Prineas
This very short piece is nearly a poem. It's packed with powerful imagery and doesn't waste a single word. It fulfills my personal requirement of fiction, too, by leaving lingering questions. Are our lives really improved when we trade away something precious to gain a bit of safety? The cost of security is high…when does it become too high? Who can tell? Who decides?

"The Making of the Numbers" by James Allison
This coming of age story is good fun reading. There's action, wisdom, and grace. The word play is delightfully inventive and entertaining; it's worth reading for the words alone. Furthermore the pacing is steady, with a well-rendered action scene at the climax. Then the old man leaves the young one a better gift than he had known to ask for.

Sarah Bryant is a mother, grandmother, reader, singer, hiker, and gardener and cook, in approximately that order. She is enjoying semi-retirement in Portland, Oregon where she likes the weather, the mountains and the close proximity of her children and her granddaughter.