[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]
Strange Horizons, March 4, 2024
Reviewed by A. Bruin
“Godskin” by CL Hellison is set in an island chain where existence is precarious, depending both on hard work and chance. The characters are well drawn and the setting immersive. A young woman encounters a piece of a god’s body which looks like a glove and chooses to put it on out of curiosity. Already resisting marriage after witnessing her aunt’s signs of abuse and suspicious early death, she uses the power inherent in the artifact for revenge against her aunt’s husband and to forever leave living on the islands, instead sailing between them by the power of the storm.
The story compares gods manipulating humans for the gods’ own ends with humans using livestock for humans’ ends, and seems to conclude that a more powerful being may use their power as they please. In the view of this reviewer, this may be true in the short term but is not reflective of reality. The story sees no difference in kind between god, human, and animal, only difference in degree of power and intelligence. While some may find this lack of moral hierarchy acceptable, others may disagree with its premise altogether.