Strange Horizons, March 21, 2016

“The Name of the Forest” by Margaret Killjoy

Reviewed by Jody Dorsett

We meet a young man who is lost in the world, leading an aimless life and wandering from place to place. He does almost anything to survive including some very demeaning actions. He’s very dark and unhappy with angry thoughts about others. As he’s hitchhiking he is picked up by Sandie, a bright and sunny woman.

From there you think you know where things are headed, but there’s a twist at the end. It’s well done, you won’t see it coming but it is completely believable. Overall a good story, I only wish that it had been edited a little as there are a few spots where the phrasing is awkward. But it’s not a major distraction to the story.