Aurealis “The Moonstone in the Dust” by Carolyn Hine
Reviewed by Kat Day
This issue of Aurealis begins with a list of “writing diseases” which includes such aliments as “adjectivitis” and “forehead hematoma” along with their signs and symptoms. Here’s hoping this review doesn’t cause any cases of criticosis…
In “The Moonstone in the Dust” by Carolyn Hine, we’re introduced to Elidda, an urchin child with demonic heritage who’s living on the streets of Madina Harir, scraping a living as a pickpocket. One day the bazaar arrives and she decides to visit. There, she finds a curious gem: but what will she decide to do with it? Elidda is a great character, and the worldbuilding in this story is excellent. It’s one of those times where it’s obvious an awful lot of time and thought has gone into the backstory, even if we’re not actually reading about it. I loved the characters of Elidda and her (later) mentor Karim. My only complaint is that this feels like the opening chapter of a novel: lots of questions remain unanswered and it seems the story ends just as Elidda’s adventure is beginning. That said, I would absolutely read this novel, so I hope it appears somewhere in the future.
“The Moth Tapes,” by J Ashley Smith, is narrated in first person by a woman who we eventually learn is called Maria. Most of the time she’s talking to her unborn child, whom she calls Noodle. They have recently arrived in a new home—apparently unaccompanied—and eventually discover that the basement where their belongings have been stowed is flooded. This is a peculiar story with a dreamy quality and definite horror elements. Unfortunately, it didn’t grab me, and I found myself fussing over all sorts of small details, such as, why were all their things in the basement given that the house appears to be otherwise empty: wouldn’t you put the boxes in the main part of the house? And how long has Maria been sleeping on a bare mattress with a sleeping bag: surely getting sheets and pillows unpacked is a priority? What has she been wearing? Where is Noodle’s father? And so on. The story ends with a chunk of exposition, which feels tacked on as though the author feared it wouldn’t otherwise make sense. It still doesn’t, unfortunately.
The punny title of “She Sells Sea-Hells by the C Door,” by Eric Del Carlo, made me think we were in for a comedic piece. I was thrown for the first few paragraphs because it’s not, and it also begins with lots of neologisms such as “juiced cuff,” “Wall Zone,” and “Xees,” tossed at us with no hint of explanation. However, it wasn’t long before I settled into the main character, named Hock, and began to enjoy her story of humans adapting to a world where aliens have taken over the oceans. By the end I was rooting for her, and the gentle suggestion that new generations could bring new hope. Definitely recommended.
Kat Day makes children handle fire and dangerous chemicals for a living (it’s okay, she’s a chemistry teacher). When not doing that, she spends her time writing and trying to wrangle her own two children into line (without fire or dangerous chemicals, because that would be frowned upon). She’s had short stories published in Daily Science Fiction, the anthology “24 Stories,” and on the Cast of Wonders podcast. You can follow her on Twitter @chronicleflask.