Diabolical Plots #125, July 2025
“Please Properly Cage Your Words” by Beth Goder
“The Saint of Arms” by Mason Yeater
Reviewed by Eric Kimminau
“Please Properly Cage Your Words” by Beth Goder explores the unsettling relationship between psyche and the power of words. At its heart is Jane, a botanist temporarily renting a furnished San Francisco home. The upper floor is orderly and welcoming, but the lower floor distorts reality, featuring a strange, undefined room—a space that refuses to behave like a room should.
As Jane navigates the house, her surroundings begin to reflect her internal unease. The house’s architecture, her scar, and the creeping sensation of being watched blur together with surreal experiences—a play that breaks the fourth wall, whispering actors, and the haunting pull of language itself. Words in this world aren’t passive; they leak, twist, and influence reality.
The narrative shifts between Jane’s present experiences and meta-commentary on storytelling, punctuation, and how language shapes perception. Over time, Jane becomes more than a character; she becomes aware of the story’s structure, of the words trying to define her. When she finally confronts the mysterious bookshelf, she doesn’t simply read—she writes, reclaiming authorship of her life. I didn’t really enjoy this story. It felt very “California granola,” crunchy and tasteless to me, but I am sure it will be appreciated by the more progressive or maybe artistic mind set. Fitting for a story set in San Francisco. The alternating fourth wall narrative felt like a mind dump in a mildly drunk state from too much “luke warm wine.” A lot of babble and burble without much sense of cohesion. Just not a story that grabbed me and it was a struggle to finish.
“The Saint of Arms” by Mason Yeater examines the allure, fear, and consequences of violence as it becomes embodied within a creature. Through Odessa’s relationship with Caisson, a mysterious figure who magnetically attracts and absorbs firearms, the narrative explores how power, desire, and death become entangled when violence is idolized as a god.
Caisson begins as a curious, vulnerable presence, a nonhuman but rapidly learning to mimic humanity. As he grows more powerful, drawing weapons to, and into his body like gravity, Odessa becomes his handler, protector, and profiteer. Their bond is personal and possessive, evolving into deeply transactional. She manages his image and monetizes his presence, even as his body becomes a terrifying shrine of weaponry.
What begins as a strange partnership turns into a global spectacle, then a political and military asset, and finally a spiritual obsession. Caisson evolves into a living symbol of destruction and control, while Odessa loses her grip on who he was—and on who she is. The more people worship him, the less human he becomes.
The story reflects on how violence will consume everything it touches. It questions whether protection and power can ever be separated from harm, and how human beings try to find meaning in what should never be beautiful. The narrative warns against mistaking control for connection, and asks what happens when you fall in love with the very thing that can destroy you. From the title I had no idea what to expect and was more than pleasantly surprised by where it led. I have never read a story like this before and it introduces a character that could easily support a much deeper dive. I hope the author makes it happen. My minds eye has a vision and it could truly be terrifying.
Eric Kimminau is a BBS geek turned IT professional on a Great Adventure.