Diabolical Plots #86, April 2022

“Food of the Turtle Gods” by Josh Strnad

“21 Motes” by Jonathan Louis Duckworth

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The two stories in this issue offer readers a choice between pure fantasy and science fiction with a subtle hint of the supernatural.

The protagonist of “Food of the Turtle Gods” by Josh Strnad is selected to carry a meal to the deities mentioned in the title, in order to ensure prosperity for her people. After an elaborate ceremony, she carries the carefully prepared food deep into the sewers, where she learns the true nature of the gods.

The author writes very well, and the detailed description of the cooking of the ceremonial meal is vivid, as is the final confrontation between the protagonist and her deities. The reader is likely to predict the story’s conclusion from its beginning.

The narrator of “21 Motes” by Jonathan Louis Duckworth is an artificial intelligence in the form of a refrigerator. It also has other functions, such as being able to contact the police in an emergency. It can talk, but only with a very limited vocabulary related to its duties as a place of food storage. It observes the woes of its owner, and communicates in an unexpected way.

The premise may seem whimsical, even silly, but the author manages to make the sentient refrigerator a sympathetic character. The story’s ending suggests that something magical is happening. The story makes for enjoyable reading, but the conclusion does not blend perfectly with the rest of the narrative.

Victoria Silverwolf thinks that both stories in this issue are likely to make readers feel hungry.