[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, April 29, 2024

“Thousand Petal Song” by Caroline Hung

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

In “Thousand Petal Song” by Caroline Hung, a girl travels to a festival honoring a goddess, hoping to obtain the blessing of the deity so her pets will be healed. Thieves try to steal the statue of the goddess. The deity herself comes to the child, and together they recover the image.

For the most part, this is a sweet fantasy, appropriate for younger readers. All the supernatural beings the girl encounters, including demons, are friendly and helpful. The one element that seems out of place is the fact that the child is alone with her animals because her family has been killed by missiles and shrapnel. This mention of modern warfare in an otherwise optimistic story with the feeling of a folk tale is disconcerting.

Victoria Silverwolf is currently reading The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Sixth Annual Collection (1989), edited by Gardner Dozois. Oddly, the book’s spine (under the dust jacket) incorrectly states that it is the third annual collection.