Beneath Ceaseless Skies #390, September 7, 2023

“Holding Back the Darkness” by Stephanie Burgis

“Little Red Hands” by Jonathan Louis Duckworth

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

This issue offers two stories featuring humans changing into animals.

The father of the narrator of “Holding Back the Darkness” by Stephanie Burgis is killed by the story’s villain. He kidnaps the narrator from a convent. If she does not agree to marry him, he will let the werewolves who prowl around her prison kill her. The narrator figures a way out of her dilemma.

The piece is rather short and the plot is straightforward with few surprises. The antagonist (although he never appears directly) is a stereotyped figure of pure wickedness, giving the story the feeling of a dark fairy tale. Many readers will be able to predict the ending, but at least they can appreciate the author’s clear, elegant style.

The main character in “Little Red Hands” by Jonathan Louis Duckworth was once a member of a gang of cutthroats. Running away from his murderous companions, he finds shelter with a woman in an isolated cottage. He discovers the woman’s strange nature. Both of them face the possibility of destruction when his past catches up to him.

The author creates a vividly portrayed imaginary world, although not all the fantasy content is relevant. A brief reference to monsters made of metal and glass, for example, has nothing to do with the plot. As with the previous story, the climax is predictable and the villains are one-dimensional figures of undiluted evil. This contrasts strongly with the protagonist and the woman, who are more fully developed characters.

Victoria Silverwolf almost went to work on the wrong night a while ago.