Beneath Ceaseless Skies #465 September 3, 2026

“The Eldest Bird of Paradise” by Denzel Xavier

“Seneschal of Shattered Tor” by Abhijeet Sathe

Reviewed by Budd Trippet

“The Eldest Bird of Paradise” by Denzel Xavier Scott is a fantasy story about a beautiful country and the young woman who will become queen in a matriarchal society. Nyanga Esum Loslaunda Atiena Nui is fated to become the next queen. She resents her future role and attempts to escape it daily. The story is filled with gorgeous descriptions of the land along with a recurring avian theme, from beautiful, feathered clothing to the manifestation of the Phoenix, the ancestor of the royal line. The magic system is referred to as ‘craft’ and controls the elements on a molecular level, and the ‘maudgurus’ neologism for trainers or mentors is a nice touch. Nyanga’s transformation is both a coming of age and determined to a certain degree by fate. The world building is effective, giving the story a comfortable feel as backdrop to the storyline.

“Seneschal of Shattered Tor” by Abhijeet Sathe describes creatures that call themselves The Kin. The story illustrates the organization and customs of the Kin as they relate their histories and how they have chosen to change from their warlike beginnings to a nation willing to make peace with man. The Kin are kept imprisoned in a crater. The primary narrator, Merrin, is Seneschal to Goh-di, the Pride-mare of Bastion Pride. A Seneschal is an executive officer to the leader, in this case the Pride-mare. They celebrate Liberation Day, where the forces of man led by their war king Finord the First offered a truce in their wars after the Kin had been defeated and confined to their crater, away from open skies and sun. The outcome of that fateful day dictated that the young of the Kin, the foals, were to be taught the speech and histories of man. The following rites and ceremonial trappings surrounding this are related in some detail and form an interesting cultural window into these alien creatures (though not explicitly stated as such, this reader envisioned them as somewhat dragon-like). All in all, this was an interesting look at an alien culture and how a long ago turning point in its past became an integral part of its history.