Beneath Ceaseless Skies #136, December 12, 2013

“Kurtana” by Christian K. Martinez
“Walking Still” by C.T. Hutt

Reviewed by Kris Rudin

“Kurtana” by Christian K. Martinez is an interesting story set on a different world from ours. A wounded, female knight makes her way to ‘The Temple’ after a battle, where she hopes to find healing. Those who run The Temple are the Kurtana, who have healing abilities, but are abhorred by violence. So a young apprentice healer named Tsani is assigned. Tsani is not yet Kurtana, which seems to mean being in full control of one’s abilities and able to control any ‘wildness’. Tsani attempts to bond with the knight, and when events develop that disrupt the temple, this bond is tested. This story has much potential, but I felt it was lacking in clarity in several places, and that left me trying to fill in the gaps myself. It is an interesting world, and I think it’s got interesting characters/races, but I would have liked things spelled out a bit more. And, while such opacity may have been the author’s intent, it didn’t quite work for me.

“Walking Still” by C.T. Hutt is a quite different beast – literally, as the title refers to a mechanical walking ‘wagon’ that is also a still. The story is a rather light-hearted steampunk Wild West tale. It follows a moonshiner’s foray into a dry town, which is run by a despotic mayor and a sadistic sheriff. It has good pacing, interesting characters and more than a little wry humor. It is a clever idea for a story, and well carried out.