Beneath Ceaseless Skies: #144, April 3, 2014

Reviewed by Cyd Athens

“Golden Daughter, Stone Wife” by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

Mistress Erhensa is a powerful sorcerer. Her wife left her a golem daughter, Areemu. Hall-Warden Ysoreen Zarre from the Institute of Ormodon comes to claim Areemu’s remains. Though Erhensa is not ready to part with Areemu, Ysoreen is young, dedicated to her duty, and determined. A clash of wills between the two women is inevitable. So is some measure of accommodation. This story is reminiscent of Alberto Yáñez’s “The Coffinmaker’s Love,” which appeared in BCS #131.

“At the Edge of the Sea” by Raphael Ordoñez

After being turned in by his wife for crimes that are not detailed here, a man is exiled to a distant land. The main visits he receives are monthly supply drops. His wife comes to see him a few times, once apologizing, and once promising to find a way that the two of them can escape together. To keep his sanity, the man builds a spiral jetty in an ocean-facing bay, and explores his seashore prison. There is much left unsaid here and the ending exemplifies the dysfunction of the relationship between the man and his wife.

Cyd Athens indulges a speculative fiction addiction from 45ø 29 30.65 N, 122ø 35 30.91 W.