lonecayt's review
4.0
Interesting characters, interesting setting. I really like the southwestern theme.
bookaneer's review
4.0
Alyssa Wong is the one to watch. She has a unique style in her storytelling. She knows how to hook readers from the first page and throw them headlong into a whirlwind of crazy movements of magic and fascinating characters. This tale of desert magic in the Wild West just won the Locus Award for Best Novelette. Go check it out.
es2267's review
4.0
A really great all round issue. I might be slightly biased in saying so though as some of my favourite writers were all in this issue.
The standouts for me were Kat Howard's "The Sound of Sea and Salt" and "You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay" by Alyssa Wong.
Both were quirky stories which were solidly written. As always Howard does a brilliant job of evoking fairy tales and myths while still retaining some contemporary elements. You'll Surely Drown here made me actually like a Western set story as well.
"The Blood that Pulses in the Veins of One" by JY Yang is a strange one. The writing is brilliant, but the story itself is so strange, that I don't know that I like it particularly, I would definitely recommend it though as it does make you think, if only to go, why?
I liked Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands by Seanan McGuire and for someone who sometimes is left a bit cold by McGuire's writing, I think that speaks to the strength of the idea at the heart of this short.
The essay section however is a bit more split. Two I loved, the other two were on a subject I didn't have much interest in. Having never seen Labyrinth, the two essays on the Goblin King went over my head a bit, but have made me a bit more curious about the film. Foz Meadows continues the discussion currently being held about diversity and how it doesn't just mean more white women as well as highlighting the tension that usually exists when we're presented with two alternative models of "female" in media. Tanya DePass looks for spaces for gamers who don't fit the traditional stereotype to talk and relate and exist in a community that doesn't question their right to be there.
The standouts for me were Kat Howard's "The Sound of Sea and Salt" and "You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay" by Alyssa Wong.
Both were quirky stories which were solidly written. As always Howard does a brilliant job of evoking fairy tales and myths while still retaining some contemporary elements. You'll Surely Drown here made me actually like a Western set story as well.
"The Blood that Pulses in the Veins of One" by JY Yang is a strange one. The writing is brilliant, but the story itself is so strange, that I don't know that I like it particularly, I would definitely recommend it though as it does make you think, if only to go, why?
I liked Ye Highlands and Ye Lowlands by Seanan McGuire and for someone who sometimes is left a bit cold by McGuire's writing, I think that speaks to the strength of the idea at the heart of this short.
The essay section however is a bit more split. Two I loved, the other two were on a subject I didn't have much interest in. Having never seen Labyrinth, the two essays on the Goblin King went over my head a bit, but have made me a bit more curious about the film. Foz Meadows continues the discussion currently being held about diversity and how it doesn't just mean more white women as well as highlighting the tension that usually exists when we're presented with two alternative models of "female" in media. Tanya DePass looks for spaces for gamers who don't fit the traditional stereotype to talk and relate and exist in a community that doesn't question their right to be there.
alexanderpaez's review
4.0
Un western extrañísimo, con una atmósfera oscura y repleta de magia. Me ha recordado a textos de Tim Pratt.
readingthroughinfinity's review
3.0
When the desert finally lets you go, naked and stumbling, your body humming with raw power and the song of dead things coiled under your tongue, you find Marisol waiting for you at the edge of the bluffs.
There's something about the desert that seems unknowable and enchanting, so in a novelette that uses the desert as its setting, I was expecting elements of magic and myths. I wasn't disappointed.
Following Ellis and Marisol, as they try to understand Ellis's powers and survive in the rundown town, the story uses poetry and lyricism to build vivid pictures of a sand kingdom that is both beautiful and brutal. This story is as dark as they come, involving necromancy, death and metamorphosis, yet it's also filled with hope.
The characters of Ellis, Marisol, Madam Lettie and William were detailed and well-developed, which is an admirable feat in a short story. I did, however, feel the plot was confusing at times and could have been written more lucidly without spoiling the mystery of Ellis's abilities. There were moments when scenes cut from one to the other quite jarringly, giving little away about what had transpired. While these transitions served to show Ellis's confusion, I think they could have been smoothed out to maintain fluidity.
Where Alyssa Wong excels is her narrative style. The writing is delectable; full of sibilance, crushing metaphors and wonderful descriptions, it gives us an unadulterated view into the word she has created. And what a world that is. Full of monsters and men trying to gain control over the desert, who will be controlled by no-one.
I'm not sure whether this novelette is own voices, as the characters' heritages are never mentioned, but it's certainly diverse. Ellis and Marisol are POC, and the only character who is explicitly stated to be white is William, described as 'fair-skinned' with 'blond hair'.
I will say that this is written in second person present tense, and I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, so if you don't like that narrative style then this might not be for you. But the prose and mystery are pretty enthralling and it's a very quick read, so if you're looking to read more short stories then I'd definitely give it a go.
The story can be found here: http://uncannymagazine.com/article/youll-surely-drown-stay/
There's something about the desert that seems unknowable and enchanting, so in a novelette that uses the desert as its setting, I was expecting elements of magic and myths. I wasn't disappointed.
Following Ellis and Marisol, as they try to understand Ellis's powers and survive in the rundown town, the story uses poetry and lyricism to build vivid pictures of a sand kingdom that is both beautiful and brutal. This story is as dark as they come, involving necromancy, death and metamorphosis, yet it's also filled with hope.
The characters of Ellis, Marisol, Madam Lettie and William were detailed and well-developed, which is an admirable feat in a short story. I did, however, feel the plot was confusing at times and could have been written more lucidly without spoiling the mystery of Ellis's abilities. There were moments when scenes cut from one to the other quite jarringly, giving little away about what had transpired. While these transitions served to show Ellis's confusion, I think they could have been smoothed out to maintain fluidity.
Where Alyssa Wong excels is her narrative style. The writing is delectable; full of sibilance, crushing metaphors and wonderful descriptions, it gives us an unadulterated view into the word she has created. And what a world that is. Full of monsters and men trying to gain control over the desert, who will be controlled by no-one.
I'm not sure whether this novelette is own voices, as the characters' heritages are never mentioned, but it's certainly diverse. Ellis and Marisol are POC, and the only character who is explicitly stated to be white is William, described as 'fair-skinned' with 'blond hair'.
I will say that this is written in second person present tense, and I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, so if you don't like that narrative style then this might not be for you. But the prose and mystery are pretty enthralling and it's a very quick read, so if you're looking to read more short stories then I'd definitely give it a go.
The story can be found here: http://uncannymagazine.com/article/youll-surely-drown-stay/
arkron's review
4.0
It is a mining town in some Wild West desert, where Ellis lives in a brothel. He was orphaned three months ago in a catastrophic mining event. Now, he slowly learns about his necromantic powers. A love story mixed with phantastic elements, mother desert, a preacher.
Somehow, the setting remembered me of Jackalope Wives. It is a story about doomed love, loyality, finding a place to fit in.
Beautiful prose in second person, nice gothic desert setting, believable characters. I feared that the story would go for the Cthulhu dark side, but it clearly was a story on the lighter side, though it was tense. Not to forget the very satisfying ending.
Highly recommended!
Somehow, the setting remembered me of Jackalope Wives. It is a story about doomed love, loyality, finding a place to fit in.
Beautiful prose in second person, nice gothic desert setting, believable characters. I feared that the story would go for the Cthulhu dark side, but it clearly was a story on the lighter side, though it was tense. Not to forget the very satisfying ending.
Highly recommended!
thiefofcamorr's review
5.0
The best one of the lot - two orphans keep each other steady even as their lives start to pull them apart as they grow older. Marisol works in a brothel, and Ellis, our protagonist is a necromancer who's pulled into the desert each night to seek the dead. It's a piece that's beautifully written, elegantly handled, utterly engaging, and Wong needs a book deal this instant. Southern Gothic music is my favourite at the moment, and this short story is music in written form.
trish204's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Another short(er) story by one of the best young writers I've seen thus far. Seriously, the atmosphere Alyssa Wong is acapable of conjuring up is bloody fantastic!
This story is about magic, the deadly kind. It's about old, raw power as witnessed in nature. It's about a forsaken town and what happened / is still happening to certain people there. It's about inner and outer demons (being rotten literally as well as figuratively) and revenge.
To say that the place where all this happens is haunting would be like comparing most books to their movie adaptations. As another author once put it: it's like comparing a magic carpet to a paper napkin. Alyssa Wong can write scary things in a fearless way; she can conjure whole worlds in a single sentence; she can make a straightforward story mystifying and complex. And she did all of that with this story too.
Seriously, this is a feast for the eyes and mind and I loved every hot bit of it.
Another short(er) story by one of the best young writers I've seen thus far. Seriously, the atmosphere Alyssa Wong is acapable of conjuring up is bloody fantastic!
This story is about magic, the deadly kind. It's about old, raw power as witnessed in nature. It's about a forsaken town and what happened / is still happening to certain people there. It's about inner and outer demons (being rotten literally as well as figuratively) and revenge.
To say that the place where all this happens is haunting would be like comparing most books to their movie adaptations. As another author once put it: it's like comparing a magic carpet to a paper napkin. Alyssa Wong can write scary things in a fearless way; she can conjure whole worlds in a single sentence; she can make a straightforward story mystifying and complex. And she did all of that with this story too.
Seriously, this is a feast for the eyes and mind and I loved every hot bit of it.