formtruthregret's review
4.0
This review only applies to "Ruin Marble" by Arkady Martine.
My first reaction to "Ruin Marble" was: OMG NEW ARKADY MARTINE!111
Which gives you a pretty good idea of my hopes going into this. Martine's work consistently impresses the hell out of me. My expectations were high. My body was ready.
I was not disappointed.
"Ruin Marble" is the (short) story of a sorcerer and her possessed radio in hiding trying to run from the consequences of her actions. Said consequences include weird, terrifying angels from dimensions beyond human ken.
Arkady Martine's prose in "Ruin Marble" is absolutely stellar. Every sentence bursts with poetic but pristine imagery, images that linger in the mind long after the story is done. This is especially evident in her descriptions of New York. Martine calls herself a New Yorker and it shows in every loving, wry description of the city she so loves, the city that houses her story. Her every turn of phrase is perfect, including the hilariously absurd interlude with an angel in the middle of Central Park. The possessed radio is a fucking star.
The weird, terrifying angels were delightful. I love weird, terrifying angels.
In conclusion, if you want some amazing, weird, melancholy, defiant, prose about cities and consequences and possessed radios... Read "Ruin Marble."
And then read the rest of Arkady Martine's bibliography because, seriously. There's not a bad story in the bunch. I can't wait for whatever she releases next.
My first reaction to "Ruin Marble" was: OMG NEW ARKADY MARTINE!111
Which gives you a pretty good idea of my hopes going into this. Martine's work consistently impresses the hell out of me. My expectations were high. My body was ready.
I was not disappointed.
"Ruin Marble" is the (short) story of a sorcerer and her possessed radio in hiding trying to run from the consequences of her actions. Said consequences include weird, terrifying angels from dimensions beyond human ken.
Arkady Martine's prose in "Ruin Marble" is absolutely stellar. Every sentence bursts with poetic but pristine imagery, images that linger in the mind long after the story is done. This is especially evident in her descriptions of New York. Martine calls herself a New Yorker and it shows in every loving, wry description of the city she so loves, the city that houses her story. Her every turn of phrase is perfect, including the hilariously absurd interlude with an angel in the middle of Central Park. The possessed radio is a fucking star.
The weird, terrifying angels were delightful. I love weird, terrifying angels.
In conclusion, if you want some amazing, weird, melancholy, defiant, prose about cities and consequences and possessed radios... Read "Ruin Marble."
And then read the rest of Arkady Martine's bibliography because, seriously. There's not a bad story in the bunch. I can't wait for whatever she releases next.
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