(High Fantasy; Raffalon) In this amusing tale, Raffalon the Thief accepts a job from Cascor, a minor magician who wants him to steal an unknown object from Cascor's former employer. (10,702 words; Time: 35m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Recommended
"Prisoner of Pandarius," by Matthew Hughes [bio] (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction issue 01-02|15, published on January 1, 2015 by Spilogale Inc.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: Very nice the way the ending ties together all the loose ends. We keep thinking we know how the story will go, but it keep surprising us. For example, at one point we thought Raffalon would end up double-crossed by Cascor and captured by Pandarius. We thought the captive would come to his senses and do something. We even though Raffalon would call for help using the imp. All of the bits of information were useful, but none was expected. Well done.
Con: The work is light-hearted, so we never really felt Raffalon was in danger. There's no serious emotional engagement at all.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|15)
Matthew Hughes Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: The work is light-hearted, so we never really felt Raffalon was in danger. There's no serious emotional engagement at all.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|15)
Matthew Hughes Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Greg:
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your appreciation of my work. I'd be happy to send you free ebooks, if you read that way. Send me an email --address on my web page -- and tell me the formats you prefer.
I wouldn't expect reviews, but you seem a good prospect for word of mouth.
Cheers,
Matt
I've definitely enjoyed your stories. We're only doing short fiction here, so it's good you don't expect reviews for novels. :-) I've been sad to have to pass on your serialized "Kaslo Chronicles."
DeleteDid you have any novels published in 2015 that would be eligible for the Hugos next year?
Great, fun read. I’m intrigued more on the world now, also didn’t expect that final ‘solution’ to the last trouble 👍🏼
ReplyDeleteThere are several other Raffalon stories. And many others in the same Archonate Universe.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link! Much easier to follow it from isfdb
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