(Fantasy) At the end of the revolution, Ao Laiei raised the war hero Uroie Aei from the dead, but then he disappeared, and she's been seeking him ever since. A dream told her to wait at a cafe, and while she waits, a bomb goes off. (9,246 words; Time: 30m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Recalled to Service," by Alter S. Reiss [bio] (edited by Liz Gorinsky), published on February 24, 2016 by Tor.com.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: Pretty good action in this story. The heroine has a clear goal--find out what went wrong with Uroie--which she accomplishes. She has a secondary goal as well, which is to resume her place advancing the revolution. She accomplishes that as well.
Con: It's a surprise that Ao can simply will the bones to fly from her hand. This makes her victory seem false. And we wonder why they didn't put concrete on both hands.
The revolution doesn't come across very well; it's hard for us to root for it.
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Con: It's a surprise that Ao can simply will the bones to fly from her hand. This makes her victory seem false. And we wonder why they didn't put concrete on both hands.
The revolution doesn't come across very well; it's hard for us to root for it.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites
Really interesting world and magic. I particularly liked how Ao could sense the feelings of inanimate objects. The only thing I would fault it for is feeling a little like the middle of a longer story.
ReplyDeleteThe victory didn't seem false to me since even she wasn't sure if she could do it until she tried. Plus, she ripped her hand to shreds. I don't find it hard to believe that Uroie wouldn't have prepared for that.