★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(High Fantasy) Trying to serve two masters, Glass fights her own comrades to try to complete an impossible mission. (11,236 words; Time: 37m)
"A Glass Kiss for the Little Prince of Pain," by Martin Cahill [bio] (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 210, published on October 13, 2016.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The world building is impressive. One expects there are more stories involving Thoughtblades and the Coldmonger. Glass is very aware of the contradiction involved in following her orders; at every step she does something terrible in pursuit of a worthy goal: preserving the little prince's life.
Con: At each step, we hate Glass more and more. Killing the watchmen who had families, taking the voice away from the young man, taking away Black Rain's ability to walk, and finally turning the sweet little prince into a monster like his father. These things don't make it a tragedy; they make us really despise the protagonist.
It's a little hard to believe that Black Rain doesn't simply incapacitate Glass when he has the chance. She's betrayed him already; one wouldn't expect him to hesitate.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 210)
Martin Cahill Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: At each step, we hate Glass more and more. Killing the watchmen who had families, taking the voice away from the young man, taking away Black Rain's ability to walk, and finally turning the sweet little prince into a monster like his father. These things don't make it a tragedy; they make us really despise the protagonist.
It's a little hard to believe that Black Rain doesn't simply incapacitate Glass when he has the chance. She's betrayed him already; one wouldn't expect him to hesitate.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 210)
Martin Cahill Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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