(Horror) In a remote part of Arkansas, Victoria plans to celebrate her 100th birthday in style. (10,100 words; Time: 33m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Luminaria," by John Hornor Jacobs [bio] (edited by Jason Sizemore), appeared in Apex Magazine issue 94, published on March 7, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The foreshadowing is excellent. The hope to not draw attention from the locals. The need for heavy drapes. The arrival of unexpected crates from the cities she sent the invitations to. With each page, we’re increasingly convinced that this will be a gathering of vampires. Even so, when it's confirmed that this is "a gathering of the dead," it's chilling.
Con: Renie’s desire to join her mistress rings false somehow. Her “gift” of the two children comes out of the blue. Most of the story was from Renie's POV, yet never was there a hint that she was planning anything like this nor that she had a clue as to her mistress's real nature.
Nor does it make a lot of sense that Victoria requires Renie risk her life for her punishment. Either she wants her, in which case she’d find a less-lethal punishment, or she doesn’t, in which case she'd let the other vampires consume her.
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Con: Renie’s desire to join her mistress rings false somehow. Her “gift” of the two children comes out of the blue. Most of the story was from Renie's POV, yet never was there a hint that she was planning anything like this nor that she had a clue as to her mistress's real nature.
Nor does it make a lot of sense that Victoria requires Renie risk her life for her punishment. Either she wants her, in which case she’d find a less-lethal punishment, or she doesn’t, in which case she'd let the other vampires consume her.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 94)
John Hornor Jacobs Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Renie clearly knows what her mistress is -- she's been feeding her. Yet she doesn't seem to realize that's what the rest of the family is.
ReplyDeleteThe abduction of the children was odd though. No indication that she was planning anything like it until we saw she had supplies in the trunk. The man who dropped off the wood did warn about people going missing. Perhaps the work of Renie's predecessor who was gotten rid of?
I liked how Victoria says at the beginning that her age makes her a novelty to her family. Then at the end it's revealed that the oddity is how young she is, not how old!