(Mythic Fantasy) Because the gods abandoned her people, she has sworn to kill them. Now only one remains. (5,070 words; Time: 16m)
Rating: ★★★★★ Deeply Moving
"When We Go," by Evan Dicken [bio] (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 223, published on April 6, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The revelation that the narrator is Coyote is perfect: it takes us completely by surprise and yet it makes all the pieces fit. The local people certainly recognized her. And it explains why she was able to kill the other gods, and even why mortals couldn’t affect her.
At a deeper level, it symbolizes how an individual person gradually loses faith in God/gods over time—likewise feeling abandoned. And how, at the end, the last thing we ask is “Just be with us when we go.”
Con: Although the gods seem a lot like the native American gods, the world seems to be a completely different one. (The "bronze faces" certainly don't have firearms.) This adds a touch of confusion.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 223)
Evan Dicken Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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At a deeper level, it symbolizes how an individual person gradually loses faith in God/gods over time—likewise feeling abandoned. And how, at the end, the last thing we ask is “Just be with us when we go.”
Con: Although the gods seem a lot like the native American gods, the world seems to be a completely different one. (The "bronze faces" certainly don't have firearms.) This adds a touch of confusion.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 223)
Evan Dicken Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
+1 on it being moving. It's got the best sort of twist - one that makes perfect sense after it's revealed. I was betting that the story led to some sort of apotheosis, but the actual answer was much better.
ReplyDeleteTricked me, I thought Ardrun was going to be Coyote. A bit bleak with the faceless, relentless enemies.
ReplyDelete