(Historical Fantasy) A young apprentice at making magic gloves considers breaking the rules to make a special pair to control his sister’s epilepsy. (10,070 words; Time: 33m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Hard, Cold, Effective
"The Worshipful Society of Glovers," by Mary Robinette Kowal [bio] (edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas), appeared in Uncanny Magazine issue 17, published on July 4, 2017.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: We really empathize with Vaughn, and we root for him in his struggle to support himself and his sister. His boss is quite a jerk, but we eventually learn that he’s not all bad either.
Littleberry seems sympathetic to Vaughn, so it’s quite a shock when Mossthicket kills him, even though we shouldn’t be surprised. Vaughn has paid a very high price for those gloves for Sarah.
Con: The ending is distressing. This is not what anyone would call a “fun read.”
The plot is fairly simple for a story of this length.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 17)
Mary Robinette Kowal Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Littleberry seems sympathetic to Vaughn, so it’s quite a shock when Mossthicket kills him, even though we shouldn’t be surprised. Vaughn has paid a very high price for those gloves for Sarah.
Con: The ending is distressing. This is not what anyone would call a “fun read.”
The plot is fairly simple for a story of this length.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 17)
Mary Robinette Kowal Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
That was a rather shocking twist towards the end. Very effective though. I think I was lulled into a false sense of security by assuming this was in the mode of her previous Regency fantasy novels.
ReplyDeleteDark, chilling folktale. I liked it! Interesting that the princess gloves were like Donkeyskin's dresses.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the rating of 4. I liked it. The ending is dark.
ReplyDelete