The Morrigan, by Stewart Horn

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(Modern Fantasy Horror) In the Glasgow slums, the gangs meet a mysterious woman who inspires them to even more violence than usual. Eighteen-year-old Baz watches it happen and struggles to understand it. (5,669 words; Time: 18m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ Nice Buildup to an Inevitable Climax

"The Morrigan," by Stewart Horn [bio] (edited by Andy Cox), appeared in Interzone issue 273, published on November 15, 2017 by TTA Press.

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Background: The Morrigan is an Irish war goddess.

Pro: Baz is a great “unreliable narrator.” The way he normalizes the escalating violence makes it seem even more horrific—particularly when even Baz realizes things are out of control.

Morven isn’t so much as character as a force of nature. As Baz observes at the end, she feeds on violence, and the big showdown was what she needed to bring herself back to power—even to the extent of getting young men to fight with ancient weapons.

Creepiest of all is that even seeing all of this, Baz still wants to see her again so he can impress her.

Con: Baz isn’t a very sympathetic character. We’re not sorry to see him hurt, and we’re not happy to see him become a gang leader, so there’s not a lot of emotional involvement in the story.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 273)
Stewart Horn Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

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