★★★★☆ Captivating
(High Fantasy) A beautiful northern lady appears mysteriously in a southern Emperor’s garden, and Lady Rikara takes care of her while trying to learn who she is and how she got there. (8,952 words; Time: 29m)
Recommended By: 👍RSR+1 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)
"The Lady of Butterflies," by Y.M. Pang [bio] (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction issue 11-12|18, published on October 27, 2018 by Spilogale Inc.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2018.591 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: There’s something about this story that just sucked me into it. Lady Rikara’s attempts to figure out who Lady Morieth was and how she got there quickly turn into her simply wanting to know Lady Morieth better, but in the process we learn all about the various palace intrigues and many of the southern customs, such as what it means for a Sword to wear red. In the process, all the later events are nicely foreshadowed.
Morieth’s memory of her brother trying to strangle her makes us very apprehensive when we learn the emperor will receive a delegation from Jillenes and that she’ll attend that. The full story, that she really is a lady of butterflies, makes complete sense.
The resolution, Rikara finding Morieth alone in the forest unable to remember her, is sad but it completes the story in a satisfying way, albeit not a happy one.
Con: We never find out how she ended up like this. Did she really replace a human child?
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 11-12|18)
Y.M. Pang Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: There’s something about this story that just sucked me into it. Lady Rikara’s attempts to figure out who Lady Morieth was and how she got there quickly turn into her simply wanting to know Lady Morieth better, but in the process we learn all about the various palace intrigues and many of the southern customs, such as what it means for a Sword to wear red. In the process, all the later events are nicely foreshadowed.
Morieth’s memory of her brother trying to strangle her makes us very apprehensive when we learn the emperor will receive a delegation from Jillenes and that she’ll attend that. The full story, that she really is a lady of butterflies, makes complete sense.
The resolution, Rikara finding Morieth alone in the forest unable to remember her, is sad but it completes the story in a satisfying way, albeit not a happy one.
Con: We never find out how she ended up like this. Did she really replace a human child?
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 11-12|18)
Y.M. Pang Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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