★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(Historical Fantasy) The carpenter on a Nantucket whaler hears a dreadful warning from an African god his ancestors once called upon when they were taken into slavery. But will anyone listen to him? (5,655 words; Time: 18m)
"Canst Thou Draw Out the Leviathan," by Christopher Caldwell [bio] (edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas), appeared in Uncanny Magazine issue 28, published on May 7, 2019.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.318 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: This is the story of what happened to the Gracie-Ella and how John Wood came to survive it. It’s also the story of how John and William decided to stay together despite being a mixed-race gay couple in an unforgiving time.
Con: Why do the whales and their god single out this one ship? The whalers had been operating for a while by then, and they kept operating for 150 years more. It seems so pointless.
Closely connected to that is the fact that John doesn't have a lot of agency in this story; he's not trying to do much besides get by, and although events happen to him, he doesn't usually cause them.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Christopher Caldwell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: This is the story of what happened to the Gracie-Ella and how John Wood came to survive it. It’s also the story of how John and William decided to stay together despite being a mixed-race gay couple in an unforgiving time.
Con: Why do the whales and their god single out this one ship? The whalers had been operating for a while by then, and they kept operating for 150 years more. It seems so pointless.
Closely connected to that is the fact that John doesn't have a lot of agency in this story; he's not trying to do much besides get by, and although events happen to him, he doesn't usually cause them.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Christopher Caldwell Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
No comments (may contain spoilers):
Post a Comment (comment policy)