★★★☆☆
(Fantasy Horror) In a secondary world a bit like Victorian England but with real magic and real monsters, an ancient forest guardian meets a young man determined to learn his secrets. (21,333 words; Time: 1h:11m)
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"Silver in the Wood," by Emily Tesh [bio] (edited by Ruoxi Chen), published on June 18, 2019 by Tor Publishing.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.378 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: At first glance, this seems to be set in Victorian England, but the talk about the old gods makes it pretty clear that this is a secondary world (or at least an alternate history) with about that level of technology. Perhaps this might better be classed as “Steampunk Horror.”
Most of the fun of the story (and the tension) surrounds learning just what the secret of the forest really is, and whether either Tobias or Henry Silver will survive it.
Con: Somehow I was sure they’d both survive, so there wasn’t a lot of tension, and, as a gay man, I found the relationship between Tobias and Henry didn’t ring true for some reason.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Emily Tesh Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: At first glance, this seems to be set in Victorian England, but the talk about the old gods makes it pretty clear that this is a secondary world (or at least an alternate history) with about that level of technology. Perhaps this might better be classed as “Steampunk Horror.”
Most of the fun of the story (and the tension) surrounds learning just what the secret of the forest really is, and whether either Tobias or Henry Silver will survive it.
Con: Somehow I was sure they’d both survive, so there wasn’t a lot of tension, and, as a gay man, I found the relationship between Tobias and Henry didn’t ring true for some reason.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Emily Tesh Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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