★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention
(Modern Fantasy Mystery; William Warlock) William Warlock’s client inherits a valuable property from a man she never met, but to get it, she has to live there for two years, and there’s something really suspicious about this place. (8,514 words; Time: 28m)
Recommended By: 👍STomaino+1 (Q&A)
"The Legacy," by Albert E. Cowdrey [bio] (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction issue 07-08|19, published on July 2, 2019 by Spilogale Inc.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.388 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: The story lets us know right off the bat that something is wrong at Palisades, and it’s probably got something to do with that locked room. Once Maggie accepts the deal, all we can do is wait to find out what happens to her, but it seems clear that there must be serious strings attached somehow.
Another mystery to unravel is figuring out what Alex, the guardian of the place, really is—particularly since he seems to be one of the rednecks who was trying to burn the place down.
By the end, it all seems pretty clear: Magnus Laird survived for centuries by stealing bodies from his descendants, and the guardian he set over Palisades has a similar ability; it takes over the body of anyone who kills it.
Maggie ends up with the best of all worlds. She gets the body of the man she wanted, but without his annoying personality, and she gets to keep all the money because she wasn’t really related to Laird after all.
Con: William doesn’t do much here but observe the events as they happen. Maggie, if we figure her to be the real protagonist, doesn’t do anything to earn her success.
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Albert E. Cowdrey Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: The story lets us know right off the bat that something is wrong at Palisades, and it’s probably got something to do with that locked room. Once Maggie accepts the deal, all we can do is wait to find out what happens to her, but it seems clear that there must be serious strings attached somehow.
Another mystery to unravel is figuring out what Alex, the guardian of the place, really is—particularly since he seems to be one of the rednecks who was trying to burn the place down.
By the end, it all seems pretty clear: Magnus Laird survived for centuries by stealing bodies from his descendants, and the guardian he set over Palisades has a similar ability; it takes over the body of anyone who kills it.
Maggie ends up with the best of all worlds. She gets the body of the man she wanted, but without his annoying personality, and she gets to keep all the money because she wasn’t really related to Laird after all.
Con: William doesn’t do much here but observe the events as they happen. Maggie, if we figure her to be the real protagonist, doesn’t do anything to earn her success.
Other Reviews: Search Web
Albert E. Cowdrey Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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