★★★☆☆
(High Fantasy Scrapbook Story) We sort through the notes left by scholar Isabel hayes-Reyna, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. (6,753 words; Time: 22m)
Recommended By: 👍GTognetti+1 (Q&A)
"Elegy of a Lanthornist," by M.E. Bronstein [bio] (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 284, published on August 8, 2019.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.447 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: Most of the fun of this story is watching the various elements of it gradually come together: the poem, the jewels, the bees, the lost city, and, of course, the missing scholar. In particular, learning what the jewels did besides just illuminating the city.
At the end, it seems to veer from fantasy into horror, although I’m not quite sure what actually happened there. Did she release “Lady Firefly” from her prison only to be destroyed herself?
Con: It really took much too long to get going, and it never really grabbed my interest. The faux-academic structure didn’t work for me either. Finally, after all that, I ended the story confused.
Other Reviews: Search Web
M.E. Bronstein Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Pro: Most of the fun of this story is watching the various elements of it gradually come together: the poem, the jewels, the bees, the lost city, and, of course, the missing scholar. In particular, learning what the jewels did besides just illuminating the city.
At the end, it seems to veer from fantasy into horror, although I’m not quite sure what actually happened there. Did she release “Lady Firefly” from her prison only to be destroyed herself?
Con: It really took much too long to get going, and it never really grabbed my interest. The faux-academic structure didn’t work for me either. Finally, after all that, I ended the story confused.
Other Reviews: Search Web
M.E. Bronstein Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Author website:
ReplyDeletehttps://mebronstein.com/
Some 2016 and 2017 stories under the name Molly Etta, but this still looks like her first pro publication.
Thanks, I've updated this review and the 2019 New Writers page.
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