★★★☆☆
(High Fantasy) River’s dad wants him to train to be a soldier, but he’d rather be an apprentice to a magician. (3,344 words; Time: 11m)
"The Silent Flowers of the Magician's Garden," by Eleanna Castroianni [bio] (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 286, published on September 5, 2019.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2019.531 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: It nicely sets up the problem of River wanting a different career than the one his father has planned for him. Given that River expects to be drafted, his father’s thinking is not unreasonable; he’s already lost two sons, and he wants River to do his duty and come back alive.
Con: The conclusion doesn’t really follow from the set up. River doesn’t visit the magician again because he finally hear that the man’s flowers sing a song of mourning for all the youths who’ve died in the war. And we’re supposed to believe that that convinces River he doesn’t want to be a magician?
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Eleanna Castroianni Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: It nicely sets up the problem of River wanting a different career than the one his father has planned for him. Given that River expects to be drafted, his father’s thinking is not unreasonable; he’s already lost two sons, and he wants River to do his duty and come back alive.
Con: The conclusion doesn’t really follow from the set up. River doesn’t visit the magician again because he finally hear that the man’s flowers sing a song of mourning for all the youths who’ve died in the war. And we’re supposed to believe that that convinces River he doesn’t want to be a magician?
Other Reviews: Search Web
Eleanna Castroianni Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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