★★★★☆ Plenty of Excitement in an Interesting Setting
(Steampunk Thriller) Mir’s mission to deliver codebooks gets complicated when she realizes she’s being followed—and followed by more than one person at that. (15,229 words; Time: 50m)
"Fire and Falling," by Andrew Dykstal [bio] (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 310, published on August 6, 2020.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Review: 2020.416 (A Word for Authors)
Pro: I really enjoyed Mir’s attempts to protect herself and deliver her package. She’s quite resourceful, thinks carefully, and (usually) cares about other people. In Russian, Mir means “Peace” (and also “world”), although I’m not sure if that’s deliberate.
Lady Dogwood’s another great character. For all her frightening reputation, she’s clearly got a soft spot for impressionable young people, and she keeps trying to mentor Mir, which is kind of funny if you think about it the right way.
From his name, we expect Abelard’s story to be a tragic one, but it definitely does not go the way I thought it would. The continuing threat of him learning that Mir destroyed the Windhover adds continuing tension to the story.
And then there’s the unfolding mystery of what exactly is going on and why everyone wants whatever Mir is carrying.
Con: The story ends unexpectedly. I feel like I’ve read the opening section of a novel. (But I really want to read the next part!)
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Andrew Dykstal Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Pro: I really enjoyed Mir’s attempts to protect herself and deliver her package. She’s quite resourceful, thinks carefully, and (usually) cares about other people. In Russian, Mir means “Peace” (and also “world”), although I’m not sure if that’s deliberate.
Lady Dogwood’s another great character. For all her frightening reputation, she’s clearly got a soft spot for impressionable young people, and she keeps trying to mentor Mir, which is kind of funny if you think about it the right way.
From his name, we expect Abelard’s story to be a tragic one, but it definitely does not go the way I thought it would. The continuing threat of him learning that Mir destroyed the Windhover adds continuing tension to the story.
And then there’s the unfolding mystery of what exactly is going on and why everyone wants whatever Mir is carrying.
Con: The story ends unexpectedly. I feel like I’ve read the opening section of a novel. (But I really want to read the next part!)
Other Reviews: Search Web
Andrew Dykstal Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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