Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Satin and Velvet, by Robert Minto

[BCS]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Magician’s Apprentice) At just 16, Greta is pretty young for an apprentice, but somehow she’s drawn the attention of a satin ghast, which only seems to want to help her get her work done. But this is what got the last apprentice killed. (2,869 words; Time: 09m)


"," by (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in issue 309, published on .

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Review: 2020.401 (A Word for Authors)

Pro: It’s a nice twist that the helpful ghast is a problem. Knowing Samara died as a result definitely adds some tension as Greta tries to figure out what to do. The revelation that a ghast represents things magic does for you out of love, not compulsion, gives us a strong clue as to what’s really going on, and from that point, we just watch the story unroll.

There are plenty of hints that something is wrong with the Master. He drinks himself to sleep every night. For all his power, he seems to be lonely and miserable. It’s a pretty easy jump to decide that Samara’s mistake was rejecting the ghast and not the Master.

Con: Once we realize that the Master is the real problem, the rest of the story develops with no surprises. Ultimately the ghast is too powerful, making her escape a bit too easy.

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