Between the Stones and the Stars by A.L. Goldfuss (Lightspeed Magazine; Jan 2023 Issue 152)
The first story I read in January was Between the Stones and the Stars by A.L. Goldfuss. It’s basically about two lonely travelers (adventurers), a warrior and another with humble beginnings, who arrive at a summit that holds the chalice they both seek. When they meet, it provides something of a crossroad, for both of them. To be honest, it was an interesting concept to open with and one that proved to be an immediate hook. In a way the story turned into something of a character study, particularly in the narrator’s monologue. It was a quick read, but it was one I enjoyed.
Flower, Daughter, Soil, Seed by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty)
The next (and last) short story I read in January was Flower, Daughter, Soil, Seed. I was really excited to see this one come up, because some of my favorite stories from last year were written by Eugenia Triantafyllou. This story was just as good as the others. It had a real fairy tale-esque feel to it, since the narration starts by recounting the story of a yellow daffodil, and how it eventually spanned into years of a cycle of growing, living, moving or fleeing, death, and then rinse and repeat. The fantastical aspects were tied up in that cycle. And, while only a short time was spent with each generation, the story excelled at making me care about them anyway. All-in-all, this was another great story from Triantafyllou!
From around the web…
- In Search of New Reading Rituals [Molly Templeton; Tor.com; January 12, 2023]
- A (Brief) Love Letter To The Chemistry Of Molecules [Ashley Deng; Clarkesworld; January 2023]
- Print Run Podcast Episode 138: The Books That Made Us
- Our Opinions Are Correct Episode 124: How to build a planet
