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badseedgirl's review
3.0
Welcome to Day 3 of my 2021 25 Days of Short Stories Christmas Advent Calendar. Each day I will be reading a short story from the collection of over 600 short stories and novellas available for free on Tor.com. This is a collection of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. I will be letting fate (and the random number generator) decide what I read each day.
Day 1: [b:The Art of Space Travel|30532462|The Art of Space Travel|Nina Allan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558040356l/30532462._SY75_.jpg|50826910] by Nina Allan
Day 2: [b:These Deathless Bones|35506557|These Deathless Bones|Cassandra Khaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498282454l/35506557._SY75_.jpg|56914935] by Cassandra Khaw
Day 3: Swift, Brutal Retaliation by Meghan McCarron (Trigger warning: Emotional abuse of children and women)
So my random number generator seems to like the ladies, and that’s just fine with me. Swift, Brutal Retaliation was nominated for a 2012 Nebula, and a 2013 World Fantasy award. This short story was a bitter little pill to swallow. The family dynamics touched something very dark and disturbing in me. There is something so very sad about this family. Not just about the death of a child and sibling. This family was well and truly screwed before the son died. Although this was a very well written story about a truly dysfunctional family, I’m not sure I want to read another story like this one for my Christmas Advent. I felt this story should have a trigger warning.
You can read it for free here , but maybe wait until after the holiday’s to do so.
Day 1: [b:The Art of Space Travel|30532462|The Art of Space Travel|Nina Allan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558040356l/30532462._SY75_.jpg|50826910] by Nina Allan
Day 2: [b:These Deathless Bones|35506557|These Deathless Bones|Cassandra Khaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498282454l/35506557._SY75_.jpg|56914935] by Cassandra Khaw
Day 3: Swift, Brutal Retaliation by Meghan McCarron (Trigger warning: Emotional abuse of children and women)
So my random number generator seems to like the ladies, and that’s just fine with me. Swift, Brutal Retaliation was nominated for a 2012 Nebula, and a 2013 World Fantasy award. This short story was a bitter little pill to swallow. The family dynamics touched something very dark and disturbing in me. There is something so very sad about this family. Not just about the death of a child and sibling. This family was well and truly screwed before the son died. Although this was a very well written story about a truly dysfunctional family, I’m not sure I want to read another story like this one for my Christmas Advent. I felt this story should have a trigger warning.
You can read it for free here , but maybe wait until after the holiday’s to do so.
gabrielavmarques's review
1.0
Not really much anything...
Honestly, I feel bad saying this but I don't recommend this short story, there is no plot, no message, no character building or development.
Honestly, I feel bad saying this but I don't recommend this short story, there is no plot, no message, no character building or development.
eol's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sapphirestars's review
4.0
Good story! I suppose it didn't NEED a more conclusive ending but I would have liked it. 3 1/2?
keu482's review
3.0
Another Tor.com short story.
I liked this one, it's an interesting take on ghost stories. Clearly the family is grieving, all in their own way. Ian as well is grieving, although like the father his grief expresses itself through anger and violence. The girls find a safe way to grieve because they can see their brother, and they band together against their parents first to help him and then just to survive his wrath.
I liked this one, it's an interesting take on ghost stories. Clearly the family is grieving, all in their own way. Ian as well is grieving, although like the father his grief expresses itself through anger and violence. The girls find a safe way to grieve because they can see their brother, and they band together against their parents first to help him and then just to survive his wrath.
cruelmilkshake's review
3.0
Enjoyable to read while still dealing with loss social hierarchy of a family. The Ghost aspect is kind of hit and miss for me.
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