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A review by lindzey
Apex Magazine Issue 105 by Jason Sizemore
3.0
I read "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" by Alix Harrow due to its inclusion in the Hugo voter's packet.
The premise of this story is that the librarian is a witch, which both gives her insights into what books somebody needs to encounter, and into the books themselves. (Which, while not quite characters, do at least get lonely.)
I enjoyed spending time in this world, and I would eagerly read more by this author. Only giving 3 stars because it felt like a test piece, gearing up for a longer work.
The story focused on a foster kid who comes to the library for escape. The witch librarian fed him some classical escapism, but he gradually needed more serious books, which leads the witch to a dilemma, because the magic books that yield the actual assistance that she judges he needs are strictly prohibited from circulation and she would be kicked out of her profession for recommending one.
The premise of this story is that the librarian is a witch, which both gives her insights into what books somebody needs to encounter, and into the books themselves. (Which, while not quite characters, do at least get lonely.)
I enjoyed spending time in this world, and I would eagerly read more by this author. Only giving 3 stars because it felt like a test piece, gearing up for a longer work.
The story focused on a foster kid who comes to the library for escape. The witch librarian fed him some classical escapism, but he gradually needed more serious books, which leads the witch to a dilemma, because the magic books that yield the actual assistance that she judges he needs are strictly prohibited from circulation and she would be kicked out of her profession for recommending one.