A review by arkron
The Finite Canvas by Lee Mandelo

5.0

A female assassin atones for her murders by letting a medicine carve her arm (cf the great illustration by Rick Berry) while telling her story. This is the frame story for [b:The Decameron|51799|The Decameron|Giovanni Boccaccio|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362720861s/51799.jpg|1320474]-like redemption/love/family story. Two strong female characters, an intense mystery set in a dystopian world with a bit of action, and a perfect ending make up this novelette. I don't understand why this one didn't win the Nebula instead of [b:Close Encounters|17404833|Close Encounters|Andy Duncan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-673c574e721a5d4c3fd6e25b74d42bf2.png|24242303]. It isn't for the faint of heart and I'm pretty sure it will stick with me a while.