What can I say? It's a nice story... ( )

A pleasant little tale to ease my way into a new year of reading.

Read online at the author's website.

January 2021
Hampton Lithonia
#BeatTheBacklog
Short Story / Fable ( )

A wonderful, fairy tale style, short story that you can read for free by simply popping in to Robin's website while you're passing.

And don't forget to give all of Robin's books a read: they're really good as well. ( )

After falling in love with Robin Sloan's Mr Penumbra's 24-hr Bookstore recently, I was keen to read more from this fabulous author, and settled on this short story from him entitled: The Writer & The Witch.

I read it last month, but am reviewing it now, as part of freebie February, because you can read it online here for free.

It is essentially the story of a writer cursed by a witch who then has to stay in the one spot or age a year for every step he takes. What happens next is the essence of the story and it was an entertaining read with a fairytale feel; suitable for a YA audience.

At an equivalent of 23 pages in length, The Writer & The Witch is short and enjoyable and I thoroughly recommend it as a lunch-time read. ( )

Once upon a time there was a little kindle (0.99 $); there is now a free reading here:

http://www.robinsloan.com/writer-witch/

A quick read fairy tale that takes possession of the traditional tropes in a touching (but not fluffy) way. There isn't the traditional happy ending, but the final lines give a beacon of joy. Unlike the Aesop's fables, The Writer and the Witch hasn't an explicit moral, instead few precepts lie between the lines. The first one - "even a mortal curse can come to a blessing" - reminds me the Ursula Le Guin's phrase about the light and the shadow. The second one is maybe a pun, but is, however, true: to become a writer you need to be rooted in a place and to be very patient. The third and final one is a sort of afterthought: don't talk too loud about the monsters, or they will become real... ( )