Written Word, # 15, November 2008

Written Word’s November 2008 cover story, “The Rejection Letter that Destroys the World” by William Markly O’Neal, left me searching for an answer to the question “Why?” The world is so dystopic no one, not even God and the angels, can be relied upon to look with favor on poor Albert. From birth to death, and beyond, the poor shlub doesn’t get a break. His parents are the worst sort of trash, as are his friends, setting him up for a life of misery, and then some.

I’m unclear what Albert did (besides being born male) to deserve all the bad karma. Any world so evil strains my ability to engage with it. The characters are abhorrent and one-sided, and I mean the wrong one. This very long treatise did not inspire me to keep reading, and the ending takes us back to the beginning, with no relief or sense of resolution. The rejection letter scenario stuck in at the end seems like an “author ex machina.”

After a lot of thought, I decided that O’Neal was trying to illuminate the darker side of the human condition, and explore dystopia and the endless struggle of life. But I much preferred Christopher Hivner’s “No Excuses,” which has the same theme and ends up at the same point, but is set in a world I could relate to. The characters have some redeeming traits, and at least John Barber’s mother and grandfather reach out to the troubled youth whose life is wrecked by an deadbeat, uncaring father. Hivner guides the story through an arc, ending as John comes to terms with his anger and grief, with a hint of positive growth and moving on.

Both stories share the third person, single viewpoint, but I wonder if O’Neal’s use of the present tense gives it that endless, bogged down feeling. His intent, I surmise, is to mirror Albert’s life as it is lived. Mr. Hivner uses the past tense, interspersed with flashbacks, to fill in the information the reader needs in order to understand John Barber’s motivation for continuing his destructive lifestyle. Of note, both used first and last names on multiple occasions throughout, as if the author is analyzing the protagonist’s life, instead of the main character relating it through his own voice.

“Kraken of the Mountains” by Billy Wong is an engaging tale, but even at the end I still wasn’t sure if the intrepid Rose would survive multiple incidents of mortal wounding, and if she did, how.

In a fantasy with swords, spears, and mystical creatures, I wouldn’t expect someone with blood, gore, and guts dripping out of their belly to wash off in a cold stream and walk back to the village. Nor would I expect her loving but clueless partner, Finn, to show concern by assuring her “Even when you’re home taking care of the kids, somebody’s got to be out there kicking ass and winning bread.”

Those oddities aside, Wong transforms this into an allegory of sorts with this passage:

Her love’s eyes were frantic. “Rose, are you alright? Is…is it your womb. What if you don’t heal right? What if you can’t have kids?”

“I’ve been stabbed through the heart, gutted, shot in the throat, and burned to a crisp before, and I healed fine. I’m sure my womb can heal too…” But Finn’s look of terror did not fade, and she waited for the dreadful words she sensed coming.

“Rose, I don’t think you should fight anymore. It’s too dangerous, you can’t keep risking our future like this.”

“But Finn, you always tell me I’m your equal.” In fact, many considered her his better. “Then why do I have to stop, and not you? You could die too.”

He hesitated for a moment, and his voice shook as he spoke. “You are good, Rose. You’re the best I’ve ever met, besides myself. But even so, it’s not natural. You’re a woman—you’re not made to fight.”

“What?! My sex means nothing. If you had taken the wounds I did, you’d be dead, and you wouldn’t be able to have kids either!”

With that, all is forgiven.

“Jitterbug” by Kate Smith is a twin (of sorts) to “Kraken of the Mountains.” Holly H. Kincaid and her twin brother, Zac, are the very attractive owners of Rogue Mapping and Pandora’s Box. Their adventures as a combination of matchmakers and private detectives are fraught with different kinds of vicious monsters. But the same ironic humor runs throughout this lighthearted story, and Holly H. certainly kicks ass. I suspect she was born first.

Holly H. blamed the dress. Then she blamed Zac for choosing the dress. […] her twin had pointed out the advantages of generating as much attention as they could. Hence the ruby red strapless mini-dress and the matching knee high red boots. And Holly H. had managed the attention bit. It happened a lot when you were a six-foot-one blonde.

“Adorned in dawn’s fire to heighten the perfection of honeyed satin masquerading as skin, ” the Senator blathered.[…] “Lo she stands amongst us, a veritable Goddess.”

“You might want to amend that to part-time high priestess of a human sacrificial cult.” Holly H. flashed her best kneel and worship smile and slid into a conversational eddy among the societal shoal.

“Departure Flight” by Lawrence R. Dagstine continues along the lines of love lost and lives ruined. This very sad story has a surprise twist at the end which I never saw coming. I still speculate if the woman in Brian’s seat is an unlucky passenger or a spectral representation of his soon to be ex-wife.

The trouble with flash is that any review gives the story away. Suffice it to say “Palpitation Nation” by C. A. Ellis casts a ray of sunshine over the dark shadows of Written Word #15 with a tale of young love, full of promise and hope.