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River
Edited by Alma Alexander
I was invited to submit a story for this anthology based around the idea that all rivers are the same river, that they all exude power and are transformative in nature, ever changing yet with hidden strengths. I immediately thought of the River in my “Throne of Amenkor” series and ended up writing a story based around that. I wasn’t certain the story would make the cut, but it did, and now I’ve had a chance to read all of the other stories that made it as well.
I was surprised at how varied the stories were, from those in fantasy settings (like mine) to modern day settings, to post-apocalyptic and even SF settings. There’s even what I’d call a paranormal romance in here. None of the stories are quite like the others, although there are some common themes such as water spirits or elementals who are deeply connected to the river, or the river itself as its own spirit. One story even has the river as the main character. I think every reader will be able to find a couple of stories in here that they will love, and they’ll enjoy the rest of the stories as well.
One of the coolest things about the anthology is the table of contents, which isn't really a table but a map. I've put the graphic for that at the end of the review.
Here are my thoughts on the individual stories:
The Well-Keeper and the Wolf by Tiffany Trent: The opening story in the anthology fittingly surrounds the Well, the source of all of the rivers in all of the worlds across the universe. It’s guarded by a woman who once loved the Wolf who is dying of thirst. This is their story. An interesting start, with a cool emotional quandary between the Well-Keeper and the Wolf.
Rites by Mary Victoria: Set in Cyprus, this story involved a young girl and an old Englishman who has recently come to her village to paint. But the artist sees right through the girl’s outer skin to her inner soul, even if he doesn’t realize exactly what it is he sees. A slow, atmospheric story.
The Fall by Irene Radford: This one’s written from the perspective of a waterfall. I was initially wary because where is the story going to come from? But Irene weaves the local tribe that uses the waterfall to survive into a nice little tale.
They Are Forgotten Until They Come Again by Jay Lake: Here, the story appears to be post-apocalyptic, but far enough in the future after the event that humanity has descended back to a tribal level. The warriors in the tribe are attempting to sacrifice a malformed child to the river god, but they weren’t expecting the mother’s wrath.
Scatological by Deb Taber: This little tale was somewhat bizarre in a good way. The main character moves to a new town where it appears that frogs are rising from the river and overrunning everything at night. Except that they aren’t exactly frogs. And perhaps what’s happening isn’t really the disaster everyone seems to think it is. An interesting positive take or twist on a scientific fact about what gave rise to life way back when. I liked this story.
Floodlust by Jacey Bedford: I liked the title of this one instantly. The story itself has romance elements to it, with a young woman meeting a water elemental type of creature and falling in love. But she can’t get over her fear of drowning after her father drowned in the river when she was younger. How can they be together? I thought the story needed more space; it felt rushed, especially in the middle. But still a good story.
Five Bullets on the Banks of the Sadji by Keffy R.M. Kehrli: Sort of a blend of fantasy with touches of science and a little flare of steampunk here. The main character is part of the oppressed minority where two rivers meet and his brothers have already died either fighting against their oppressors, or embracing them. He sticks to the middle road, until one of the dying rebels comes to his house for help and he learns to fight them in his own way. I liked the feel of this setting and this story.
My Grandfather’s River by Brenda Cooper: A very short SF story in which a daughter attempts to recreate through virtual reality a river for her grandfather on his birthday, one that he attempted to save from destruction when younger.
The River by Joshua Palmatier: Well, what can I say. I liked this story. *grin* Set in my fictional city of Amenkor, this one features my assassin Erick, set to punish those who’ve committed crimes by the Mistress. Here, he’s after a woman who’s killing her children by drowning them in the River. Fans of my “Throne” novels get to meet Varis and the Mistress again, since it’s set at the same time as The Skewed Throne.
Lady of the Waters by Seanan McGuire: Here, a boat with a centaur captain and a crew with varied backgrounds and various useful talents stop off in a new town only to immediately stumble into the middle of trouble. It appears that numerous local young women have disappeared, supposedly taken by the Lady of the Waters. The crew sets out to investigate. Again, I felt like this story needed more space and room to develop. A good story, but it feels like there’s so much more left to discover.
Vodnik Laughter by Ada Milenkovic Brown: This story was interesting because it used folklore I wasn’t familiar with. A young girl unwittingly makes a deal with a vodnik in the local river—a water spirit that keeps the souls of its victims in teacups—when she nearly drowns. She runs into the same vodnik when she’s older . . . and he has another deal for her.
River-Kissed by Joyce Reynolds-Ward: In a post-apocalyptic setting, Marthe sets out to travel down from her mountain stream to the river below, since she’s river-kissed and her gills are about to show. She thinks being river-kissed will protect her, but she finds out otherwise. Now she simply hopes to survive . . . and arrive before her change is complete.
Beyond the Lighthouse by Nisi Shawl: And the final story in the anthology takes us to a woman who seeks a relationship in real life, but can only seem to deal with it in a sort of dream state where she’s transformed into a bird but can see the past and present. So uses this ability to find out about this man she’s noticed and spoken to on the bus, but would like to know better. But can she release her fears enough to actually have a true conversation with him?
Edited by Alma Alexander
I was invited to submit a story for this anthology based around the idea that all rivers are the same river, that they all exude power and are transformative in nature, ever changing yet with hidden strengths. I immediately thought of the River in my “Throne of Amenkor” series and ended up writing a story based around that. I wasn’t certain the story would make the cut, but it did, and now I’ve had a chance to read all of the other stories that made it as well.
I was surprised at how varied the stories were, from those in fantasy settings (like mine) to modern day settings, to post-apocalyptic and even SF settings. There’s even what I’d call a paranormal romance in here. None of the stories are quite like the others, although there are some common themes such as water spirits or elementals who are deeply connected to the river, or the river itself as its own spirit. One story even has the river as the main character. I think every reader will be able to find a couple of stories in here that they will love, and they’ll enjoy the rest of the stories as well.
One of the coolest things about the anthology is the table of contents, which isn't really a table but a map. I've put the graphic for that at the end of the review.
Here are my thoughts on the individual stories:
The Well-Keeper and the Wolf by Tiffany Trent: The opening story in the anthology fittingly surrounds the Well, the source of all of the rivers in all of the worlds across the universe. It’s guarded by a woman who once loved the Wolf who is dying of thirst. This is their story. An interesting start, with a cool emotional quandary between the Well-Keeper and the Wolf.
Rites by Mary Victoria: Set in Cyprus, this story involved a young girl and an old Englishman who has recently come to her village to paint. But the artist sees right through the girl’s outer skin to her inner soul, even if he doesn’t realize exactly what it is he sees. A slow, atmospheric story.
The Fall by Irene Radford: This one’s written from the perspective of a waterfall. I was initially wary because where is the story going to come from? But Irene weaves the local tribe that uses the waterfall to survive into a nice little tale.
They Are Forgotten Until They Come Again by Jay Lake: Here, the story appears to be post-apocalyptic, but far enough in the future after the event that humanity has descended back to a tribal level. The warriors in the tribe are attempting to sacrifice a malformed child to the river god, but they weren’t expecting the mother’s wrath.
Scatological by Deb Taber: This little tale was somewhat bizarre in a good way. The main character moves to a new town where it appears that frogs are rising from the river and overrunning everything at night. Except that they aren’t exactly frogs. And perhaps what’s happening isn’t really the disaster everyone seems to think it is. An interesting positive take or twist on a scientific fact about what gave rise to life way back when. I liked this story.
Floodlust by Jacey Bedford: I liked the title of this one instantly. The story itself has romance elements to it, with a young woman meeting a water elemental type of creature and falling in love. But she can’t get over her fear of drowning after her father drowned in the river when she was younger. How can they be together? I thought the story needed more space; it felt rushed, especially in the middle. But still a good story.
Five Bullets on the Banks of the Sadji by Keffy R.M. Kehrli: Sort of a blend of fantasy with touches of science and a little flare of steampunk here. The main character is part of the oppressed minority where two rivers meet and his brothers have already died either fighting against their oppressors, or embracing them. He sticks to the middle road, until one of the dying rebels comes to his house for help and he learns to fight them in his own way. I liked the feel of this setting and this story.
My Grandfather’s River by Brenda Cooper: A very short SF story in which a daughter attempts to recreate through virtual reality a river for her grandfather on his birthday, one that he attempted to save from destruction when younger.
The River by Joshua Palmatier: Well, what can I say. I liked this story. *grin* Set in my fictional city of Amenkor, this one features my assassin Erick, set to punish those who’ve committed crimes by the Mistress. Here, he’s after a woman who’s killing her children by drowning them in the River. Fans of my “Throne” novels get to meet Varis and the Mistress again, since it’s set at the same time as The Skewed Throne.
Lady of the Waters by Seanan McGuire: Here, a boat with a centaur captain and a crew with varied backgrounds and various useful talents stop off in a new town only to immediately stumble into the middle of trouble. It appears that numerous local young women have disappeared, supposedly taken by the Lady of the Waters. The crew sets out to investigate. Again, I felt like this story needed more space and room to develop. A good story, but it feels like there’s so much more left to discover.
Vodnik Laughter by Ada Milenkovic Brown: This story was interesting because it used folklore I wasn’t familiar with. A young girl unwittingly makes a deal with a vodnik in the local river—a water spirit that keeps the souls of its victims in teacups—when she nearly drowns. She runs into the same vodnik when she’s older . . . and he has another deal for her.
River-Kissed by Joyce Reynolds-Ward: In a post-apocalyptic setting, Marthe sets out to travel down from her mountain stream to the river below, since she’s river-kissed and her gills are about to show. She thinks being river-kissed will protect her, but she finds out otherwise. Now she simply hopes to survive . . . and arrive before her change is complete.
Beyond the Lighthouse by Nisi Shawl: And the final story in the anthology takes us to a woman who seeks a relationship in real life, but can only seem to deal with it in a sort of dream state where she’s transformed into a bird but can see the past and present. So uses this ability to find out about this man she’s noticed and spoken to on the bus, but would like to know better. But can she release her fears enough to actually have a true conversation with him?
