Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday...
Teaser from The Red Pyramid
I wouldn't have thought it possible so many scorpions existed in the world, much less in Manhattan. The glowing circle round us seemed like insignificant protection against the millions of arachnids crawling over one another, many layers deep, and the woman in brown, who was even more horrible.
From a distance she looked all right, but as she got closer I saw that Serqet's pale skin glistened like an insect shell.
(pg. 141, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan)
I borrowed this one from Amber and am finally going to start it today.
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers.
Amber received her copy as a gift and the above is my honest opinion....
Short Story Monday: Ponies by Kij Johnson
I read another Nebula nominee today, "Ponies" by Kij Johnson, available on-line here at Tor.com. It's an awful little story, not because it's badly written, but the end made me cover my mouth in horror.
In this world, every girl has a pony with wings, a unicorn horn and a voice. A time comes, as the girl gets older, when she and her pony are invited to a cutting-out party, where the girl has to cut out two of her pony's three gifts. It's more like cutting a doll; it doesn't seem to physically hurt the ponies. Barbara and her pony Sunny are looking forward to their cutting-out party, but what happens is just devastating.
I understand that it's a story about growing up, about the pressures to fit in and the tendency for girls to be downright cruel at times, but I almost wish I hadn't read it. It's well-written but so disturbing.
1,255 words
Tor.com 11/17/10
5 out of 5 stars
John hosts...
Shoes
My tennis shoes and I have been getting to know each other a lot better lately. David and I have been heading out to the track every other day or so, walking and jogging. I hate it. Exercise is not something I enjoy, but I know it's good for me, so I'm trying. Happily, David's doing it with me. He actually has a goal - to be in good enough shape that softball doesn't kill him when it starts at the end of May. I'm proud of us. We've gone out five times so far, once when it was sprinkling a little. I'll tell you though, my legs were killing me yesterday when we were done. Eventually it'll get easier, right?...
Review: The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell
I honestly don't even know where to start my comments when it comes to The Pig Did It. I'm not even sure if I liked it or not, but it was compelling in some odd way. I had to keep reading, just to see where the story went. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters, and I felt like the author was almost trying to hard to be witty and amusing, but I wanted to keep reading.
The narrator is Aaron, a writer and teacher who has come to his aunt's house in Ireland to grieve to over a woman, not a woman he loved mind you, but a woman he wanted to love him but who had not interest in him whatsoever. He's self-absorbed and whiny, and wet for most of the book. Near the beginning of the story, due to an accident and a bus having to stop, he ends up being followed to his Aunt Kitty's...
At Willowside (Flash Fiction)
At Willowside
by Carol
350 words
Oran kept walking, didn’t look back at the village. Claire was dead, buried yesterday, an accident. How could it have been an accident? The best archer in the village missing his target by yards? Even in the slight wind, Oran found it doubtful, but with no proof he couldn’t accuse the man, and even the elders had been afraid of Claire, of her visions, especially her last one.
Claire had told the council about invaders from the north. She saw them, swords at their sides, riding into the village on horses as dark as coal. She had naively told them, too, that in her vision the intruders had met with the council, which was, Oran believed, why she had been killed. He had no evidence nor did he have Claire’s gift, but he had a foreboding feeling the elders knew the invasion was coming, were anticipating it. Oran knew them to be crafty men, eager for power, not...