Post Category Paul on 01 Mar 2010 02:06 am
“Small Burdens” on Strange Horizons
I’m proud to say my short story “Small Burdens” just went up on the wonderful speculative fiction magazine Strange Horizons. You can read it here.
This piece began as my first Clarion story, written during the week our workshop was led by Kelly Link.
A bit of spoiler — It’s a fairy story, and I knew next to nothing about fairy lore when I started it, but the piece grew out of the question: When fairies steal human children, why do they bother to leave changelings in their place? It seems like a lot of work, and they’re eventually found out sooner or later. Do fairies just have cruel senses of humor, or do the changelings serve some purpose that humans never see? I tried to answer that, working from the premise that fairies were a bit too alien to relate to humans, and that the changeling had to be doing something that would help them abduct or raise a human baby.
I’ve been a big fan of Strange Horizons for years (and it was co-founded by another one of my Clarion instructors, Mary Anne Mohanraj), so I’m delighted this story found a good home there.
5 Responses to ““Small Burdens” on Strange Horizons”
on 01 Mar 2010 at 8:28 am # Justin Howe
Hey, Paul. I really enjoyed the story. Congratulations!
on 01 Mar 2010 at 10:34 am # Matt Kressel
Congrats, Paul. It’s a great story. But you just spoiled my breakfast with that picture thank you very much.
on 06 Mar 2010 at 12:14 pm # Christos Reid
Hi Paul,
Your story was absolutely fantastic, and intriguing to the degree I’d have read it if it was forty times longer. Your use of language was extremely effective – there was nothing in there that I could or would ever classify as “flowery” – and it was perfect for the short format.
I think you have an amazing talent to conjure characters that are inherently interesting and terrifying all at once, and I look forward to reading any novels you publish in the future. The best of luck, and thank you for providing me with a deep, enjoyable story to start the afternoon.
All the best,
Christos
on 06 Mar 2010 at 12:59 pm # Ariel
Wow. That’s the best short story I’ve read in way too long, and quite possibly one of the best fairy tales I’ve ever read.
It opens a window into a world many times larger than it portrays, and makes the imagination run wild.
on 14 Mar 2010 at 2:30 pm # Gio Clairval
I just read the story and I thought it was great, very original.