Silk and Shadow

“Silk and Shadow”
Beneath Ceaseless Skies #11, February 26, 2009
Reprinted in The Best of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Year One, 2010 (fantasy short story)

“I had not written the truth of all I had risked to achieve the hard-won victory. Had I told of my covenant with the witch or of the Stormlord’s dying curse, my mother the Tsarina would command Lord Fabek to ship me home to Nobylisk at once.”

Reviews

The most satisfying pair of issues yet from this ezine…Moody dark fantasy, grim and beautiful at the same time. RECOMMENDED — Lois Tilton, Internet Review of Science Fiction, March 2009

…a fine romantic fantasy…All is resolved imaginatively in a well-enacted magical puppet show. — Rich Horton, LOCUS Magazine (May 2009)

Of the short stories I really liked [in Beneath Ceaseless Skies this year], Tony Pi’s “Silk and Shadow” (February 26), fine romantic fantasy, about a Prince exacting revenge against the man who killed his father – but having to pay a dark price to a witch in the process. — Rich Horton, 2009 yearly summaries

Two stories on the menu of this ezine which, you have to admit, keeps getting better with age. And here we have two stories of exceptional quality: “Silk and Shadow” by Tony Pi which narrates the fight of a young prince against a witch who wants to snatch his soul. — Fabien Lyraud, Propos Iconoclastes (translated from French)

…”Silk and Shadow” by Tony Pi which embraces the epic nature it’s drawing inspiration from. The characters do not veer away from your initial expectations but what sets the story apart is its magic system and how the hero uses this to outwit his enemies. One could say this is a plot-driven narrative with a well thought-out cosmology and creative mystery. What adds oomph, however, is the way Pi fashions the ending which leaves room for ambiguity and fits the notions of a Tragedy. — Charles Tan, Bibliophile Stalker