Dance of Shadows: 01/11/09
This month's online reprint at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is "Dance of Shadows" by Fred Chappell. They've posted it because the February 2009 issue has a new story from the same world called "Shadow of the Valley." I will be reviewing it in the near future.

In the meantime, "Dance of Shadows" is a world where shadows are a valuable commodity. They can be used for art and sometimes be art all by themselves. In the middle of this, a shadow stealer hears of a woman who casts no shadow. The rest of this long story is set around figuring out the mystery of the lady.

The ending is cute but it was a chore to get there. I had to re-read a bunch of lines here and there because the story never really grabbed my imagination. I didn't connect with any of the characters either.

fantasy science fiction magazine | fiction | short story | Fred Chappell | 2007

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Comment #1: Saturday, January, 10, 2009 at 19:34:44

Carl V.

That sounds like a very fun story. More like a fantasy than a science fiction story...I say that because I am a dog owner and lover and believe me, they aren't smart enough to take over anything. LOL!!!

I was sad for the magazine owners/contributors that the magazine is going bi-monthly but after thinking about it for awhile it actually made me glad that they are actually making an effort to keep the magazine going as opposed to folding altogether. I hope that the day will come when things are financially viable enough for them to go monthly again.

Comment #2: Saturday, January, 10, 2009 at 20:43:44

Pussreboots

Which ever genre you want to put it in, it's still a humorous story. I'm also hoping that someday F&SF can go back to its old schedule of publishing. I'm glad though that they are doing what they can to stay afloat during these tough economic times.