Wednesday 11 September 2019

Deriving Life by Elizabeth Bear - A Short Story Review

This is another story of loss and mourning in the Tor.com January - February 2019 collection.  But this time it tackles the horrible experience of watching your loved one die.

The narrator here is not the easiest person to like but that's also what makes the story compelling.

There is a science-fictiony element to the story, where beings can occupy a dying person's body to give them a pain-free end of life.  People are not cured but the journey is not as terrible as it could be.  However, I found this aspect of the story to be unnecessary.

I've certainly seen the author's name around for years and I've always had her on my TBR list.  This is the first story of hers that I've read and I must say that I've been missing out.  If this is the kind of work she produces then I am already a fan.

There is a quiet confidence in the storytelling that I found compelling.

To be honest, I put the story down a few times just so I could come back to it later.  It was an uncomfortable thing to read but I was taken by how I was able to connect with it.

Well done indeed.

Elizabeth's website - https://www.elizabethbear.com/

Elizabeth Bear

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