"Hotel Astarte"

[sergebroom]

I'm reading the June 2007 issue of Realms of Fantasy and once again am enjoying its fiction. A few months ago, I had especially savored the story of a circus that comes to a small village and what happens when a boy wants, not to join the circus, but to become one. In this issue, I felt the same way about M.K.Hobson's Hotel Astarte, where the King from among his vast farmlands sends out his Queen's son with a dead warlock so that they can bring down the Emperor of the East in his capital. The city: New York. The year: 1929.

I think I'll be looking for more fiction by Hobson.

Comments

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

A dead warlock?

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Yes, but not a zombie one. By the way, the story's writing was quite good. Of course, how well can someone judge the quality of something written in a language other than the one he grew up with? Maybe not well. The bottom line is that the writing sang to me.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

It sounds really good. I don't get Realms of Fantasy, however, just Analog, Asimov's and F & SF.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Realms can easily be found in newstands, along with other F/SF publications. Just leafing thru may leave you perplexed though as the majority of its advertising is for fantasy-based videogames or supernatural romance novels, but none of that is reflected in the magazine's actual fiction.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

I see. I shall have to look for it.

[tania-c.livejournal.com]

The boy wants to be a circus? Interesting. Of course, my stream of conciousness rambling/babbling brain is now tying that into flea circuses and yesterday's louse-ridden patient that was admitted to the hospital where I work.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

No flea circus, but a beautiful image in fact. (Certainly more beautiful an image than that of your louse-ridden customer. Ewww.)