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Far
Lesbian zombies, fucked up love and a sentient world...
Once, Mana stole back souls for a living. As a Runner, it was her job to snatch the dead out of After and spare them from a dubious future provided by a machine known as the Recycler. Through magic and will, she joined the stolen souls to their dead bodies and brought them back to "life" as Reanima. It was gruesome--and illegal--but it was business. Mana was the best Runner in the nameless city...
And then she met Far.
Far had been waiting her entire life to die. The city smothered her, and there was no way out. Far had treasonous questions about her existence, and though Mana loved Far with all her heart, love was not enough to save her.
When Far dies, Mana goes against her wishes and steals back her lover's soul, losing her own in the process. Now a Reanima and alone, Far must decide what's more important: truth, freedom, or the love of her death.
"Far" is a dark fantasy short story, just over ten thousand words in length.
Once, Mana stole back souls for a living. As a Runner, it was her job to snatch the dead out of After and spare them from a dubious future provided by a machine known as the Recycler. Through magic and will, she joined the stolen souls to their dead bodies and brought them back to "life" as Reanima. It was gruesome--and illegal--but it was business. Mana was the best Runner in the nameless city...
And then she met Far.
Far had been waiting her entire life to die. The city smothered her, and there was no way out. Far had treasonous questions about her existence, and though Mana loved Far with all her heart, love was not enough to save her.
When Far dies, Mana goes against her wishes and steals back her lover's soul, losing her own in the process. Now a Reanima and alone, Far must decide what's more important: truth, freedom, or the love of her death.
"Far" is a dark fantasy short story, just over ten thousand words in length.
First published July 1, 2011
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511 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Diemer
27 books802 followersI write about heroic, magical girls who love girls. YA author of Golden Crown Award-winning THE DARK WIFE (the lesbian, YA retelling of the Persephone myth) and TWIXT and co-author, with my amazing wife, author Jennifer Diemer, of Project Unicorn: A Lesbian YA Extravaganza.
http://www.MuseRising.com
http://www.MuseRising.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 30, 2013
Lesbian zombies, fucked up love and a sentient world...
Nom nom nomnomnom.....
So how does one manage to cram so much imagination, world-building, love, surrealism and plot in a mere 26 pages for less than $1?
And yet Sarah Diemer managed to do just that.
When you read the words lesbian zombies, don't you somehow expect pulpy fun with hot girl on girl action and rotting and fallen off body parts? Yeah well, it's not like I was sold on that combination either. But then again, horror really isn't my preferred genre. I'm sure Anna has a few disturbingly hot ideas up her sleeve about how this could work though!
Anyway, there's absolutely nothing pulpy about Far! Instead, it reminds me vaguely of Palimpsest, only Diemer doesn't lose herself in gorgeous poetry and offers a little more substance. Which makes this a remarkably well-written super short fantasy tale about a girl named Mana, who is intensely in love with her girlfriend, Far, but loses her to a gloomy city in which prowling gargoyles, eery Gray Coats and other nightmarish creatures wreak havoc.
Mana doesn't accept death fucking over her love life and tries to retrieve her girlfriend's body...and then her soul. The latter proves a little difficult, because that vital part of Far no longer dwells in the city, but has traveled on and past the ports of death. Trying to steal it back may well result in Mana's own death. And even if her attempt will be successful, what if she risks her life for a girl that doesn't want to be brought back to her decomposing body? What if her death was not a coincidence and she was desperate to escape her smothered life in that doomed city?
"Why won't you let me die?" she whispered to me, pillowing her head on my shoulder, and her tears traced familiar grooves along my chest. "Just let me fucking go." I covered her lips with a finger, felt myself shaking. Outside of the shack, stone claws scraped and clicked. The gargoyles began to hunt when the clock chimed twelve.
I discovered, a little too late, that
contains Far as well. I'd recommend getting that one instead.
Hopefully Kat gets a little more into the few tiny winy pet peeves we had about how the plot and conclusion were handled, so I can link to her review. But again, there are books of 250 pages that have less to offer than Far.
Nom nom nomnomnom.....
So how does one manage to cram so much imagination, world-building, love, surrealism and plot in a mere 26 pages for less than $1?
And yet Sarah Diemer managed to do just that.
When you read the words lesbian zombies, don't you somehow expect pulpy fun with hot girl on girl action and rotting and fallen off body parts? Yeah well, it's not like I was sold on that combination either. But then again, horror really isn't my preferred genre. I'm sure Anna has a few disturbingly hot ideas up her sleeve about how this could work though!
Anyway, there's absolutely nothing pulpy about Far! Instead, it reminds me vaguely of Palimpsest, only Diemer doesn't lose herself in gorgeous poetry and offers a little more substance. Which makes this a remarkably well-written super short fantasy tale about a girl named Mana, who is intensely in love with her girlfriend, Far, but loses her to a gloomy city in which prowling gargoyles, eery Gray Coats and other nightmarish creatures wreak havoc.
Mana doesn't accept death fucking over her love life and tries to retrieve her girlfriend's body...and then her soul. The latter proves a little difficult, because that vital part of Far no longer dwells in the city, but has traveled on and past the ports of death. Trying to steal it back may well result in Mana's own death. And even if her attempt will be successful, what if she risks her life for a girl that doesn't want to be brought back to her decomposing body? What if her death was not a coincidence and she was desperate to escape her smothered life in that doomed city?
"Why won't you let me die?" she whispered to me, pillowing her head on my shoulder, and her tears traced familiar grooves along my chest. "Just let me fucking go." I covered her lips with a finger, felt myself shaking. Outside of the shack, stone claws scraped and clicked. The gargoyles began to hunt when the clock chimed twelve.
I discovered, a little too late, that
contains Far as well. I'd recommend getting that one instead.
Hopefully Kat gets a little more into the few tiny winy pet peeves we had about how the plot and conclusion were handled, so I can link to her review. But again, there are books of 250 pages that have less to offer than Far.
May 12, 2013
Vivid, stunning, and brimming with imagination. I'm blown away by Diemer's originality. This is the kind of writing that inspires me - in fact, halfway through reading this I had to stop and jot down story ideas.
Far begins in a straightforward manner. If you could get back someone you lost, would you? Mana is on a quest to bring her love (named Far) back from the dead. The two girls were at odds before Far died. Mana was content with being in love while Far was troubled with questions about their strange world.
"Don't you ever feel trapped?" She whispered.
"No, Far, I don't feel anything but love."
There's much going on that we don't understand until later. You could say this is a zombie tale set in a fantastic alternate world, because it is, but that's too simplistic an explanation. There are gargoyles that come to life and a Recycling Machine for the dead and Runners who steal souls. Also, Far plays with themes like rebirth, fighting for love, questioning rather than accepting, and illusion versus reality.
My only quibble is how the story took a left turn at the end. I certainly didn't see that resolution coming and it was almost too far out there, like a wonderful ending to another story that somehow wound up in this one.
However it isn't necessarily bad, just unexpected and unusual. It brings to mind one of my favorite movies, another zombie tale - 28 Days Later. It starts as your standard post-apocalyptic world where the characters are running from zombies, then it descends into an exploration of the cruelty of a pack of rapey, militarized maniacs who turn out to be just as monstrous as the zombies. I've heard complaints that it shifted focus too suddenly. Well, yes, but were you not entertained?
So, in the same way, I accept Far's unorthodox ending. It had a startling beauty to it. And overall the writing is lovely, simple but evocative and genuinely affecting. I'm offically a fan.
Far begins in a straightforward manner. If you could get back someone you lost, would you? Mana is on a quest to bring her love (named Far) back from the dead. The two girls were at odds before Far died. Mana was content with being in love while Far was troubled with questions about their strange world.
"Don't you ever feel trapped?" She whispered.
"No, Far, I don't feel anything but love."
There's much going on that we don't understand until later. You could say this is a zombie tale set in a fantastic alternate world, because it is, but that's too simplistic an explanation. There are gargoyles that come to life and a Recycling Machine for the dead and Runners who steal souls. Also, Far plays with themes like rebirth, fighting for love, questioning rather than accepting, and illusion versus reality.
My only quibble is how the story took a left turn at the end. I certainly didn't see that resolution coming and it was almost too far out there, like a wonderful ending to another story that somehow wound up in this one.
However it isn't necessarily bad, just unexpected and unusual. It brings to mind one of my favorite movies, another zombie tale - 28 Days Later. It starts as your standard post-apocalyptic world where the characters are running from zombies, then it descends into an exploration of the cruelty of a pack of rapey, militarized maniacs who turn out to be just as monstrous as the zombies. I've heard complaints that it shifted focus too suddenly. Well, yes, but were you not entertained?
So, in the same way, I accept Far's unorthodox ending. It had a startling beauty to it. And overall the writing is lovely, simple but evocative and genuinely affecting. I'm offically a fan.
August 17, 2011
A lovely short story. Sarah Diemer paints a new world in a few strokes of the brush: I loved the world she created in the first two chapters, and the way the relationship between Far and Mana is so quickly sketched in but feels real. I liked the ending, as well, the quick reversal of expectations.
Diemer's writing is clear and easy to read, too, in a way that describes the world without obscuring it; it's to the point while still giving colour and detail.
Diemer's writing is clear and easy to read, too, in a way that describes the world without obscuring it; it's to the point while still giving colour and detail.
July 3, 2012
I enjoyed re-reading Sugar Moon by Sarah Diemer so much, that I decided I needed to read something else by this fabulous author. Far is the second ebook I bought, so I read this one today. It's a short story, so it's a quick read, but definitely enjoyable.
Mana is a Runner who sneaks/tricks her way into After, the realm where the souls of the dead go. She steals souls back for coin and reanimates the body with it's soul. It's a way for people to get their loved ones back... temporarily. Until their body starts to decompose. Mana is able to make enough money to support her and her girlfriend, Far, because being a Runner is very dangerous.
The story picks up just after Far's death. Mana buys her body and goes into After on her most important mission. This Run isn't for money; it's to save her lover. The first chapter is from Mana's point of view, and then the following two chapters are narrated by Far. I liked that I got to read from both points of view. I wasn't sure what to think of them and their relationship until I understood it from both girls. The writing was fantastic and the story was unique. If you like zombies and/or lesbian romances, pick this one up!
I'm definitely looking forward to more from Sarah Diemer. Up next: The Dark Wife.
Mana is a Runner who sneaks/tricks her way into After, the realm where the souls of the dead go. She steals souls back for coin and reanimates the body with it's soul. It's a way for people to get their loved ones back... temporarily. Until their body starts to decompose. Mana is able to make enough money to support her and her girlfriend, Far, because being a Runner is very dangerous.
The story picks up just after Far's death. Mana buys her body and goes into After on her most important mission. This Run isn't for money; it's to save her lover. The first chapter is from Mana's point of view, and then the following two chapters are narrated by Far. I liked that I got to read from both points of view. I wasn't sure what to think of them and their relationship until I understood it from both girls. The writing was fantastic and the story was unique. If you like zombies and/or lesbian romances, pick this one up!
I'm definitely looking forward to more from Sarah Diemer. Up next: The Dark Wife.
July 16, 2012
I downloaded this book on a whim. Mainly because the premise looked interesting and the kindle version was 99 cents.
I believe this was one of the greatest purchases of my life. I seriously think Sarah Diemer should sell a paper back version of this story because I would buy it.
The prose is what made the book stand out. It is simple; not too complex, but its incredibly interesting. It draws you in. It makes you connect with the characters. I especially loved Far, she reminds me of myself; always questioning. I personally think all humans should be like Far. The book also brought up a great point, if you are not afraid to ask the question, you should not be afraid hear the truth. This made me think and has kept me thinking and I love books that do that. I personally think all books should leave us questioning something. This is why this book gets 5 stars!
After reading this I went and bought The Dark Wife. Can't recommend this author enough, I can't believe she isn't more popular.
I believe this was one of the greatest purchases of my life. I seriously think Sarah Diemer should sell a paper back version of this story because I would buy it.
The prose is what made the book stand out. It is simple; not too complex, but its incredibly interesting. It draws you in. It makes you connect with the characters. I especially loved Far, she reminds me of myself; always questioning. I personally think all humans should be like Far. The book also brought up a great point, if you are not afraid to ask the question, you should not be afraid hear the truth. This made me think and has kept me thinking and I love books that do that. I personally think all books should leave us questioning something. This is why this book gets 5 stars!
After reading this I went and bought The Dark Wife. Can't recommend this author enough, I can't believe she isn't more popular.
August 15, 2011
Sarah Diemer does it again with characters that just suck you right into their world. This time, with the Runner named Mana, seeking out her lost love, Far. Zombies, love and an ending that I did not expect and came 'FAR' too soon!
August 5, 2011
Not at all what I expected - it was better. When I began to see how the setting unravelled and tore down the assumptions I'd been foolish enough to make, I was transported to that headspace where the Muses live. This author has a wonderful imagination!
September 23, 2011
For a short story, as much of Diemer's earlier work is, this is a beautiful story. It conjures more than just what magic most think of, and instead, digs into deeper concepts in a bigger picture. Beautiful ending.
October 8, 2012
Amazing! Beautifully written. Nice flowing prose. Makes me excited about short stories :)
November 24, 2012
"If someone believes in an illusion hard enough, for long enough, it can become the strongest thing, the realest and truest thing." Glad I discovered this author. Loved this story.
May 31, 2013
This was my first novella from this author and I was blown away! Intriguing, imaginative, and original-this story had it all! Quick, fun read-highly recommended.
December 20, 2013
Surreal and engaging, like a fever dream.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews