The Puppetmaster

by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

A banished warrior teaches her treacherous uncle that once made, some oaths cannot be broken...and some monsters cannot be chained.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction, Queer, Novella

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2023

About the author

Kemi Ashing-Giwa is an author and scientist-in-training based in Palo Alto. Her work includes the USA Today bestselling, Compton Crook Award-winning novel The Splinter in the Sky, the novella This World Is Not Yours, and the forthcoming novel The King Must Die. Her short fiction, which has been nominated for an Ignyte Award and featured on the Locus Recommended Reading List, has been reprinted in collections including Some of the Best from Tor.com: 15th Anniversary Edition and The Year’s Top Tales of Space and Time. She is now pursuing a PhD in the Earth & Planetary Sciences department at Stanford.

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story available free on Tor.Com.
Dark fantasy, threads of horror and sci-fi, assumed to be inspired by Japanese culture & medieval monarchies, but future set. Demons; historic weapons mixed with the futuristic (swords and axes of saltsteel, phase blasters and sun grenades); Kings & Queens; villages, monasteries; knights and servants.

All told in dual narrative - a letter and narrative of skipping timeline - some before the letter is read, the crescendo after the letter is read. Temaru, daughter of Noriko, daughter of the House of Osu Meje is the author of the letter, and it is her story.

Too short for more or there would be spoilers.
Worth your 20 minutes.

3.5 stars, rounded down

[CC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sampled this short story (available online here) to get an idea of the author's style before investing in The Splinter in the Sky. It was interesting, with a creative narrative structure and a unique world. Somewhat mix-genre with equal parts sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, though the sci-fi didn't seem to fit as well into the rest and served very little purpose.

The writing was a bit too plain for me, and the emotions were light, so maybe the novel will get a lower priority on my wishlist.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of revenge and of demons from another universe. Best guess, inspired by Japanese culture. Short, grim and good.

“Uduak IX may have ordered an assassin to gut his niece in a holy monastery, but he is still a man of honor. As emperor of Johari IX, the greatest human-ruled planet in the Known Worlds, honor is an attribute to be expected. And so before he had her butchered, he gave the order that she would be allowed a single sheet of solar parchment and a holographic brush so she might write her last words.“

15 pages, from Tor.com.
Can be read for free here: https://www.tor.com/2023/05/10/the-pu...

I recommend Fruiting Bodies by the author, if you like a little horror with your scifi.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uduak IX may have ordered an assassin to gut his niece in a holy monastery, but he is still a man of honor is one of the best first sentences a story can have, and the scene that follows made me wish for something longer than a short story. It really is a beginning fit for an epic saga.

But alas, it's a short story. We're supposed get all the background information out of a single letter intertwined with some memories, which is just not enough. The glimpses of the worldbuilding are fascinating: sealing the lips of the dead? I love this idea. Demons to be slain with saltsteel, sun grenades, and phase blasters? That's an interesting point to put your technology at, tell me more! But there is no more, it's all just mentioned in passing.

It could have been really good, it just needed more space. And an editor who isn't too overworked to ask: if the title is "emperor" why does she call herself "queen"? Or: would a master manipulator really throw someone with a grudge into the pit where the Puppetmaster is waiting to use them against him?

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Puppetmaster” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Revenge is a dish best served cold. Only quibble is how he thought a regular assassin could kill someone possessed by a killer demon?

3, that part is a big ? but love the revenge, stars.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, though a bit too heavy on exposition and not much on action, which made the short story seem longer than it was.

[Karen ⚜Mess⚜ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free short story on Reactor.

Horrific story in so few words. Could have done without the lesbian stuff. If it was omitted the story would have been the same.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young princess will stop at nothing to seek vengeance on her uncle.

Ashing-Giwa creates a world swiftly, but with some measure of depth and the plot has a nice climax in keeping with the story.

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sf 2023 published short story, by a relatively new author who has been published a lot on tor.com (reactor now, though that does not slip off the tongue the same way).

I really did not like the other story of hers I read though it seems to have been an early work and I meant to try a different one because the scenarios do seem interesting. I did and the good news is that I think it is a bit better written (helped by no first person PoV), but I still did not like the story - the central focus of the story is the same, and it is in all a bit naïve "kickass" (yeah, that type of storytelling for that type of reader) female character and really evil male dude and our kickass female surprise kills the evil male dude as the resolution. Case closed, not much mechanics of how did she pull it off, how incompetent the man was to allow it, or even if it really was a good idea ( is a murderous but good administrator not better for the population at large than also murderous vengeful "rightful" heir? I am less certain of that than the author seems to be) It all felt quite naïve and superficial.

The story is really space fantasy, it is supposed to be a planet, hints some magic creatures might be indigenous species, but it is all very vague and worse, it is inconsistent. It is an empire for generations (but wait, planet unified in the current generation? Not sure), planet wide but the scope also feels small, like the heir to the empire remembering not being enough food, or the planetary emperor grudging individual coins. Incongruous.

It does feel more polished than the first story, but I think this author's stories are just not for me- might try again in a few years time, to check how her work progresses. Skipping that first novel that I had been considering so far.

[Reem Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed it! I'm not familiar with Japanese culture, and it's my first time reading something of this particular futuristic dark fantasy genre. It was a good short read.

That said, it's a predictable short story. I was able to figure out what happens since the beginning, with the exception of the specific worldbuilding aspects. Personally, I'm not a big fan of letter-driven pieces, and half the information gained is narrated through a letter in this one.

Tl;dr, it's worth the read IMO.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Uduak IX may have ordered an assassin to gut his niece in a holy monastery, but he is still a man of honor."

That is one of the most memorable openings I've read in a long time. Unfortunately the rest of story, while enjoyable, failed to hold my attention like that first page. As the story laid out the world, it lost me somewhere with the Puppetmaster's introduction. A dark science-fantasy story about revenge.

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Puppetmaster by author Kemi Ashing-Giwa is a short story you can read for free on the Tor.com site https://www.tor.com/2023/05/10/the-pu...

A banished warrior teaches her treacherous uncle that once made, some oaths cannot be broken…and some monsters cannot be chained.

My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories.

Loved this one. Nice mix of sci-fi and dark medieval fantasy with a Japanese flavor.

4 Stars

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable and deliciously dark. I did feel that the ending could have been finessed a bit more because I didn't quite follow the story's twists, but other than that minor quibble, I really enjoyed this!

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Standard revenge story. It's the kind of thing that can really benefit from some time and space for the reader to invest in the characters. I didn't really understand what Noriko wanted from the Puppetmaster. And I don't understand why Uduak thought his niece would be killed so easily.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story! The art is beautiful, and the writing style of the author very was appealing. I only wish it were longer with more action scenes. You can read it for free on tor. com.

[umainthewild · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating - 3.5

I actually really loved the writing and the premise. I'd happily read a whole book surrounding this but the story itself was too short for me. It's the kind of short story that even as you read it, you kind of know it would be so much better as a full length novel.

[caro_cactus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent sci-fantasy story, but the device of the letter, although a nice idea, was quite infodumpy - down to the potential nuance of the uncle being a better ruler than his sister, and the demons being a people with a culture. Murder ladies were good.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I can count on my own fingers the number of times you spoke to me directly. But I remember that for one of those few times, you told me that no one would ever look at me like I was a person. That monsters like me couldn’t have friends, couldn’t have family. I should have known that was a warning."

[R Frueh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This so needs more written in this universe...

[Costanza Miccichè · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a short story with interesting story and possible developments but with a writing too plain and cold. Anyway I have a problem with short stories, rarely I manage to enjoy them 🙄

[Roland · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ordinary revenge story set in an interesting world that was just not of my interest.

[Greg Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

entertaining, but not really a book, more short story. not long enough to be a novelette

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read a whole book based in this world!

Read it here:
https://www.tor.com/2023/05/10/the-pu...

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this was longer, I'd read a whole series in this world.

link: https://www.tor.com/2023/05/10/the-pu...

[April Thompson Freeman]

Read it here: https://www.tor.com/2023/05/10/the-pu...

[Heni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the combination of magic and planetary imperium. The power of Puppetmaster also terrifying. Sweet, sweet revenge 🔥

[Emmaby Barton Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting twist or two in this short story. Give it a read, I think you'll enjoy it.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love a revenge story.

[claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story about revenge inspired by Japanese culture featuring a sapphic warrior that has been banished by her uncle. A bit too descriptive at times, but overall an okay read.