Even a Stone

by Jane Lebak

Sir Charles Hallwyn is on a quest for dragon eggs when he encounters an angel sitting on a rock. The angel says he has to sit on the rock for three years, a punishment for an uncharitable remark he made at a friend’s expense. Sir Charles recognizes an opportunity when he sees one (he’s been selling dragons to train young dragon-fighters for years now) but as it turns out, dragons are also good at recognizing opportunities. And there’s one very angry dragon-mom on the way.

Originally published in Dragons, Knights and Angels magazine, Even A Stone sees a chance meeting change Sir Charles’ entire life, and an angel may learn whether even a stone warms up if you sit on it.

Even A Stone can also be purchased as part of the "Seven Angels Short Story Bundle," along with "Damage," "Winter Branches," "Hired Man," and eight bonus shorts.

Genres: Amazon

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Jane Lebak writes about angels, smart women, and angels who have to put up with smart women. Her stories are a random assortment of genres, both fiction and nonfiction, long form and short form. Some of it is pretty weird. One editor told her, "You think so far outside the box, I'm not sure you know there is a box."

Boxes are for cereal. Fiction wants to be free.

Jane lives in the Swamp and spends her time either writing books or ejecting stink bugs from the house. She is pretty sure no one reads these author bios.

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: A knight, an angel and several dragons. Those are the characters in this story, quite different from other views on the same subject, quite different from the fable of the princess, the dragon and Saint George.

While reading, I thought this story could be a plea against bullfighting, but this interpretation is probably due not to the author's intention, but to my own culture. In fact, the point of the story is the danger of selling your love for money, and where this first fall could take you.

ESPAÑOL: Un caballero andante, un ángel y varios dragones. Esos son los personajes de esta historia, bastante diferentes de otras que abundan sobre el mismo tema, muy distinta de la fábula de la princesa, el dragón y San Jorge.

Mientras leía, pensé que este cuento podría ir dirigido contra las corridas de toros, pero es probable que esta interpretación no se deba a la intención de la autora, sino a mi cultura. De hecho, el meollo de la historia es el peligro de vender el amor por dinero, y hasta dónde podría llevar esta primera caída.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: this story also appears in the Seven Angels Short Story Bundle by Jane Lebak.

Even A Stone

A humorous story about a Knight with questionable intent, who encounters an Archangel sitting on a rock as punishment. An interesting twist of fate in this story. Dragons, Knights, and Angels oh my. This was the first of Jane Lebak's short stories I read after reading once of her books with angels. I was instantly hooked. This is a fun story and highlights the diversity of settings and plots that Lebak has in her stories.

This story also appears in the Seven Angels Short Story Bundle which can be read on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Jane Lebak.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Bill Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even A Stone

A nice little tale about raising tails. Dragons and angels are a mixture seldom seen. A fun short story with a great ending.

[MissFaerieKaiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, thoughtful little story with knights, angels, and dragons, woven with grace.

[Fire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even a Stone is well written and interesting. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating was that it felt like it needed more. Being a short story it felt unfinished to me. I did found out that it is part of a series and I haven't ready any of the other books so that might help. Also I felt like there was a learning curve for this story like you had to read the others in the series to fully understand what was going on.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read the description of this story, so it was a total surprise. The author's voice is strong with wonderful descriptions, and the unexpected mixture of angels and dragons was delightful. The only thing that jarred was some of the humor, which pulled me out of the mesmerizing prose, as if the story had a split personality. But the writing was so compelling I had to finish to find out what happened. Recommended for readers of Christian fantasy.

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Even A Stone" by Jane Lebak is a Medieval satire about a man who becomes a knight for all the wrong reasons, makes poor decisions and reflects on those after facing the consequences of his actions. I found it engaging, enlightening, and over all a good short read.

[Khulood · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging and fun short read! I enjoyed it, might even pick up the other books in the Seven Angels Short Story Bundle.

[H.L. Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever and quirky

I really enjoyed this. I wasn't sure what to expect as a knight approaches and angel and they swap stories. This was hilarious and a bit heartwarming.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knight's, dragons, angels, myths, magic
A short story with a surprise ending. A fun read.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read short stories, and wasn't aware this was one or I wouldn't have gotten it. I'm sure glad I did though as it was really well done. I laughed out loud at the end, it was perfect! For a short story it did a good job of showing what often happens in life.