One Hundred Ablutions

by Jacqueline Carey

In “One Hundred Ablutions,” Jacqueline Carey, author of the much-beloved Kushiel’s Legacy series, tells the tale of Dala—a young woman chosen by her people’s overlords to be an exalted slave among slaves—and of the twining in her life of ritual, rebellion, and redemption.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Ebooks

27 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.

She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.

Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.

Reviews

[Amy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd little möbius strip of a story. Enjoyable, though I would have liked more detail and background (this is my usual complaint with novellas, in all honesty).

[Lala · Rating 2 out of 5]

..

Centuries ago, the Keren people were conquered by the Shaladan, freeing them from the occupying Jagan. The Shaladan brought peace to the valley and are now the rulers of all, with the Keren firmly in the place of second-class citizens, with little hope of bettering their situation. At fourteen years old, Dala is chosen as a handmaid, to attend a Shaladan family and help them with their holy rite, the daily one hundred ablutions.

Dala is bitter about her fate, for despite her new place of honor and freedom from hunger, it means never seeing her family again, or marrying and having children.

The story is very slow, and ramps up a little too quickly near the end. The Shaladan are not really evil, and the plan seems about just replacing one race of overlords for another. Dala's importance to the rebellion comes out of nowhere- because there was a vision of her helping? She really did no more than any other handmaid. And then there is the insta-love with the Jagan, Valek.

Carey's writing is lovely as always, but this was a complicated story that doesn't really fit its short length, and would have been better served as a full novel.

Personal history: Purchased A Fantasy Medley 3 edited by Yanni Kuznia for this story alone.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

So short I feel guilty allowing it to be counted in my reading challenge total but a stunning little tale that throws you hook, line and sinker into these peoples lives. I’m not sure how in just 30 pages Jacqueline Carey made me care about these characters, but she did and that has to be counted as masterful writing. It’s just a pity it wasn’t longer for I would certainly have eagerly read more.

[Tina Barcelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

It would mostly be 5* if it were a true book. But 32 pages? Only got me interested and it was done. Will always check book length from now on. Thanks for the $3.00 lesson.

[Els · Rating 4 out of 5]

One hundred ablutions was a great start of the year. The writing was beautiful as we can always expect from Jacqueline Carey. The reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I wished it was longer. The story is very compelling and I feel like there was more story to tell here.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short Story

What a cheat. A short story for $3! As much as I like this author it wasn't worth the cost. Not even a great story either. A Left Hanging plot.

[Beth Petrovich-Care · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? It's Jacqueline Carey. The prose is always beautiful, and the stories are unique. This short story is no different.

[mlady_rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging short story. I wasn’t ready for it to end.

[Holly Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story

Wish it was longer! What an interesting world. Solid characters. I want to know more and I hope the author returns.

[Ellana Thornton-Wheybrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting short story

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Short, but very good.

[Lautel Okhio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange, abrupt, and started off gorgeously before descending into an odd kind of chaos. I don't have much more than that for this one.

[Anna Mcmullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. It made you think as you read and it has kept me thinking now that I’ve finished the book. Well done!

[Kashii · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting. I enjoyed it. I wish I could know what happened next though

[Jennifer Niskanen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story I'm not going to forget.

[James Ronholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

one short poignant story

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short. While the setting and characters were interesting, this one's primary appeal is the emotional payoff at the end. Well worth reading.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story (maybe 30 pages) that I'd been meaning to read for years, but only just recently got to do so. It's a really quick read, although it takes a while to let it sink in.
Dala's people, the Keren, are in service to the Shaladan. While they're slaves, the Keren don't seem to mind it too terribly. Dala knows she's a slave, but as long as she's not chosen to be a handmaid of Shakrath, she's fine with her life. As luck would have it, there's a shortage of merchant girls to be chosen for handmaids, and so Dala must participate in the choosing ritual.
She has no ability to reject being chosen, and must become a handmaid. She's given to a household, and is expected to fetch a giant basin of water each day, for each member of the household. She chafes at this, and wishes to find a way out.
It's a lovely story, short but well written. Carey spins a lovely tale, with a lot of vivid, rich detail, in a short space. I wish I'd been able to get a little more detail about the Keren and the Shaladan, as the visual details were a little sketchy.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Lasciel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little short story, packed with strong feelings and depth for such a short book. A good read.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully wrought fantasy story that could all too easily have its roots set in various times and places around the world. Telling the story from the distant future (without revealing much at all from the time frame) offered greater insight than a present tense telling could have. This will stay with me.

[Lisette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

A very (very) short story, with little character development or background. It even lacks a definite conclusion. And yet... Intriguing, thought-provoking, and definitely written to make a point. One wonders what drove the author to pen it. Worth reading.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short story, but I enjoyed it. I do love Carey's writing. It just feels familiar. And this felt like very solid world-building, despite the shortness. And like a complete story. I even feel like I got to know the characters fairly well.

[T.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was disappointed this was a short story. It had rich world building, as Carey's work always does, but it took precedence over the characters in short story format.

[Cassie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Jacqueline Carey is so well written. I like everything I have read by her. She is by far one of my favorite authors.

[Matevž · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of many warring tribes & spirits combo. Unfortunately i have read to many such books to find anything of particular value here. That is not the say the story is bad just... not much better than others.

[Todd Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting short story. My first taste of Carey's writing, it leaves me wanting to explore her work further.