The Lilies of Dawn

by Vanessa Fogg

There is a lake of marvels. A lake of water lilies that glow with the colour of dawn. For generations, Kai’s people have harvested these lilies, dependent upon them for the precious medicines they provide.

But now a flock of enchanted cranes has come to steal and poison the harvest. The lilies are dying. Kai’s people are in peril. A mysterious young man from the city thinks he might have a solution. Kai must work with him to solve the mystery of the cranes, and it will take all her courage, love, strength, and wisdom to do what she must to save both the lilies and her people.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction

76 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2016

About the author

Vanessa Fogg dreams of dragons, selkies, and gritty cyberpunk futures from her home in western Michigan. She is a lapsed scientist and now works as a freelance medical writer. Her short stories have appeared in a number of science fiction and fantasy magazines, as well as in a few non-genre outlets. She is fueled by green tea.

For more, visit her official website www.vanessafogg.com.

Reviews

[Lyndsey Silveira]

I received this book as an ARC.

Let’s start with the praise. This book is gorgeously written, with a gorgeous cover by likhain. The world-building is rich and the characters are interesting, I’d love to read more stories set in this world.

The story itself is introspective, the main character is questioning her place in the world and much of the conflict is character-driven. It’s a quiet story, well-executed.

At the same time, I would have loved for it to be longer, but I pretty much always feel this way about shorter books when they’re good. Some people may find the ending dissatisfying, but keep in mind that it’s a novelette (essentially a long short story) and not a novella or novel. I enjoyed it a lot, but if you’re not comfortable with bittersweet or ambiguous endings, this may not be a story for you.

I’m definitely going to have to check out Vanessa Fogg’s other short work, and I look forward to any book-length work she puts out in the future.

[Quartzen]

This lyrical story read like a folktale, with interesting mythology and lovely prose and imagery. The novelette length was just right for it in my opinion, though I would be happy to read another story about Kai too. I think anyone who liked Zen Cho's The Terracotta Bride might like this, or vice versa- the stories have a similar feel to me, particularly the not quite as you'd expect endings.

[Jennifer Linsky]

I would gladly read much, much more set in this world.

[Suprada Urval]

This is a fantasy tale of a slightly different sort – not your regular “protagonist beats up evil person in epic battle”. It is more real, more tender, more inward-looking, more fantastic, lyrical. Vanessa has done a great job with the world-building – beautiful, evocative, familiar yet different enough.

The story evokes loneliness, melancholy, and a the same time grit and celebration. I love the story as much as the world and would love to read more books set in this world.

But no review of this book will be complete without mentioning its cover by Likhain. Vibrant and detailed, beautiful. Matches the mood of the book perfectly.

A highly recommended short, beautiful read.

Disclosure: I received an advance review copy from the publisher Annorlunda Books.

[Natalie Waddell-Rutter]

This story feels like a fantastical fairy tale with Oriental undertones. I’m not sure it is part of any extant mythology, but I could totally see it fitting into a traditional book of fairy tales. It has all the required elements: a village touched by the Goddess, but currently visited by a curse, a young girl trying to find the cure, a handsome young stranger, and a bittersweet ending. Fogg is able to fill her world with gorgeous details without any boring infodumps. You have to pay attention, though, because she packs quite a few details into a few pages. Overall, a delightful story.

[Katy]

I've received an advanced copy from the publisher.

I liked this novelette very much, it was a pleasurable read , a bit like fantasy genre meeting a novel. Also it being longer than a short story but way shorter than the average novel was good as I REALLY wanted to know the ending- the main character is so easily relatable although she couldn't be further from my reality. .

Also, the nature descriptions which I usually skip, were so pretty and vivid here !

Highly recommended.

[Beatrice]

Lovely stuff.

[Sally]

I received a free copy of this book to review. However, the following review is my honest opinion. (See more reviews like this on my blog: https://quillsandroses.wordpress.com/)

The lilies have been disappearing. They used to cover the entire surface of the lake. There were enough lilies to make medicines, enough to cure all illnesses and still have more to store for later. But that was a long time ago. That was before the cranes came. Before they tore, gouged, and devoured the fragile flowers. Now, there may not be enough, and they may not bloom in time. Kai can only hope they do before her mother dies.

Strangers have come to the lake before, to study the birds and try to shoo them off. They have always failed and the cranes have returned every year to glut themselves on the blossoms. But a doctor named Kevak brings new hope. He is well-traveled and Kai hopes he has enough knowledge to save the lilies and all the people depending on them. However, Kai’s mother warns her not to trust him; the handsome ones are always trouble.

The Writing: 10/10

"The lilies aren’t ready, not yet. But in a few weeks they will be. On that day, the sun will rise and the lilies will open to the light. Slowly they’ll unfurl petals of deepest pink, and their full, heady scent–richer than jasmine or roses–will open, too. Dawn will glow on the water as well as in the sky: the fields of dawn-lilies will bloom.

And then the ravenous birds will come." – Vanessa Fogg, The Lilies of Dawn

The Lilies of Dawn is told in first person by Kai, and boy, does she tell it. This is a fantasy novelette, which is even shorter than the already short novellas, (this one clocks in at 14,000 words, or 76 pages) but unlike a lot of short books, this doesn’t feel overly short or rushed at all. There isn’t a single word wasted and the author masterfully tells us things without having to say it in so many words.

The author and publisher didn’t indicate a target age group, but I think adults and young adults alike will love it. As for middle-graders, parts of the book may go over their heads, but there’s no mature content that would prevent them from reading it.

The world is built slowly but thoroughly. It is foreign but natural, ethereal and gentle, beautiful and terrifying. In short, it is a fully realised fantasy world, an amazing accomplishment in such a tiny book.

There are only three characters who appear in more than one scene, really, but that’s to be expected of such a short novel. The characters are complex and interesting, but you’re not explicitly told this. There’s some reading between the lines to be done, which is why I don’t recommend this novel to very young readers.

I did mention that this book happens slowly. It moves with the pace and grace of a flower unfurling its petals for the day. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, but it does take time.

The Feels: 10/10

I love this book. I LOVE this book. I received it as an ARC and I can’t believe it took me until now to read it. I should have read this so much sooner. To make up for it, I read this novelette twice in one day and I loved it just as much or even more the second time. This book has absolutely beautiful story-telling and world building. And you all know how much I like good writing.

I love the quiet tone of this book. It really fits the lake and the beautiful, lurking danger. I do wish it was longer, but on the other hand, I do believe this book has everything it needs.

Conclusion: If you’re a reader who enjoys action right off the bat, this book is probably not for you. But if you’re patient, if you love the feeling of good words and perfect phrases, if you love fragile, carefully-crafted magical worlds, this book is for you.

[Metaphorosis]

4 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary:
The lilies that provide a lifesaving nectar are in decline, ravaged by hungry invading cranes. The last, reluctant priestess of the goddess is unsure what to do, but a mysterious visitor claims he may have a solution.

Review:
This is a biased review.

I’ve published a couple of Vanessa Fogg’s stories and loved them. I generally don’t post reviews of Metaphorosis authors’ work. In fact, I don’t think I’ve published any up until now, in part because of the awkwardness inherent if I don’t like the work. Happily, I don’t have that problem here. Nor is there any authorial pressure; Ms. Fogg didn’t ask for a review – this’ll be the first she’s heard of it. Simply put, I like her writing and I thought the story sounded interesting, so I went out and bought it. With all of those caveats and disclosures out of the way…

The Lilies of the Dawn is beautifully written. That’s the main thing, and one of the best things I can ever say about a story. The imagery is rich, the metaphors apt and incisive; what’s more, they support the story, contribute to it, rather than distracting. On top of that, there’s a rich emotional vein and a appealing, engaging characters. The ending hits all the right notes, and fords a stream of sentimentality that was getting perilously deep. What’s not to like?

There’s always something, of course. But here, my caveats are relatively small.

First, there’s that sentimentality. I’m all for it, but I did wonder whether the story was heading for a current it couldn’t get out of. Instead, the ending pulls off a mostly satisfying resolution. It’s not quite perfect, but it’s very good.

Second, the story, even for a novella, is on the slight side. The skeleton of the plot is a very familiar one, and we’ve seen some of the closing elements before, in a slightly different form. The beauty of Fogg’s writing is that it doesn’t really matter. Up until near the end, the setting is fresh and interesting, and I was caught up enough by the prose and the characters that the cognates didn’t intrude. It wasn’t until the ending that things began to feel a little mundane.

Third – I keep mentioning the ending. All the elements are right, the emotional balance works, the character choices fit. It’s a good ending, so what’s missing? In brief, some of the infrastructure. Bits of the backstory come too late, and I didn’t really buy into them. They could have worked if they’d been either toned down or (preferably) more fully developed. As it is, in the last few pages of the book I fell out of the “Wow, this is great” mood that had carried me through, and fell to “This is good; I hope she pulls it off.” As noted, the actual ending and closing were well done; I just wish that those penultimate 10 pages had gotten the attention they deserved, and that the rest of the story did.

Overall, this is a great read, and well deserving of your time and money. I look forward to more (and longer) work from Ms. Fogg, and you will too.

[D.J. Cockburn]

I'll start by saying that Vanessa Fogg and have been critique partners for a while now. I first met her through her story, The Wave, which impressed me deeply while leaving me with very little to critique. I've learned to value her comments on my stories as much as I admire her writing.

In The Lilies of Dawn, Vanessa gives us lyricism that swept away any attempt I might make to be impartial. She has a gift for the beautiful phrase but unlike many 'literary' writers, she never lets it get in the way of telling a good story. Here it's the story of Kai, a young woman whose community faces ruin as a flock of rapacious cranes fly in to devour the eponymous lilies that they depend on.

In Kai's world, a flock of cranes is not a problem that can be solved with a scarecrow. As the lilies are far more than flowers floating on a lake, so the cranes are far more than a flock of hungry birds. And who is the handsome and enigmatic Kevak, whose noble bearing is at odds with his expertise at scrubbing floors?

Like all the best fantasy, The Lilies of Dawn has resonance with our own world in our own time, though it refrains from beating us over the head with it. Nevertheless, the more Kai finds out about the cranes, the more I came to think about where else I'd heard about communities defending what they need from newcomers who don't want to be there in the first place.

Not that I needed that thought to make the story worth reading. I was happy to just enjoy the tale.

[Maria Haskins]

I’ve read and loved Vanessa Fogg’s short fiction, and just like her short stories, this novella is a well-crafted gem. Fogg’s prose is brilliantly clear and vivid as she tells this fairytale / fantasy-tale of Kai, the beautiful dawn lilies she harvests, and the strange cranes that come to ravage the flowers every year as they bloom.

Fogg brings the world of the story to life with all its sounds and smells and colours, making it feel close and real, and then expertly weaves the fairytale-element into that world. There’s an under-current of sadness and loss, of longing and regret, running beneath the beautiful landscape of ‘The Lilies of Dawn’ that makes me think of the movie ‘The Tale of Princess Kaguya’. In that story, as in this one, there are deep and bruising consequences when the world of the divine touches our world “below”: in the end, humans, deities, and, yes, enchanted cranes, are all affected.

Another thing I really like about ‘The Lilies of Dawn’ is how the story ties together the fantasy – the origin and fate of the demon cranes – with Kai’s very real and human journey of discovering her own strengths and weaknesses, and understanding what place she wants to claim in the world.

Highly recommended!

[Nthato Morakabi]

Ah what a wonderfully sweet and fantastically written book. It’s too short though! I could have done with a couple more pages, but for what it was and it’s purpose, it was the perfect length.

It’s the story of Kai, who is the daughter of the Priestess of the Dawn Mother. A deity who’s beautiful lilies bloom at dawn and give an elixir that cures ills. However, mysterious sunlit cranes sweep in out of nowhere to steal the precious nectar and poison the flowers. Shamans, Priests and monks seek to rid the village of the birds but none succeed – until a mysterious young man appears with a possible solution.

I was pleasantly surprised with the story. A solid plot that combines real life with mysticism. There were a few things I predicted, but it wasn’t a disappointing experience – and there were few where I thought I knew where it was going and it didn’t. Like the ending! Although in hindsight I should have seen that coming haha.

The words flow beautifully along, strung almost poetically from the perspective of Kai. We get to understand her persona, learn about life and how everything has been building towards the climatic end.

Outside of my scope, still a recommended read.

[Francesca Forrest]

This is a captivating story that's both breathtakingly beautiful (a lake covered with healing, rose-colored lilies, and mysterious, cursed cranes that come and destroy them) and heartbreakingly real. There are tiny struggles and huge ones, love, fear, and terrible choices. Kai is the priestess who's had to step into her mother's shoes owing to her mother's illness; Kevak is the doctor from the city who may have a way to save the lilies--and the village's future, and Kai's mother's life. Or will the cranes prove unstoppable?

[Cath Ennis]

Beautifully written fairytale

[Nancy Au]

Vanessa Fogg is a medical and science writer whose poignant fantasy novelette, The Lilies of Dawn, captivated me from the very first sentence. This review explores the technical aspects of Fogg’s prose, and the impacts her stylistic choices had on me as a reader. In the story, the ‘Blooming’ is almost here, and the villagers must harvest the medicinal lilies of their lake. But they must first compete with a flock of enchanted cranes that threaten to steal their harvest. Without the precious medicine, Kai’s mother (and others in her village), will succumb to their illnesses. The arrival of a handsome stranger to her village brings new tension to Kai’s efforts to save her people. Has Kevak come to study the lilies, to help the village? What (or who) is he really there for? What choices must Kai make as her feelings grow for Kevak?

In The Lilies of Dawn, Fogg’s nuanced voice transforms moments of stillness, the smallest sensory details, like the scrape of pebbles underfoot, into a quiet triumph. Her prose in this ethereal fairy tale captures stillness, and gives it shape, direction, and flow. In the words of the novelette’s protagonist, Kai: “each word [was] like a clear stone dropped through still water.”

“While I wash and polish the carvings in the shrine, he takes my boat onto the lake. After a time, I come out onto the beach for a rest. I see him not far away, sitting cross-legged in the boat. He’s reaching out to touch a lily. His fingers rest lightly against the pale bud, and he stays like that for a long moment, perfectly still. The closed flower glows against his fingers. What is he doing? He finally lets go, rises in one fluid movement and begins poling the boat away. I watch him growing smaller against the forest of lily buds. Every now and then I see him stop; he reaches out and touches another flower.”

In this excerpt, the author utilizes a moment of rest--writes into the thoughtful and unrehearsed movements that Kevak makes when he thinks that no one is watching--as a way to build up romantic tension and to deepen the mystery revolving around the identity of Kevak. Fogg’s lyrical and spare prose makes Kai’s thoughts glow with yearning and need. Just as Kai was awed that Kevak “seems to understand the words [she doesn’t] say”, the reader is also mesmerized by what Vanessa Fogg has accomplished with negative space in this elegant and evocative novelette, where silence speaks volumes.

While reading, I was captivated by questions about what happens in worlds of limited resources. I questioned the hierarchies and loyalties within the animal kingdom, how humans weigh our own species’ needs against all others, how one’s species’ survival often means the destruction of another. The story made me think about how healing is rooted in death, how a medicinal plant that is helpful to humans will kill a dog in seconds, how too much of any medicine becomes poison, how medicine is rooted in the calculated and hazardous guesswork of our ancestors.

The Lilies of Dawn is both fantastical and terrifying, complex and succinct, gentle and persistent. The author expertly layers in tension throughout the narrative, driving the reader to eagerly turn page after page as the narrative unfolds. Likewise, I have turned to Vanessa Fogg’s book again and again for inspiration. This book will help readers find the words to describe their yearning, their need for belonging, for healing, for loyalty, for family.

[Laura]

(Disclaimer – I received a copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my review in anyway)

Review: This book sits at 76 pages so is a short read. Don’t let the size fool you, it a decent story. I liked the different elements of Gods/Goddesses and deities that were used. It created a whole world outside of the small area the story is focused on. Also left the story open to expand into them areas if the Author ever chose to do more stories based on that world.

The world building was very much on point. It didn’t go into too much detail, but did in areas that were important. For example the lily lake, which is the main backdrop to the whole story. It was shown very beautifully.

I didn’t really like the ending all that much. I would have personally liked to see the results of her doing what she did. So you saw the positive outcome to the story. Just left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I wanted to see them succeed. Also felt like it was left that way for maybe a possible sequel?

Would I Recommend it? Yes. Very much so.

[Sharlena]

Full disclosure: I am friends with the author. But, if I hadn't enjoyed the book, I just wouldn't have written a review. This is my honest opinion!

This short novella is a wonderfully lush and gorgeously written tale. I felt myself completely transported to the lake of dawn- lilies and the world that surrounds it. The characters were fairly well-fleshed out for such a short story and I could understand their motivations and desires. The only complaint that I can make is that I wanted the story to be longer! I'd love to see more tales set in this world and to learn more about Kai's life after the events of this story. Sequel??!

[Nicole Lisa]

I hugely enjoyed the main character, Kai, and the ending, which surprised me but felt perfect. It felt like the right ending, but not the safe ending.

[Jen]

Podcast review and transcript available at https://www.patreon.com/posts/e2-lili...

[Adri Joy]

This evocative novelette has a core of sadness and loss which provides no answers to its conflict even as it shows us the sympathetic side of everyone involved in them. I cover it alongside another Annorlunda Press title in a bit more detail here.

[Eve]

Beautiful and quietly heartbreaking, with the vibes of a somber fairy tale.
(Note: I received a copy from a giveaway)

[Daisy]

★★★★ (4) stars

- quite beautiful
- lush, myth-like feel
- the worldbuilding was gorgeous
- i really connected to kai. her loneliness, her sense of duty, and her perseverance
- the ending. the ending. the ending. bittersweet and wow
- i wish there was more

[Ceillie Simkiss]

Read the full review here!

[Mike]

I loved the setting of this novelette, and the fable-ish quality of the prose. The ending felt a little abrupt, but the whole journey getting there was just lovely.