Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #261

Dominion of the Fallen #0.55 - Court of Birth, Court of

by Scott H. Andrews (Editor), Chris Willrich (Contributor), Aliette de Bodard (Contributor)

Issue #261, the first double-issue for the Tenth Anniversary Month of Beneath Ceaseless Skies online magazine, featuring novellas by Chris Willrich and Kate Alice Marshall and stories by Aliette de Bodard and Fran Wilde.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Speculative Fiction

151 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2018

About the author

Scott H. Andrews is a writer of science fiction. He teaches college chemistry. He is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the fantasy magazine Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Andrews's short stories have appeared in Weird Tales, Space and Time, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, On Spec, Crossed Genres, and M-Brane SF.

Reviews

[Jassmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating for Court of Birth, Court of Strength by Aliette de Bodard

Samariel looked away, obscurely embarrassed, "I'm sorry you had to go through that." The smell of Asmodeus's perfume - orange blossom and citruses - saturated the air between them.
"Don't." Asmodeus grasped his shoulder for a fraction of a second, a shock that travelled up Samariel's chest until he could scarcely breathe. "We all play the hands we're given. There's no shame in that."

This was pretty much perfect. I love Aliette de Bodard's Dominion of the Fallen series world and the characters and it's always amazing to be back even if it's so bleak! This short-story focuses on Samariel and Asmodeus and... my poor heart! I love Samariel so much. It was interesting to be in his head and see how much goodness there was in him, because that's not something that we really got to see much in The House of Shattered Wings. (No, this is not a reason for re-read!)

This was just great and I cried and I can't wait to finally read The House of Binding Thorns. Also, re-reading Children of Thorns, Children of Water before I do...

Read for free here: https://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.c...
BRed at WBtM: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the story "Court of Birth, Court of Strength" by Aliette de Bodard, only.

Asmodeus and Samariel meet for the first time and rescue a mortal child, the events taking place before Asmodeus has become head of House Hawthorne.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like most of the Fallen are complete jerks lacking in empathy. But then, this was one of Philippe’s complaints when we meet him, years later, story time, than the events in this short.
I like how de Bodard has given us different glimpses into Asmodeus’ character with her short stories. Here we see Samariel and Asmodeus, before the start of their relationship, unconsciously, or not, beginning towards Asmodeus taking over House Hawthorn.

[Alia · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Court of Birth, Court of Strength by Aliette de Bodard.
My jam!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadowdrop by Chris Willrich is about the titular magical black cat in a fantastic urban sprawl. Postgrad was my favorite character. 3/5

Court of Birth, Court of Strength by Aliette de Bodard is part of a series about a post-magical war Paris with fallen angels as the main characters. The protagonist, Samiel, is looking for a missing girl. 3/5

Ruby, Singing by Fran Wilde is a story about a woman who can hear gems singing. It has a fun narrative style. 4/5

We Ragged few by Kate Alice Marshall is a fantastic, post-apocalyptic story following a Norse-like tribe as legends of doom threaten them. The writing and tone are excellent. 4/5

[Emy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free online edition read. I went into this intending to just read the Aliette de Bodard work, but was intrigued by the first few lines of Shadowdrop, and then ended up reading the whole issue...

Shadowdrop / Chris Willrich
5*
Court of Birth, Court of Strength / Aliette de Bodard
4.5*
Ruby, Singing / Fran Wilde
4*
We Ragged Few / Kate Alice Marshall
4.5*

All in all a great issue!

[Milliebot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only read Ruby, Singing by Fran Wilde - it's a short set in her Gemworld series and once I recommend if you're looking for more material, especially about the gems and how they can drive a person mad.

[machinaheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

read: Dominion of the Fallen (#0.55 - Court of Birth, Court of Strength )

great short story, loved the atmosphere and immediately wanted more of both main characters. I really enjoyed samariel's POV.

[Elaysee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great anniversary issue without a weak link. I'm already a big de Bodard fan, but I'll be looking up more of Willrich's stories in this world.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the stories in this issue were good, but I really enjoyed the cat-based Chris Willrich story - I wonder if there will be more.