Lora Selezh

The Cemeteries of Amalo #0.5

by Katherine Addison

A short story set in the world of The Goblin Emperor. Pre-order bonus for The Witness for the Dead.

Vineän Brenhazin petitions Othala Celehar, The Witness for the Dead, to examine the death of her business partner, Min Selezhen.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Steampunk, Adult, Queer, Science Fiction Fantasy

13 pages, ebook

First published June 22, 2021

About the author

A pseudonym of Sarah Monette. Both Sarah and Katherine are on Twitter as @pennyvixen. Katherine reviews nonfiction. Sarah reviews fiction. Fair warning: I read very little fiction these days.

Sarah/Katherine was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the three secret cities of the Manhattan Project.

She got her B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite being summa cum laude, none of her degrees is of the slightest use to her in either her day job or her writing, which she feels is an object lesson for us all.

She currently lives near Madison, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this in the Tor US paperback release of Witness for the Dead. I already had Witness for the Dead in hardback, and I purchased the paperback version *just* to read this story.
Was it worth it? Yes.
This is a short story that is 12.5 pages long, and does *not* provide additional insight into Celehar (=the Witness for the Dead).
However, the new characters in this story are, as one expects from this author, richly presented.
This story is a lush addition to the world of the Goblin Emperor.

Highly recommend reading this if you are a fan of this universe.

[Brok3n · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tasty little Celehar story

Lora Selezh is a short story in Katherine Addison's Cemeteries of Amalo series. It is number 0.5 in the Goodreads reckoning, or number 1.5 in the Chronicles of Osreth, which puts it between The Goblin Emperor and The Witness for the Dead. It was initially a bonus in the paperback edition of Witness for the Dead. You can now find PDF and ePub versions on Ocean of PDF.

Celehar has just arrived in the city of Amalo to take up his mandate as Witness for the Dead. He's already notorious. A poor seamstress petitions him on behalf of Lora Selezh, the infant son of her recently deceased lover and business partner. Celehar's kindness and courtesy, leavened with his antiauthoritarian streak are on full display in this little story. (OK, that's not accurate -- Celehar isn't really against authority -- he just DGAF about it.)

It's 13 pages -- you can read it in 10 min. If you love Celehar, you definitely want to. I wouldn't recommend it as a standalone or even a first Cemeteries of Amalo read. Despite being temporally before Witness for the Dead, Lora Selezh might not make a lot of sense if you haven't previously been introduced to the world.

Blog review.

[E.M. Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the world of The Goblin Emperor and Thera Celehar is one of my favourite characters in fantasy.

This short story isn't world-defying, but I will take any glimpse of Addison's imagined universe that I can get.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story that doesn’t really do much except show us Thara Celehar from a third person perspective. His kindness and patience are more apparently shown. Other than that, this story is forgettable, even including the emotional revelation at the end.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief little wisp of a story. Very sad. A woman’s lover dies leaving behind her two month old son. Vinëan has no desire to to have a child of her own and can’t afford to keep her lover’s child in any event. She seeks out Thara Celehar the witness for the dead to obtain the name of the child’s father. Really beautifully written. Also very interesting to see Thara through someone else’s eyes.

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story set in the world of The Goblin Emperor, with Thara Celehar as the main character. For fans of this world, it's a must.

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story, told from a new character's POV

*I have this filed under LGBTQ+, & technically it is, & same sex relationships are mentioned a few times through out the series, but they are not looked upon favorably. The MC had been in a same sex relationship though, so I'm keeping the tag.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a LONG time to find of this story, it is nowhere to be found unless you can find a copy of the print book or ebook it is included with. Annoyingly difficult to find, almost not worth the hunt. but.. I liked the story.

A very short (13 page) story that encapsulates what happens in the world of the Witness for the Dead. Here, Vineän Brenhazin is an embroiderer whose partner Cataro Selezhen has just died, leaving behind their declining business... and her two month old son Lora Selezh without a named father. Vineän can barely afford her business, let alone her lover's child. She goes to petition Othala Thara Celehar, the new Witness for the Dead, who has just arrived after helping to unmask the former Emperor's assassins. (This takes place just after The Goblin Emperor and before The Witness for the Dead.) Celehar agrees the petition is rightful, they go together to the cemetery for Celehar to interview the deceased Cataro... and then a wrench is thrown in: the identity of the child's father is a problem. .... Well, I'll not spoil that.

Good story. Not really a need-to-read, but more like a dip-your-toe-in to see how complex and structured this universe is.

Four Stars.

[Kat Sanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

My high rating is largely because I love this world and Thara Celehar. “Lora Selezh” is an enjoyable slice of pie, but it’s a real skinny one—at only thirteen pages, this short story is almost an afterthought. Even Thara’s presence is tangential, as most of the story revolves around a woman in a bad situation: her business partner and (gay) lover has died, leaving behind a child who needs caring for, and she doesn’t know who the father is.

On the one hand, I’m glad the protagonist, who notedly has no interest in or inclination towards raising a child, does not suddenly feel the glorious calling of motherhood and decide to adopt the baby last minute. Not everyone wants to be or should be a parent. And I enjoyed seeing Addison tackle another same-sex relationship in this world, which is not super friendly to same-sex couples. But on the other hand, there’s so little to this story that it’s hard to get a grip on any of the characters or even the plot. I love “The Goblin Emperor” and especially “The Witness for the Dead,” and I’m always happy to spend time here. “Lora Selezh” is a tasty snack of a story. But while a snack might leave you temporarily fulfilled, it can’t truly satisfy.

[Meredith Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and sad short story. The Cemeteries of Amalo are about trying to get answers from the dead to help the living. When her business partner dies and abruptly leaves behind her infant child, the protagonist asks a question: Who is this child's father? But that isn't the answer she'd actually wanted, and in finding out that truth, she finds out the answer to the question she'd really had. Very satisfyingly written, and tragic, but what else can you expect when the death has already happened?

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, and very sweet, little story to keep my appetite whetted as I wait for the Tomb of Dragons (probably the book I am looking forward to the most in 2025). I very much enjoyed this little tidbit. I just fervently wish Katherine Addison could crank novels like Brandon Sanderson can crank out his. Oh, wouldn't that be grand! If you haven't read The Goblin Emperor, and the follow on Cemeteries of Amalo books, you are depriving yourself of literary magic. Go read them now and thank me, no actually thank Katherine Addison, after.

[Stefany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little story that was at the end of The Witness for the Dead. It seems to happen before the book, so I guess it was supposed to be a transition story to show Thara Celehar in his new locale. In many ways, it was a fairly low stakes story, so a little cozy, even though it dealt with some serious topics like love and parenting.

[Hulttio · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable little short story set in Thara Celehar’s world. I found it interesting that this was from the perspective of the petitioner, Vineän Brenhazin. We got to see how Celehar is perceived by his peers, as well as hints into more of the political prelate shenanigans that surround Celehar’s arrival in Amalo.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not realize this short story came with my electronic copy of The Witness for the Dead. I like the stories that show Thara Celehar from other characters' perspective. This is almost like an additional chapter to the novel, though.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very short story at the end of the ebook The Witness for the Dead. When I read it I was not sure what the purpose was. I guess it shows how using a witness for the dead would benefit (or worry or disrupt) others and how they may view that experience.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story in the back of my Witness of the Dead volume. If you like the world or these books, you'll enjoy this-short and sweet, a bit more Celehar but mostly just a quick story about some other new characters.

[mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

another super quick read.. this short story was only 13 pages but once again i really enjoyed it and i love reading anything that relates to this world. the ending hurt my heart..
looking forward to picking up witness for the dead tomorrow!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story doesn't get into the world building, so you need to at least have read the first 1 or 2 books of the series, but I did like the characters and appreciated a new point of view. While it doesn't add anything to the overall story, it is a well written extra addition to the series.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. I'd be happy to get some updates on these characters in future books.

[Rosemary Nagy · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO SAD. short stories should never be sad. 😭

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story at the end of Witness for the Dead ebook. Not very much happens, but it does offer another pov on a main character.

[Cait]

we love our friend thala celehar

(I had no idea how I was going to track this one down, but I finally checked my library's ebook copy of the witness for the dead and sure enough!!)

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a tiny bonus story set in this world!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching little short story they gives us another outsider's perspective on Thara's work in Amalo; a nice little finishing touch to Witness for the Dead, even if it isn't relevant to its plot.

[Bookshire Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read thanks to the kidness of friends, as is appropriate for this series.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story told from the POV of a petitioner, and I’m assuming it’s one of Celehar’s first cases in Amalo. It’s a quick read.

[Conni Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delicious morsel of Amalo. I love seeing Celehar from an outside point of view.

[Óli Sóleyjarson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fín stutt saga úr "Goblin Emperor" heiminum.

[Mads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so wish this had been longer, so I could be more invested.

[aly ^_^ · Rating 5 out of 5]

KATHERINEEEE how can something that is so short make me cry so very much?