So I’m behind in my recordings. I owe a narration to one podcast and have another due in January. Finding a time in my home when I only have to contend with curious dogs and less curious cats is tricky, which is why recording Sharon Shinn’s “The Double-Edged Sword” was such a victory. At 40 pages it’s squarely in that special category: novelette. In other words it’s a satisfyingly long read, or to put it another way it’s an epic short story.
Aesara, the protagonist, is strong and wild and scarred by life in a way that colors–or even dictates–her present situation. For much of the story, I can’t predict Aesara’s choices. I’m too busy guessing at her secrets.
Both Aesara’s past and her present are gripping. Romance, political intrigue, and long-standing grief all play a central role, building together to a satisfying conclusion.
My narration of Sharon Shinn’s “The Double-Edged Sword” is available in Episode 135 of Far Fetched Fables.
First Words:
I sat at the back of the dark tavern at the table that, in the past five years, had come to be known as mine. Even on the days when I did not bother to leave my house, or leave my bed, no one sat in this booth except me. The townspeople knew better, and strangers who made the mistake of sitting in my place would be told politely by Samuel that the table was reserved. I was the only one who ever sat there, and Samuel was the only one who would approach me while I was in possession.