Review of Genevieve Gornichec, “What the Gods Left Behind”, Luna Station Quarterly 41 (2020): Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
Content warning: Death (including death of children and parents; oblique mention of war).
Apocalypse, ghosts, a destructive plague, a lone walker, a talking dog, Norse gods…there’s a lot crammed into this story. I’m always a little wary of stories that open with a single person striking out on their own after an apocalypse, because it’s hard for a single character to carry an entire story, even a short one. But despite Katla being “more or less the last woman on Earth”, there’s a rich cast of characters, and enough interaction for Katla to become sympathetic.
I think I would’ve gotten more out of the story, though, if I knew my Norse myths better.
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