REVIEW: “Bound by Sorrow” By Maurice Broaddus

Review of Maurice Broaddus, “Bound by Sorrow”, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 300 (March 26, 2020): read online. Reviewed by Richard Lohmeyer.

Thematically, this novella is about grief, death, and choices. It is also a story about the power of stories. Its main character, Dinga, and his wise-ass friend, Gerard, are on a quest to deliver Dinga’s dead sister to a city where gods reside, the Dreaming City. Along the way, their journey is interspersed by stories told by Dinga and others they encounter. These narratives give a story-within-a-story feel to the piece that help further illustrate Dinga’s life and mission while building a richly layered history and mythology. You may need to read the story twice to fully grasp all its nuances, but your time will be well spent. 

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Richard Lohmeyer

Richard Lohmeyer has been a technical/marketing writer for longer than he cares to admit to. He hopes to someday publish short fiction, as well. His favorite SF/F magazines include Asimov's, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clarkesworld, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Tor. You can find him on Twitter @rkloh.

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