Beauty and Disappearance
Great story to start out our little trio of fantasy fiction. I've always been a fan of imperfect beauty, that idea that something truly beautiful has something something, some deep seeding melancholy that tempers and strengthens the smiles and laughter. Those dark rings around circling her shimmering eyes that tell of long sleepless nights and countless tears shed. I kept picturing walking through a museum of my own memories and experiences, the beauty hidden in the dark corners, the angels with the tattered wings. And of course Ann Leckie's voice was superb!
A Duet in Reyes
This one left me a little confused but in a good way. I kept trying to picture what the two characters were going through, the way there different yet similar perspectives were driving them mad. The way they had to write it down, they had to have the rest of the world see what they say if only to prove to themselves they weren't completely mad. It sounds a lot like what drives my own flights of madness into writing and other creative projects, I want others to see the world through my eyes, see the people spinning and see them smile and the wonder of it all.
10 Cigars
This story was by far my favorite of the three. As an avid lover of cigars and pipes I can relate to the often misunderstood love and ritual that comes with smoking. The smell and taste of the fermented leaf, the way the woodsy and sweet palate lingers on your tongue. The relaxation and almost zen state of mind that only comes from spending a few hours slowly coaxing smoke from your bowl/cigar. But on the flip side there's that anxiety and fear, that ever present knowledge that you are doing something that is slowly killing you. The way you wake up in the morning with your mouth feeling like something died inside, that tightness in your chest from the smoke you spent hours sucking in. Yet still with all those things you look forward to the next one. Wouldn't it be better if they didn't carry the threat of cancer, but just of butterflies?
I especially loved the mention of the upset stomach after smoking, I've had several cases where the overdoes of nicotine while smoking has made for a less than pleasant exiting of my stomach contents.