Review: Strange Horizons, March 4, 2019

Originally Posted at Tangent Online, March 5, 2019

"The Skinwalkers Ball" by Hammond Diehl

I'll admit, the beginning of "The Skinwalkers Ball" by Hammond Diehl is confusing. I was a few paragraphs in when I started thinking this review was going to be terrible, but Diehl's beautiful imagery and vivid descriptions kept me reading. I can say without a doubt, I'm glad I did.

Diehlcrafts a tale that, at its heart, is a story of revenge. Set during the courseof a mystical creature fashion show where contestants wear discarded bits ofother beasts, "The Skinwalkers Ball" tells the story of an alchemistsearching for the person who is murdering his children.

Thenarrator, trustworthy or not, is interesting and the near disinterest threadedthrough it all is reminiscent of, say, a cat who decided to record the eventsof a sunny day. There's a tension Diehl pulls on as the story progresses,tightening the focus and the net until you're left reading the end in a rush.By the time you finish the story, you're either impressed by Diehl's plottingand ability to tease you through with tiny nuggets of information or you're frustratedand annoyed by it. I count myself amongst the former.

Overall,a great story, despite the early confusion.