I have a story recommendation to make for people who like stories about magic-users (in this case, "witches"), atmospheric stories set in fantastical versions of England, and -- well, I'm not sure how much of the most important thing about the story for me is my own personal reaction to it. I found
K. M. Ferebee's "Seven Spells to Sever the Heart" to be effective story-telling, and above all
deeply affecting. Few are the stories I've read or heard that after captivating me, filled me with
emotional dread in the way that Ferebee's short tale of Samuel Crewe (5020 words in just under 39 minutes). I with I had a better phrase than "emotional dread" to describe my reaction. The transformation of the character was heart-gripping. The audio narrator chosen by Fantasy Magazine (podcast version still available on iTunes) is also first rate. I wish I could find out who he was.
As you can see, the story is not new, but I just ran across it and though Ferebee has plenty of credits to her name, she's still new to me, and might be to some my fellow ramblers as well.
Check
her out -- especially this dark gem. I'l be returning to it for entertainment and for inspiration in creating atmosphere, emotional dread, and how to portray magic-users. After reading the story, you might also enjoy this
interview.
