Golems, Witches, and a Vengeful Alchemist

This month saw the release of Issue 20 of NewMyths.com, which includes my short story, “Strong Enough to Shatter.” It’s a somewhat unusual story for me, in that it’s only the second I’ve published set in an invented world. It has various real world analogues, of course, but it’s more other-world-with-touches-of-reality than reality-with-touches-of-unreality. Contents include: enslaved golems, authoritarian witches, and a vengeful alchemist. No direct comment is intended on any particular real-world situation, but as I say in the associated interview, it’s like a lot of my stories in that it’s about a character in a difficult situation, and it highlights the complexity of evil.

This piece started life back in mid-2011, and it went through several versions before reaching the point it is today. I’m grateful to comrades Jesse Bullington, Rose Lemberg, and Molly Tanzer, whose comments helped me to improve the story. The faults remaining are 100% of my own devising, though perhaps they may one day get worked out in a sequel or expansion.