This series focuses on stories that are both enjoyable and do something that I find interesting from a technical perspective. This week, let’s get familiar.
When we read about Familiars, it’s only the ones who are successfully summoned or turned into such things. What about the failures? How do magic users figure out that a wolf is a viable companion and a dire badger is more trouble than it’s worth? I love stories that answer the sort of questions I hadn’t thought to ask before.
“Gull,” by Mel Kassel and published in The Sockdolager, takes us on an imaginative trip behind the scenes of such witchcraft. It’s an interesting exploration of what traits a witch might look for in a familiar, as well as how different critters might or might not fit the bill. More darkly, it also asks questions about the nature of power in relationships, and what happens when you can literally reshape your partner.
From a strictly technical perspective, I would also like to take a moment to compliment Kassel’s interweaving of “past” and “present” storylines. That kind of yarn often ends of up as a confusing mess, or at the very least the two threads interrupt one another, unraveling the dramatic tension. Kassel pulls it off artfully here, and I’d encourage anyone considering doing something similar in their work to dissect how Kassel interrelates each section in “Gull.” I think it’ll be worth your time.