"The Sculptor's Son" by Jason Gorbel is an amazing fantasy story published in the first issue of Fantasy Scroll Mag. I gave it a "High" rating in my personal records, putting it in the top 10% of the SFF stories I've read in the past eighteen or so months.
The three characters in this story have distinct personalities that can be noticed very quickly. The protagonist and a rabbi are put in a tough spot because of the protagonist's son and the ways that they wiggle themselves away from that tough spot are characterizing and realistic to the furthest extent of proper prose. The protagonist is one of my favorite characters of any short story I've ever read, regardless of genre.
The setting is simple, yet elegant. It's borderline magic realist, contemporary. There's one main genre element that makes the story.
This is a very character-driven story. The plot follows the protagonist as he is pushed toward a decision that he originally does not want to make. That aforementioned genre element also lends an "idea" story element that boosts the story's appeal.
As an awesome tale that succeeds as both an "idea" and "character" story, I would recommend "The Sculptor's Son" to everyone who can read the English language.
Sounds like an interesting story, and I love it when someone gets this enthusiastic about something they've read. I'll keep an eye out for it, thanks for the recommendation, Patrick! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting, for sure. No problem, Bonnee.
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