Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Macmillan
Description
The heroes are eager to sail to Troy for war, but the wind is still. To fill their sails and set out, they must sacrifice Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia-and how does a human girl become the wind? The starkness and psychological insight of Rachel Swirsky's Tor.com story earned it a place among the finalists for the 2010 Nebula Award. Rachel Swirsky's short fiction has appeared in Weird Tales, Fantasy Magazine, and Subterranean Magazine, among others, and has been collected in Year's Best anthologies edited by Rich Horton, Jonathan Strahan, and the VanderMeers. She is also the submissions editor of Podcastle, an audio fantasy magazine.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dsdmd
I found this to be a somewhat disjointed short story, rambling and hard to hold my interest. Thankfully it wasn't longer. I hate not finishing what I start. While it obviously has an appeal to some readers, I was not one of them.
LibraryThing member irunsjh
An alright short story. I am not a fan of Greek mythology, so I think that is why this story does not rate higher. Overall not bad, just not my tastes. A recommendation to anyone who is into Greek mythology though.
LibraryThing member FreeBookReviews
You would not expect much meat to this story but the author does a steller job of fooling the mind into thinking the story is longer. A do not miss read.
LibraryThing member Lyndatrue
A lyrical and evocative short story about Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, during those short hours from the time the sacrifice was decided upon until she was gone. From another reviewer's words on Amazon:
"Iphigenia feels her memories slipping away from the moment her father agrees to
Couldn't have said it better.
"Iphigenia feels her memories slipping away from the moment her father agrees to
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sacrifice her."Couldn't have said it better.
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LibraryThing member TheIdleWoman
We all know the story of the Trojan fleet becalmed at Aulis, and of the terrible bargain that Agamemnon makes in order to ensure a favourable wind. This tells the story in the voice of his daughter Iphigenia, the unwitting sacrifice, who is brought to Aulis with the promise of a wedding to
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Achilles, only to find a bloodstained altar awaiting her. Swirsky sticks closely to the original and casually includes words like 'megaron' and 'hequetai' that left me running for the dictionary. But she adds a poignant twist in the way that, from the moment the sacrifice is decided, Iphigenia begins turning into wind. Fragment by fragment, scent by word by memory, her existence strips away. Beautifully conceived and just as beautifully written, it's a worthy addition to the canon of Troy stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member beentsy
A really beautiful and interesting retelling of the story of Agamemnon offering his daughter Iphigenia as a sacrifice to Artemis.
I particularly loved the the concept of Iphigenia losing parts of her memory as she drew closer to her fate. Wonderful imagery.
I particularly loved the the concept of Iphigenia losing parts of her memory as she drew closer to her fate. Wonderful imagery.
Awards
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novelette — 2009)
Original publication date
2009-11-03
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Swirsky |