Under the Honey by Liz Williams

Posted by Rusty Published in 2000's, Aliens, Free, Novelette, Online, Printable, Scary, Science Fiction Short Story Reviews

“Under the Honey” is a 2009 novelette by Liz Williams. It is about a reconstructive person who can come back to life after being killed, and her life in a traveling circus.

A Strange Circus

I was invited to join the circus once. Yep, back when I was a teenager I won a state-wide talent contest with my juggling skills. After the show a circus-master (is that what they are called?) gave me his card and invited me to view his show. I enjoyed the performance and then went to meet the others in his troupe. I was briefly tempted to “run off and join the circus” so-to-speak, but I didn’t. I often wonder where my life would be today had I accepted his offer. Probably not reviewing science fiction short stories.

A Strange Talent

Anyway, “Under the Honey” is about some people in a traveling circus in post-Third World War France. (A very cool setting, by the way) They are all entertaining, but Firouche has a very unique talent: she can be killed in a variety of ways and then come back to life. Wow! People are both horrified and fascinated by her. But one particular man wants to use Firouche’s abilities for his own dark purposes.

Going along with this the reader is also treated to a story about Joan, a woman who can see bits of the future when she eats honey from some specially engineered bees. Joan is starting to see some very strange and disturbing things, but her “beekeeper” assures her that everything will be alright. But will it? Hmm… probably not.

My Two Cents…

I loved the tone set by “Under the Honey”! There is a calm, yet eerie, feeling throughout the entire story – and it adds a whole other level to the reading.
The writing was very good. The story line didn’t feel rushed and the excellent descriptions added more depth to an already great story.
The are several awesome characters in “Under the Honey”: Firouche, Joan, the young adoring Minou, the scary Mercurier, the creepy Baron – well done all of them!
There wasn’t much I disliked about this story, but I did long for some more explanation of things. I would have loved to learn more about the Unbound and the mercuriers.

Stats:

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Page Count: 22
Word Count: 10,210
“Under the Honey” was originally published in the Spring 2009 issue of Subterranean Press – where you can still read it online for free. (Thanks to Free SF Reader for the link!)
You can learn more about Liz Williams at her web site.
If you liked this story be sure to check out Liz Williams short story collection The Banquet of the Lords of Night and Other Stories at Amazon.com, or search for it on eBay.