Sinner,Baker,Fabulist,Priest; Red Mask,Black Mask,Gentleman,Beast by Eugie Foster

“Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast” is a 2009 science fiction novelette, with a very long title I might add, by Eugie Foster. It is about a society whose members must wear different, personality-altering masks each day – and what happens when the taboo of removing those masks are broken!

Drama and Comedy

Have you ever wished you could be someone else? I mean *really* be somebody different? I know I’ve thought about that a few times, but what if every day of your life you had to choose who to be? That is something that is explored in this totally fascinating story.

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

This story follows a nameless protagonist, whom I shall refer to as a “he” – although that isn’t always the case. You see, each morning he must choose a mask to wear for the day. The masks, created by the talented Mask Makers, determine the thoughts, words, actions and even gender for the wearer during that particular day. This leads to some pretty wild and traumatic experiences for our friend as he gives us a narrative of each of his days. It doesn’t take too long before he realizes that someone is following him from day to day through the facades of his masks. This is a serious social offense, and once he discovers who is doing it he is in for a very surprising revelation!

My Two Cents…

• I loved the masks! I mean, they *are* the whole purpose of the story, but still – so cool! The idea of beautiful, detailed masks that can alter a person’s actions, and even gender, is awesome.
• “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast” is a well written story. The way the author takes you through the different events associated with each mask is well done – not to mention the very cool and unexpected ending. A real treat this!
• While I loved the story, be aware that there is some language and situations that are not appropriate for kids.

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 16
• Word Count: 8,009
• Special thanks to Jason Sanford for pointing out this great story!
• Did you know that Eugie Foster was named the 2009 Author of the Year by Bards and Sages? Yep. You can learn more about this fantastic author at her web site.

Where You Can Find Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast:

• This story was originally published in February 2009 in Interzone #220.
• It was also reprinted online at Apex Magazine in August 2009, where you can still read it for free.

Craving More Stories?

If you liked “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast” then you might also enjoy Under the Honey by Liz Williams.

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