"Abyssus Abyssum Invocat" by Genevieve Valentine
LIGHTSPEED - http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/abyssus-abyssum-invocat/

"Abyssus Abyssum Invocat" is not a bad story. It is lyrical, evocative, and mythic in its tone.

That said, I did not particularly care for it. Not because the story failed at what it set out to do. It didn't. "Abyssus Abyssum Invocat" is a tale told in much the same vein as some of Kelly Link's work. It has a tone that is reminiscent of fairy tales and reads something like walking through a waking dream.

Actually, the fact that it succeeds in these ways is exactly why I did not enjoy it. See, it all comes down to a matter of taste.

My preference in fiction is for character-driven, strongly paced, concrete stories. I like to have a protagonist I can relate to (not necessarily root for--but someone I understand), following a story line that forces them to change and go, and then finding a resolution, for good or ill, to the challenges presented in the tale. This is a pretty standard formula, and I imagine to some, kind of boring. But, it is what I like.

"Abyssus Abyssum Invocat" is a different breed of beast, one that, at least seems to me, is becoming increasingly common. It has characters--two major one in this case. However, they are not real people, but archetypes that have been cast in their roles and set in motion to perform the play.

This is not a criticism, but a deliberate choice by the author. Valentine uses a parallel structure wherein she first introduces a piece of the fairy tale she is working with-The Little Mermaid-then cuts to a modern day scene wherein the mermaid and her prince/victim/love are forced into an unfamiliar, and sometimes uncomfortable context, and then run through a topsy-turvy version of the original story wherein the prince is the one seeking to join the mermaid's world. And it's not really a place where he can thrive.

The decisions Valentine makes are interesting, and the story flows quickly and reads fast. It just didn't hold my attention. I knew within the first paragraph that the writing was going to be more experiential than linear, that the point was to provoke an emotional and almost subconscious response. The problem is, since that is not my favorite style of writing, I immediately disengaged a little, which completely ruins the point of this kind of story.

For it to work, you have to be engaged, immersed fully. You have to feel the story on a deeply personal level.

I don't think it has quite the same punch as some other entries into the style, and unlike the aforementioned Kelly Link, whose writing often leaves me feeling like I missed something important, but keeps me thinking long after I put the book down, this one was, for me largely forgettable.

But, admittedly, my own reading biases got in the way. If you enjoy stories in this style, give it a try. Preferences, like much in life, are subjective.