Tangent has a really nifty review by Patrick Samphire of the story Greg and I wrote, "California King." Because I like it so much, I'm posting the whole section of the review that deals with our story. Nice work, Greg!

"Two of the hottest new writers around, Michael Jasper and Greg Van Eekhout, offer an inventive and original piece of fantasy in "California King." Out of sight of the mundane world lies another, stranger world of magic. The hero of this story, the California King, is charged with defending his kingdom against supernatural and sometimes mundane threats. This he does through stealing his adversaries' powers by tattooing them on his body, a unique and painful idea. Guided by Jonah, a man in whose debt he is, the California King is sent from state to state, confronting minor threats. But there is a far greater threat to the king, because his is an embittered, feuding dynasty, and he has forgotten that.

"Contemporary and urban fantasies have become quite a staple of the genre in recent years. This is the territory inherited from Megan Lindholm's "The Wizard of the Pigeons," Terry Gilliam's "The Fisher King," and a thousand others. As such, it has become almost as difficult to come up with an original take on the genre as it is to do so in high fantasy or hard science fiction. Jasper and Van Eekhout attack the problem from two sides, with a unique narrator's voice and with an original lead character.

"'California King' is a highly-stylized piece. For the most part, that stylization works well. Occasionally, it distracts, but never fatally, and there is enough that is new and interesting that the story does not disappoint. It is always a delight to experience the nova-imaginations of the best new writers at their creative heights, and Jasper and Van Eekhout may well lay claim to their places in that minor pantheon."

Wow!

Reading the rest of the in-depth review of this double issue reminds me that I need to read the other stories in the magazine, especially Liz Williams' tale. Kudos to Tangent for making a comeback, and a tip of the hat to Patrick for doing such a fine examination of all the stories. Many reviews just do a brief summary of the story and give a thumbs-up or down. This one actually analyzed the stories. Nicely done.

And the positive stuff he said about Greg and me was also quite nice as well! Must... keep... head... from... swelling... Later!