"The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections" is a fantasy story by Tina Connolly. It was first published on Tor.com, in 2018.
Synopsis
editSaffron is a food taster for the cruel Duke Michal, forced to sample the magically psychoactive confections prepared by the Head Pastry Chef — her imprisoned husband, who can only communicate with her via the specific memories and emotions that the pastries evoke.
Reception
edit"The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections" was a finalist for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novelette[1] and the Nebula Award for Best Novelette of 2018.[2]
Tangent Online called it "enchanting" and "clever and well written".[3] Locus observed that the majority of the story is composed of memories of Saffron's life that are evoked by the pastries, with the banquet forming "a great frame narrative that builds tension perfectly."[4] Rocket Stack Rank, however, faulted the conclusion for going against the rules established earlier in the story, with insufficient foreshadowing to indicate that this was possible.[5]
References
edit- ^ 2019 Hugo Award & 1944 Retro Hugo Award Finalists, by Cheryl Morgan, at TheHugoAwards.org; published April 2, 2019; retrieved April 21, 2019
- ^ “The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections” at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved April 21, 2019
- ^ Tor.com -- July 2018, reviewed by Mark Suplinskas, at Tangent Online; published July 26, 2018; retrieved April 21, 2019
- ^ Karen Burnham Reviews Short Fiction: Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Fireside, Giganotosaurus & Strange Horizons by Karen Burnham, in Locus; published November 15, 2018; retrieved April 21, 2019
- ^ The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections, by Tina Connolly, reviewed at Rocket Stack Rank; published July 11, 2018; retrieved April 21, 2019
External links
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