The Wideness of the World

It's time for the newest entry in the short story anthology series by the Furry Historical Fiction Society! This one focuses on the 18th and 19th centuries, including Renaissance stories, Enlightenment stories, and tales of the high seas. Without further ado, let's get started.

Sanctum Scriptorium by Galen L.K. After reading this story I immediately went to Bluesky to post that GIF of someone writing with fire, because I think this is such a strong start to the anthology. The story is about a monk living in a monastery in what is now Austria around the 15th century. When the nearby city of Salzburg is taken over by a rebellion, the monk finds a half-dead rebel outside the monastery and secretly takes him in to heal his wounds. Sounds straightforward enough, but what makes it truly interesting is that the monk is a scribe who copies books for royalty and nobility, and the rebellions are happening in large part due to the invention of the printing press and the widespread availability of information. The monk, of course, views the “cheap” and “disposable” printings as harmful, both minimizing literature and fanning the flames of war. The rebel, of course, disagrees because it’s spreading knowledge to the commonfolk. What follows is a fascinating debate with some great points and lines, many of which I ended up highlighting and annotating. I think my favorite part of the story though is that the debate is settled not by their arguments, but by an act of love. That made it all the more meaningful to me.

Letters to Luzia by Casterway I originally heard this story on The Voice of Dog, where Khaki and Dralen lend their voices to the two characters who are writing letters in it. I highly recommend checking that audio version out, because they did a great job with these characters. This story takes place after a siege at the city of Cuera somewhere in what is now Austria. I can’t quite tell how it all went down, but an otter prince named Kuniwin seems to have overthrown the Consul of Raetia and is now inhabiting her city. The former consul has been sent off to be kept prisoner in a cold mountain fortress while her son, a fox named Fideli, attempts to negotiate for her comfort and release. The story is told in letters sent to Fideli’s mother by both himself and the prince, slowly revealing the gay relationship forming between the two. I was impressed by how Fideli’s mother has so much character despite not being one of the letter writers. We only understand her through the reactions of the prince and her son to whatever she’s writing back to them, and it makes for some funny moments imagining what she might have written or what her reaction to the letters we’re reading might be. It was a wonderful way of adding some uniqueness to a story told through letter writing.

The Flight to Bohemia Rose LaCroix This story seems to take place in 16th century England during the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth’s rule, as Wikipedia tells me, involved a lot of complex religious turmoil in the wake of King Henry VIII forming the Church of England. She sought a protestant “solution” to Catholicism, and at one point she was even declared illegitimate by the Pope. So, it’s in this context that we find the character in this story, Edward, persecuted by the government for suspicion of heresy. Edward is a man of many talents. He is a scryer, an alchemist, and a composer. But the practice that he becomes persecuted for is that of soothsaying. He seems to be able to divine messages from angels, and the crown has become suspicious that this is simply witchcraft with the aim of overthrowing the queen. I thought it was an interesting angle to explore persecution by. Usually, the person being persecuted in these stories is someone doing something more mundane by comparison. Angel summoning wasn’t on my bingo card, so to speak. It made the story a lot more interesting, heavily implying some magical realism is involved. I do love some magical realism in my historical fiction. The two pair very well, especially in furry fiction.

The King's Emissary by Thomas "Faux" Steele Well, that was sexy. This story takes place in the 16th century. An emissary from the King of England has traveled to Persia to strengthen ties between the two nations. And that emissary is gay. So very, very gay. Much of the story is him indulging in the services of a male courtesan, and their dynamic is very well written, with a flowing writing style and natural dialogue. It’s a long story, and little happens in retrospect, but I didn’t mind because this was so elegantly written and the conversation was so interesting. While there’s no sex in the story, it hovers on the edge of becoming erotic, and dances on that line. I also appreciated how the dropping of hints about being gay recurred in the story and even affected the outcome of the emissary’s proposals to the Shah. Gotta love it when secret gayness plays a part in changing the course of history.

The Lychgate and the Tree by NightEyes DaySpring

This story is structured sort of like a European folk or fairy tale, which was refreshing. I love seeing these sorts of stories in historical fiction anthologies, since storytelling itself is an important part of history. This tale is the account of a young marten’s visit to the home of Brynne—an elderly wolf whose home has swirled with ominous rumors of mysticism for many years. The marten goes there to ask for eggs, but he is instead given a strange task to take an unlit candle to the center of a grove. There he must wait until someone arrives for him to give the candle to. Of course, this seemingly simple task is one of great consequence. It descends into some trippy scenes. Above all it implies to me that some old rituals from an age long gone must still be completed on a regular basis to keep the world turning (or in this case, the moon). I love this sort of existentialist fairy tale that implies a greater working of the world. The ending, also, is delightfully eerie.

Grey Cats and White Hounds by Huskyteer When it’s a Huskyteer story you know you’re about to have some fun. Her stories have such delightful energy, and this one is no different. It takes place in France, where different rulers have different sets of guards. For the Cardinal, a guard of grey cats. For the king, a guard of white hounds. The story starts with one of the Cardinal’s Cats and one of the King’s Hounds getting into a bar fight. For this, they are scolded by their superiors and forced into a mission together to make sure a politically important wedding goes off without any sabotage. It’s a tightly written story with a great energy to it, and a decent amount of hilarity as well. Huskyteer is also great at weaving animal traits and behaviors into her work, such as the Cardinal’s Cats needing to keep their gloves on because they’re so claw-happy, and it was nice to see that happen frequently here again. The visual of both guards getting picked up by the scruff of their necks and thrown out of the bar was particularly hilarious.

Back to the Molly House by Packwolf Lupestripe You know a historical fiction story is going to be tragic when anti-sodomy law rears its ugly head. That’s exactly what happens here. A fox named Rufford has become a bit touch-starved while his lover, Hooke, has been imprisoned for what I assume is sodomy. So, Rufford attempts to hook up with another man, and is immediately convicted of sodomy himself, right on the eve of Hooke’s release. Damnable hormones. What follows is a gauntlet of punishment that I thought was depicted well. It didn’t go overboard into misery-porn territory, and in fact ended somewhat optimistically with the promise of queer community. Queer communities have always been around, the Molly Houses being an example during the 18th and 19th centuries, so it’s great to see them pop up in historical fiction like this. Rufford’s fall out of his gauntlet of pain is softened somewhat by the Molly House and by his lover, showing how important community is in times of persecution. I appreciated the historical perspective on that.

The Artisan by Ty Fox Ty Fox is great at hitting you right in the feels, so I’m not surprised to see that his story is one of the heaviest hitting in the book. It follows a lion composer who returns from a trip with his royal patron to find that his wife has died while he was away. The resulting guilt and depression begin to affect his work and his relationship with his children, and since Ty is also amazing at showing life problems affecting character relationships (see Gravitational Pull), this was a highlight for me. I love it when a story explores how emotional trauma and depression affect those around the sufferer, because that’s often one of the most painful and challenging parts of the experience for those suffering from them. The story is beautifully written and ends beautifully as well, combining music, family, and spirituality to explore all the stages of grief. That’s a lot to pack into a short story, and I think Ty succeeded here.

Fellow Foreigners by Herr Wozzeck Another story with a musical element! This one follows an English ambassador who is sent to France to further the relationship between the two countries. While doing so, he also forms his own relationship with the composer of the court of Louis XIV. It’s very gay, which I always appreciate, but more importantly the story uses the author’s experience in dance and music to develop the lover’s relationship, and of course the drama it conjures within the court. The relationship between England, France, and Italy is heavily involved in how everything plays out in the end, and I appreciated that level of historical consideration and how integral it was to the story itself. It’s always nice to see history influencing a historical fiction narrative on top of serving as a setting. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of France’s concern with other countries stealing their perceived cultural superiorities. It felt so typical of the French monarchy to worry about the English stealing their dance moves more than the wellbeing of their people. The characters using that to their advantage was great.

The Fox in the Mirror by Brathor Cyr Now this is the kind of story that sends me on an emotional spiral. Stories about lives being ruined unfairly due to systemic prejudice tend to be heard about by my therapist, and this one is no exception. All in all, it’s an example of how a straightforward story done exceedingly well can be so darn effective. It follows a fox attending a university in England that’s almost exclusively attended by students of noble birth. The fox seems to come from money, but not of nobility, and so he must work hard to be the best among his peers and exceed everyone’s expectations. He soon falls in love with one of the other noble students. Spoiler alert: It does not end well. This story is tragic. It reminds me of certain recent world events as well, which makes it even more heavy hitting than it already was. This story put me in an emotional slump for a couple of days, so it has earned one of my Ursa Major award nominations. Go read it.

Though Ocean Waves May Sever by Rob MacWolf It’s a Rob MacWolf story, so you already know I loved it. This one’s about pirates! Mostly one pirate named Lazarus. The sea lion is captured by the English and forced to to assist a captain and his crew in finding and taking down an infamous pirate king. The focal character changes often, jumping between Lazarus, the captain, the first mate, and more. That’s a lot of characters to juggle for a short story, and it can get a little confusing at times, especially when the line breaks meant to signal a character transition are between page turns. The confusion on who is talking is brief, however, as the character’s voices alone typically clear up any confusion. One of the best parts of the story is its portrayal of the cruelty of seafaring. How people would be kidnapped and forced into service on ships, how a captain’s incompetence could lead to everyone’s deaths, or their cruelty could lead to their sailor’s wages being outright stolen. Not to mention the homophobia. By the end of the story, you understand why someone would turn to piracy in this messed up system, and it works very well. Also, we have an appearance from one of Rob’s recurring characters here, who started his immortal journey in the first of these historical anthologies. I do hope to one day read a story where he finds his brindle dog.

Home is Where Freedom Lives by Faolan Pirates who exclusively target slave ships? Fuck yeah. This story is about a captain whose crew is mostly made up of former slaves liberated and recruited from the slave trade. As you can imagine, that draws the ire of said slave trade. So, as three of these pirate vessels attempt another raid on a slave ship, they fall into a trap and are pursued by pirate hunters. The result is one of the most action-packed stories in the anthology. It’s exciting ship battles and dangerous storms all the way through the second half. I’m a bit disappointed it wasn’t more than that, as the history of the relationship between piracy and the slave trade is complex and interesting, so the story rings a bit hollow by omitting it. Still, it’s a good story for those who are interested in some action on the high seas.

Devil's Apprentice by Aelius Every pirate has a unique tale of why they became a pirate, and this story is one of those. It follows Maria, a mouse who has disguised herself as a boy to join a crew of sailors and to be free of her former life. While scavenging the wreck of a ship, much of her fellow crew are assailed by pirates, but she manages to actually capture the captain of those pirates during the scuffle. That captain turns out to be an infamous woman pirate named Zara, who Maria idolizes from hearing tales of her exploits. As you can imagine, the two team up and must escape the clutches of a sinister captain with a penchant for using flame to kill. There’s some great action in here, as you’d expect from a story with an evil captain who likes to light things on fire, and there’s also some exploration of the cruelty on the high seas, like we saw in Rob MacWolf’s story. This time, it’s from the female perspective, interestingly comparing the exploitation at sea to the exploitation of women on land. The idea of being thought of as nothing but a tool to fulfill a purpose, and the desire to escape that treatment. I did find the character dynamics a bit unrealistic, as they develop rather quickly, with the characters pouring their souls out to each other within hours of meeting. But I enjoyed reading such an explosive pirate origin story.

Dolomite Down by Pascal Farful Now this was a fun one. Dolomite Down is about three sailors who are found washed up on shore. A barkeep then promptly makes the three men recount the exciting tale of their shipwreck to the people of the town to squeeze a bit of money out of them. The three men, of course, have different accounts of what they claim was either a kraken attack or a mutiny, so it turns into a very public informal debate/trial. Each man’s statement is given in verse too, which was delightfully quirky and helped the story stand out. Plus, the characters all have a unique and interesting voice, as you’d expect from one of Pascal’s stories. It’s a brief tale, exactly the length it needs to be, and a fun one at that. I don’t know what to think about the ending. It sort of came out of nowhere and made me squint at the page, but I suppose it’s fitting for a story so strange and charming. I’d love to see this one get an audio version with some good voice acting.

Duchess of Buccaneer's Bay by J.F.R. Coates No good deed goes unpunished. This story is about a squirrel named Alice who leads a community of pirates called Buccaneer’s Bay. One day she saves the life of someone she finds drifting in the ocean, and she soon realizes that she knows the person she’s saved, and that he has the potential to reveal secrets about her past that could ruin her life and what she’s built. The brilliance of this story is its twist. When you hear that a secret could bring to ruin all that a person has built, you usually assume it’s some big conspiracy or past action or complex political issue. But the actual secret here is so much simpler and more meaningful than that. I thought the misdirection and subsequent reveal was brilliant. As was the portrayal of Alice’s relationships with the people of Buccaneer’s Bay that helped to support their reaction to the reveal later on. It’s a tightly written story with great meaning.

The Cusp of All Broken Things by J.S. Hawthorne Oh, how I enjoyed this one. Magical realism is one of my favorite things to see in furry historical fiction, and this one has it in spades. It’s about a priest traveling to Ethiopia to assist in the church’s efforts there. But while sailing, he encounters two intriguing individuals—one who it seems may be able to see the future, and one with a mysterious chest they say holds a powerful artifact. Both seem insistent on getting the priest involved in whatever they’re up to, which they imply has world-ending implications. It’s such a good setup. Unique, intriguing, and high stakes. It’s one of those stories that doesn’t give you every answer by the end either, which I always appreciate in mysterious stories like this. You get the impression that you’re nearing the end of a journey that’s been going on for a long time, and this priest is now destined to carry its torch. Exactly the kind of story I look forward to in these anthologies.

Sanctuary from the Cold by Domus Vocis I always look forward to Domus Vocis’s stories in these anthologies ever since he wrote Tomes Entombed Within Me, which is still one of my favorite short stories in general. This story isn’t quite as complex as that one, but it’s still quite good. It follows a man named Joseph who is trying to support his family through the decline of the legendary Roanoke colony—the one that in real life mysteriously disappeared, only leaving the word “Croatoa” carved upon a tree. In this case, as the starvation of the colony spells its doom, Joseph comes upon a native otter while hunting and soon becomes enamored with him. It’s a straightforward plot that leads exactly where you think it does, with Joseph’s family leaving Roanoke to live with the tribe of his new gay lover. However, there are a few surprises, like how Joseph’s wife reacts to the reveal of his infidelity. Not to mention the story has that tenderness and pining that Domus is so wonderful at portraying. It’s a lovely way to cap the anthology off, going out on a touching note