Annie Without Crow by Michael Swanwick
My rating: 2/5 cats
“There will be many changes made,” the Lady Anne announced to the assembled women of her household, once they had returned to Maidenshead. “From this day onward, women shall not take lovers who are their emotional or intellectual inferiors. This will apply not only to the Princess Elizabeth but to every woman everywhere.”
In horror, Mistress Pleasance cried, “We’ll all die virgins!”
meh. this story didn’t do much for me. it’s a heap of references and timeslips that, to me, reads messy. some might find it a delightful romp, but the whole “let’s throw a bunch of anachronisms and orgies and cusswords into a fairytale/shakespeare sitch and see what happens!” thing isn’t a big enough hook to hang a story upon, so instead, it’s just a bawdy jumble, signifying nothing.
“I am Romance, proud and fair—look upon my tits, ye Mighty, and despair. Thinkst thou mere brutality can stop me? Entropy? Desolation? I piss on you and all you stand for.”
sure.
but, hey, it’s probably just me being an unclever monster with a brain made too lazy and slow from gobblin’ down easter candy to unpack the significance here.
better luck next week, karen.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2021/04/07/annie-…
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