Short Fiction Reviews

“Akhila, Divided” by C.S. MacCath: Can a living bomb have a soul? You be the judge. Highly recommended. (Excerpt)

- Will's Asylum of In(S)anity

"Akhila, Divided" by C.S. MacCath is an interesting character study. A woman created to fight a war comes to realize there ought to be something more to her life, and she seeks salvation among those who would be her enemies. (Excerpt)

- SFScope

C.S. MacCarth’s “Casting Sin” is cast in the same vein as Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” Hedea’s town has turned against her, using her age as the reason to make her the target in a classic scapegoat ritual. If she can survive a walk through the length of the town while the people, who have taken everything from her—from her loom to her home—pelt her with objects that symbolize and mystically transfer their sins to her, they’ll let her live as an exile. But if she falls beneath their vicious attack, they will kill her, exterminating their own sins along with her body. A human tale depicting the worst side of humanity, it captures both the horror of superstition and the possible truth in it. (Excerpt)

- The Fix

C.S. MacCath’s “Akhila, Divided” has an unusual protagonist: a sentient bomb that can take on a humanoid form. When the bomb crash-lands among human beings and befriends a peaceful monk, Vegar, her attachment toward the people directly conflicts with the murderous purpose she was designed for. MacCath’s blazing prose illuminates all characters sympathetically and crystallizes arguments for and against war in one achingly divided heroine. Brutal and electrifying execution make this old story of internal conflict new and wrenching. (Excerpt)

- The Fix