On Novellas, and Variable Equine Stature

Cracked Spines

The same way that a pony is APPARENTLY not just a baby horse (????), a novella is far more than a smaller version of a novel. This week your hosts read a whole smattering of the little suckers, from the agonizing exorcisms in Prosper's Demon to the epic worldbuilding of The Empress of Salt and Fortune. What makes a novella great? What makes a novella unsatisfying? As usual, we're no experts, but we sure did read a helluva lot. Along the way, Sarah makes some bold foot claims which probably won't surprise you, and Amelia states her answer on the classic question, "At what degree of separation are you allowed to marry your cousin?" which actually might.
Mentioned in this episode:

• The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo
• Prosper's Demon, by K. J. Parker
• Inside Job, by K.J. Parker
• A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers
• The Governess and the Norseman, by Grace Burroughs
• Hard Reboot, by Django Wexler
• The Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe, by Kij Johnson
• Sisters of the Vast Black, by Lina Rather
• A Ruin of Shadows, by L. D. Lewis
• The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
• Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, which Sarah didn't read and is gonna get to, she promises
• The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, which Sarah did read in high school and hated

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