"Beneath the Mask," by Aliette de Bodard

[Scott H. Andrews]

This thread is for discussion of "Beneath the Mask," by Aliette de Bodard, which appears in BCS Issue #8 (http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/forums/../toc.php?s=8) from Jan. 15, 2009.

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[adunsby]

This is a very good story. The ending is powerful and well-executed. (Having written on the cocoa industry I appreciated the reference to cacao beans used as currency.) It did seem to me though that maybe there are a few to many issues or characters introduced. There were times in the first half when I was wondering what the story was actually about. It resolves well, though.

[Scott H. Andrews]

Thanks very much for commenting--I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

It did seem to me though that maybe there are a few too many issues or characters introduced. There were times in the first half when I was wondering what the story was actually about. It resolves well, though.
For me, this is the Catch-22 of short stories with a mystery plot.

Readers, especially in short fiction, are always looking for any clue to the mystery, any possible suspect. If there are only a few issues or characters, I find it's often too easy to spot the clues or guess who the murderer is. If there are lots of issues or characters, it can seem cluttered, but to me that wider array of possible clues and suspects feels more like the wide array of clues in real life and keeps a mystery-plot story interesting for me.

[Unregistered]

Excellent. Evokes the culture in an intriguing way. This story really worked.

[Aliette de Bodard]

Thanks very much--glad you liked it!