"Throwing Stones," by Mishell Baker

[Scott H. Andrews]

This thread is to discuss "Throwing Stones," by Mishell Baker, which appears in BCS #47 (http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/forums/../toc.php?s=47) from July 15, 2010.

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[Damon Shaw]

I loved this story. Fascinating explorations, and beautifully written. Really exciting work.

[MishellBaker]

Thank you so much. This is my first published fiction of any kind, and I'm so grateful to Scott & Co. for the opportunity.

[fusion]

I dare say that it is one of the greatest works with so picturesque plot and actions.

[MishellBaker]

I'm really glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for taking the time to tell me.

[mbrennan]

The comment about them following a goddess of chaos made me think of the drow -- another matriarchal society with a rigid social order despite their religion. (Tellingly, the D&D books eventually stopped tagging the drow as chaotic evil, switching them to neutral evil instead. Which comes closer to the truth.)

Anyway, fun story! I liked the tension of the relationship between the narrator and Tuo; it felt painful on both sides, as it needed to be for the story.

[MishellBaker]

This is a little embarrassing, but I'm not terribly familiar with drow, other than the snippets of the language immersive roleplayers in EverQuest occasionally use (and the controversy that always causes). But I do love the irony of a rigid social hierarchy that forms in a chaos-worshipping society. Human beings by their nature fear chaos, so even if they try to devote themselves to it, I think they subconsciously organize things.

It should be noted - though there's really no way to tell from this particular story, that Ru is not evil. However, even some people in this world (outside of the Empire of course) believe her to be, since she is after all a goddess of darkness and chaos and death. Probably the closest resemblance to her in fiction is Nahadoth in N. K. Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which is yet another book I hadn't read until it was too late. (sigh)

Ru is scary, and perhaps a touch bitter, but she serves a valid function in the balance of life.

Sorry for rambling. Commenting on an author's world is a bit like asking her about her grandchildren sometimes...

[mbrennan]

Oh, I didn't mean to imply Ru was evil; sorry if I gave that impression. Just that the chaotic-but-hierarchical incongruity reminded me of another example. (You're better off not being very familiar with the drow; I got a whole conference paper out of how they're every kind of Other rolled into one, and then made over-the-top evil to boot.)

[euphrosyne]

In each BCS there's usually one story I really like and one that I rather don't. In this edition, Throwing Stones was not just my personal favorite, but a truly outstanding piece of writing. It deserves to at least make the long list for some major awards.

I look forward to your next story.

[MishellBaker]

Thank you so much! Your kind words are sincerely appreciated. Right now I have other stories in various stages of development/submission, so if all goes well you'll get to see one of them before too long. If you want to keep abreast of my news, please feel free to check out my blog or follow me on Twitter. I love chatting with readers and other writers.

[Unregistered]

I very much enjoyed this. Beautiful storytelling. I look forward to Mishell Baker's first novel (I hope one's forthcoming!).