Michael Swanwick's "Lord Weary's Empire": Two-bit urban gangs, & a magician
No process is perfect, Hugo nominations included. Else, how can such a third rate story make it to finals?
Most of the story is about an urban gang whose members are drawn from a variety of magical species:
- elves: Normally upper castes & rulers, some in gangs.
- haints: can slip through walls! Also, "Even at a distance, they could be sensed, for with them came fear... old powers were theirs still, and they were able to generate terror and use it as a weapon."
- feys
- drows
- nissen
- shellycoats
- demons
- sprites
- gaunts: Winged creatures capable of flight
- dire wolves
- hulder: "Will could tell from her buxom figure and by the cow’s tail sticking out from under her skirt".
- war-dragon: Can enter your mind - kind of, can possess you
- wodewose - a hunter/gatherer race & very competent in seeing in the dark.
- ...
Full text of this story is available online.
Story summary.
The story is presumably set on earth & near our time. There is a mention of a Pepsi bottle. But everything else is unfamiliar.
There is a place called Babel. It is inhabited by a variety of magical creatures, probably men among them (I don't recall). City has an extensive network of tunnels at many underground levels - a lot of them abandoned.
These underground tunnels are inhabited by city toughs in many underground settlements, among them a gang headed by Lord Weary - an "elf-lord", & a Ph D in alchemy.
Then there is someone called Will, the main character - probably a man (I don't recall). Story opens with some creatures chasing Will; he enters underground system during escape.
That is where he meets Weary's goons. There is a challenge, a fight-to-death is offered as the only option to Will. He will have to fight Bonecrusher - a tough from wodewose species. Bonecrusher accidentally dies in the fight; Will is offered & made to accept a position in the gang.
This is how he lands in Niflheim Station, an abandoned underground train station that is now a slum holding Weary's comrades. He will, in the days to come, be known by other names to gang outsiders - Captain Jack Riddle aka Captain Jack aka Jack the Lucky aka Laughing Jack.
All through the story, Will's voice is the only sane one. After many incidents where Will shows his mettle, he rises to number two in position within the gang.
Nearing the end, we meet some really bizarre scenes. Apparently, there are a couple of hundred of somewhat wild horses living underground, adapted to dark, & protected by haints.
Weary wants some. A team headed by Will is dispatched. They return with 4 or 5 beasts. Weary wants the best for himself - a female horse named Epona. Others horses too will be tortured till they allow captors to be their lords. But during their capture, Will had to use magical incantations, & he had promised to Epona that he will be the only one to ride her.
After announcing the appropriations, Weary feels Will is hiding some thoughts. He is made to reveal this promise he had made to horse. He is awarded a certain number of lashes publicly. That is when rebellion begins brewing, but cannot quite happen.
Last part is where those living in main city decide to get rid of the vermin underground. There is fighting. Most of Weary's troops are killed; I don't recall if there was damage to raiders.
It is among this mayhem that Weary reveals that most gang members were illusions & makes them vanish. He also reveals that all the damage in this fighting is also an illusion. Also, that it was he who ensured Will was chased till he was delivered to Weary! Finally, that he himself is a magician (or illusion, I don't recall), & vanishes!
We are left with Will alone without a sign of anyone else in tunnel, & are not quite sure if he too is also an illusion!
Fact sheet.
Lord Weary's Empire, short story, review
First published: Asimov's Dec 2006
Rating: C
Nominated for Hugo Awards 2007 in novella category
Related: All Hugo Award stories.
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