This long adventure novella is the cover story on the latest issue of Asimov’s. Palmer is usually up for some well written entertaining stories. Without saying too much, this includes an interesting element of time travel.

Asimovs July/August 2025

We follow 16 year old Thomas, who lives on an island and comes from a family of fishermen. Problem is that he is terribly afraid of the sea, after his father drowned in the ocean. Looking for an alternative way to get money and avoid the sea, he seeks a job with an odd lady in town. She works as sort some of artists, and he becomes her assistant helping her with errands, gather various ingredients in nature and in general assist her with her artwork.

Everything seems innocent enough, but there is something mysterious about this woman. Like it looks she sometimes drastically change her age from day to day, and she orders odd packages from far away places.

The story evolves into something larger and more adventurous than the initial rather mundane setting, and of course Thomas grows as a person and their relationship becomes something else.

Suzanne Palmer writes well, and despite the generous page count of this novella, there is never a dull moment. Even the mundane chores are compelling in their own right. We are kept in the dark for just long enough to be interested in what way this story might go, and it delivers in, well, going places.

Read in Asimov’s July/August 2025
Rating: 3+