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InCryptid #0.07
The First Fall
It has been three years since the marriage of Jonathan and Frances Healy; three years since the birth of their son, Daniel, who has been the light of their lives for that entire time. And now, due to circumstances beyond their control, the family has come together to do the one thing that none of them has ever wanted to do.
They have come together to bury Daniel.
Shattered by the death of their little boy, Jonathan and Frances set out to find the Campbell Family Carnival, where Fran's old friend Juniper's talent for talking to ghosts may allow her to believe that her child is truly at rest. Jonathan has no such hopes; he just wants to there's a chance his wife will survive the labyrinth of her grief.
This is not a happy story, and it does not chronicle a happy time in the annals of the Price family. But this is what happened, and when it happened, and it shaped so very much of what came after.
Rest well, Daniel Healy. You never had a chance.
They have come together to bury Daniel.
Shattered by the death of their little boy, Jonathan and Frances set out to find the Campbell Family Carnival, where Fran's old friend Juniper's talent for talking to ghosts may allow her to believe that her child is truly at rest. Jonathan has no such hopes; he just wants to there's a chance his wife will survive the labyrinth of her grief.
This is not a happy story, and it does not chronicle a happy time in the annals of the Price family. But this is what happened, and when it happened, and it shaped so very much of what came after.
Rest well, Daniel Healy. You never had a chance.
46 pages, ebook
First published June 11, 2013
3 people are currently reading
1095 people want to read
About the author
Seanan McGuire
508 books17.1k followersHi! I'm Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I'm also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.
Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).
I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(
Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).
I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
February 4, 2017
This was an incredibly sad story. It delivered punch after punch to the gut and just when I thought that things will at least end on a more positive note, it delivered another bitch-slap! Well done, Ms. McGuire, really well done!
October 7, 2016
Any short story that can make me cry in only 23 pages (& I had tears in my eyes by about page 4!) has to get all the stars!
* Please note that this review does contain a spoiler but since it's something that's mentioned in the blurb I feel like it's okay to talk about it. I'm actually glad I knew what was going to happen before I started reading though as it meant I was emotionally prepared for what happened, this isn't the easiest story to read and it will definitely be a trigger warning for some people. Having said that if you didn't read the blurb yet and you would prefer to go into this story completely blind then please don't read the rest of this review *
The First Fall has a very different tone to the previous short stories about these characters so rather than being full of humour and monster hunting adventures this is a sadder, darker story as Fran and Jonathan deal with the grief of losing their son Daniel. I have to admit I was shocked when I read the blurb and found out that Daniel had died, nobody ever wants to think about the death of a child and I'm glad I had the warning in advance because I needed to prepare myself before I started reading.
We never really spent any time with Daniel as a character so even though he was three years old when he died I didn't feel emotionally connected to him. I am extremely attached to his parents though and watching them fall apart in their grief was hard. This isn't the easiest story to read but it really does go to show what a brilliant job Seanan McGuire has done of making us connect to these characters in the space of a bunch of short stories. Her writing in this story was particularly powerful and I was moved to tears on more than one occasion.
Even the normally hilarious Aeslin mice didn't manage to lighten the tone here as they tried to deal with their own grief over the loss of a member of the Healy family. If this quote doesn't break your heart, even just a little, then there must be something wrong with you:
“The God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures was beloved to us. He will be forever part of the pantheon that watches over the colony from the place beyond the attic, where the cheese and cake are bountiful, and where we will all one day go.” The mouse spoke with absolute and utter conviction. There was a Heaven; Daniel was there; one day all the mice would go to join him.
This may not be an easy read but it's definitely a powerful one and I'm eager to continue reading about this couple to see how they cope with the aftermath of this life changing event.
* Please note that this review does contain a spoiler but since it's something that's mentioned in the blurb I feel like it's okay to talk about it. I'm actually glad I knew what was going to happen before I started reading though as it meant I was emotionally prepared for what happened, this isn't the easiest story to read and it will definitely be a trigger warning for some people. Having said that if you didn't read the blurb yet and you would prefer to go into this story completely blind then please don't read the rest of this review *
The First Fall has a very different tone to the previous short stories about these characters so rather than being full of humour and monster hunting adventures this is a sadder, darker story as Fran and Jonathan deal with the grief of losing their son Daniel. I have to admit I was shocked when I read the blurb and found out that Daniel had died, nobody ever wants to think about the death of a child and I'm glad I had the warning in advance because I needed to prepare myself before I started reading.
We never really spent any time with Daniel as a character so even though he was three years old when he died I didn't feel emotionally connected to him. I am extremely attached to his parents though and watching them fall apart in their grief was hard. This isn't the easiest story to read but it really does go to show what a brilliant job Seanan McGuire has done of making us connect to these characters in the space of a bunch of short stories. Her writing in this story was particularly powerful and I was moved to tears on more than one occasion.
Even the normally hilarious Aeslin mice didn't manage to lighten the tone here as they tried to deal with their own grief over the loss of a member of the Healy family. If this quote doesn't break your heart, even just a little, then there must be something wrong with you:
“The God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures was beloved to us. He will be forever part of the pantheon that watches over the colony from the place beyond the attic, where the cheese and cake are bountiful, and where we will all one day go.” The mouse spoke with absolute and utter conviction. There was a Heaven; Daniel was there; one day all the mice would go to join him.
This may not be an easy read but it's definitely a powerful one and I'm eager to continue reading about this couple to see how they cope with the aftermath of this life changing event.
February 6, 2017
This was actually a little bit brutal.
It is probably really difficult to write grief for the death of a child. It is definitely really difficult to read that grief as well. I couldn't help but feel the pain of the entire Healy family and the mice for the death of one of their own in God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures.
This one was difficult since it is painful as it is supposed to be. Both Fran and Jonathan have no idea how to deal with their grief and the guilt of feeling absolutely responsible for the death of their child. Fran has decided to seek out Juniper to make sure that her son's ghost isn't lingering. Jonathan does with her to track down the carnival she used to call home unsure if she would leave him once they got there.
You have to give props the love that Jonathan feels for Fran. Even knowing that this might be the end of their marriage he goes with her to make sure she is safe and do everything he can for the woman he loves and her grief not even thinking much on his own.
Juniper was such a good friend and I couldn't help but be glad that they went because she was able to put things into perspective for Frannie.
This almost left me with a little hope until the last two paragraphs of the story and then you just know that even more horrors would hit that family later.
I actually dreaded getting to this story because of the content. I'm glad I read it but at the same time it is the more series and tragic history of the Healy/Price family and reiterates that most of Verity's ancestors had violent and tragedy filled lives.
Let's hope the next one is a little lighter.
It is probably really difficult to write grief for the death of a child. It is definitely really difficult to read that grief as well. I couldn't help but feel the pain of the entire Healy family and the mice for the death of one of their own in God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures.
This one was difficult since it is painful as it is supposed to be. Both Fran and Jonathan have no idea how to deal with their grief and the guilt of feeling absolutely responsible for the death of their child. Fran has decided to seek out Juniper to make sure that her son's ghost isn't lingering. Jonathan does with her to track down the carnival she used to call home unsure if she would leave him once they got there.
You have to give props the love that Jonathan feels for Fran. Even knowing that this might be the end of their marriage he goes with her to make sure she is safe and do everything he can for the woman he loves and her grief not even thinking much on his own.
Juniper was such a good friend and I couldn't help but be glad that they went because she was able to put things into perspective for Frannie.
"Johnny...."
“Is grieving, just like you are. His grief is no better or worse than yours. It’s not worth more. But it’s not worth less, either.”
This almost left me with a little hope until the last two paragraphs of the story and then you just know that even more horrors would hit that family later.
I actually dreaded getting to this story because of the content. I'm glad I read it but at the same time it is the more series and tragic history of the Healy/Price family and reiterates that most of Verity's ancestors had violent and tragedy filled lives.
Let's hope the next one is a little lighter.
April 12, 2016
Oh my was this sad! I knew things were going to change but this surprised me... What has me wondering is what Juniper said about Fran at the end of this story...
December 28, 2016
Good lord. I cried the entire way through this story. The pain that permeates is all too easy to relate to, even if I've never had to deal with losing my child.
This is a difficult story, full of heartache and devastation. Even the Aeslin mice, who can usually be counted on to bring joy to any occasion, feel only sadness and mourning in this time.
It's not a story I'll re-visit anytime, ever, likely. But I'm glad I read it. Even if I'm still fighting tears.
This is a difficult story, full of heartache and devastation. Even the Aeslin mice, who can usually be counted on to bring joy to any occasion, feel only sadness and mourning in this time.
“The God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures was beloved to us. He will be forever part of the pantheon that watches over the colony from the place beyond the attic, where the cheese and cake are bountiful, and where we will all one day go.” The mouse spoke with absolute and utter conviction. There was a Heaven; Daniel was there; one day all the mice would go to join him.
It's not a story I'll re-visit anytime, ever, likely. But I'm glad I read it. Even if I'm still fighting tears.
June 14, 2013
When Seanan makes me cry, I give her 5 star reviews. WHY AM I REWARDING HER??
This was heartbreaking. And beautiful. And heartbreaking.
This was heartbreaking. And beautiful. And heartbreaking.
September 20, 2017
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
0.07 - The First Fall
2.5 stars
This one was too sad for me to like it all that much.
Sad and CREEPY, thanks to Fran determination to find and visit the carnival:
But just b/c I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. Avoiding real life, heartbreaking things when reading is my prerogative. And anyway, as upsetting as the information is. It's kind of important. Just know going into it what you're in for. *wails*
0.07 - The First Fall
2.5 stars
This one was too sad for me to like it all that much.
Sad and CREEPY, thanks to Fran determination to find and visit the carnival:
There is something eternal about the carnival, Jonathan reflected . . . When the last embers of the sun died, there would be a carnival still glowing bright in the ashes of the world, filled with people trying to get one more ride in before they went to their rewards.
The thought was comforting and terrifying all at once, because if the carnival was eternal, that made it a kind of parasite, a living thing with human bodies for cells. It was almost cryptid in its own right, a form of life so vast and slow that the mind could barely comprehend it, and so reduced it to a fun-fair dazzle of light and sound and harmless motion.
But all living things must eat, and if the carnival was a predator, on what flesh did it feed?
But just b/c I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. Avoiding real life, heartbreaking things when reading is my prerogative. And anyway, as upsetting as the information is. It's kind of important. Just know going into it what you're in for. *wails*
January 1, 2016
A heartbreaking episode in the lives of the Healys. I've decided that I am never going to be in the right mood to read a story about a child's funeral and unavoidable parents' grief, so I might get it over with as soon as possible.
Aeslin mice are usually hilarious, but here even they are heartbreakingly subdued.
It's not exactly the right word but I actually liked how unapologetically the author reminds us that the Healys live in a world where cute cryptids like Aeslin mice are not the only non-humans.
I can't wait for those responsible to meet Fran and Jonathan Healy.
Aeslin mice are usually hilarious, but here even they are heartbreakingly subdued.
“The God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures was beloved to us. He will be forever part of the pantheon that watches over the colony from the place beyond the attic, where the cheese and cake are bountiful, and where we will all one day go.” The mouse spoke with absolute and utter conviction. There was a Heaven; Daniel was there; one day all the mice would go to join him.It was difficult to get through this. I felt sorry for Jonathan. He couldn't even mourn properly because he was too focused not to say anything that might upset Fran. She could do anything she wanted, but Jonathan was the one who wept without making a sound.
It's not exactly the right word but I actually liked how unapologetically the author reminds us that the Healys live in a world where cute cryptids like Aeslin mice are not the only non-humans.
I can't wait for those responsible to meet Fran and Jonathan Healy.
July 14, 2014
This one makes me wish I'd rated the other stories 4 stars or else that I could rate this one 6. There's no real plot to speak of; it's simply a beautifully nuanced account of grief. This is just so devastatingly sad (but not totally depressing for all that).
March 24, 2017
WELP, THAT WAS INCREDIBLY SAD.
Frances and Jonathan bury their son. Both are having a difficult time with it, but especially Fran. She and Jonathan travel to the carnival to ask Fran's clairvoyant routewitch friend Juniper if Daniel's spirit is at rest. And then we get a little bit of Ominous Foreshadowing.
Again we see the Healys' reliance on ritual for the protection of their family. They bury Daniel on hallowed ground, even though he was never baptized. They insist on a closed coffin (why?), even though Daniel's body is in viewable condition. And Alexander throws a bundle of herbs into the grave. WHAT ARE THEY. WHAT DO THEY DO. GIVE ME MOAR STORIES ABOUT ALEXANDER HEALY AND HIS MAGIC KNOWLEDGE. He also Says some Words about Daniel resting peacefully and not coming back from the dead, which is a weird thing to say at a funeral, but in the InCryptid universe, probably necessary.
This is one of the few times we hear about Alexander and Enid having left their other two children behind when they left the Covenant, which had to have nearly killed them. I have to wonder how many other Covenant families almost left, but stayed for the sake of their families.
Frances and Jonathan bury their son. Both are having a difficult time with it, but especially Fran. She and Jonathan travel to the carnival to ask Fran's clairvoyant routewitch friend Juniper if Daniel's spirit is at rest. And then we get a little bit of Ominous Foreshadowing.
Again we see the Healys' reliance on ritual for the protection of their family. They bury Daniel on hallowed ground, even though he was never baptized. They insist on a closed coffin (why?), even though Daniel's body is in viewable condition. And Alexander throws a bundle of herbs into the grave. WHAT ARE THEY. WHAT DO THEY DO. GIVE ME MOAR STORIES ABOUT ALEXANDER HEALY AND HIS MAGIC KNOWLEDGE. He also Says some Words about Daniel resting peacefully and not coming back from the dead, which is a weird thing to say at a funeral, but in the InCryptid universe, probably necessary.
This is one of the few times we hear about Alexander and Enid having left their other two children behind when they left the Covenant, which had to have nearly killed them. I have to wonder how many other Covenant families almost left, but stayed for the sake of their families.
January 12, 2018
This was sooo sad!!
September 26, 2013
Well. Who can read Seanan killing off a character - even one we barely know - and not cry? Not this lady. Especially when that character's a toddler.
This story will tear your heart out slowly and stand - not stomp - on it until it gets squished. But I believe it does what it was meant to do, and that well and finely tuned. I am childfree by choice, which many people assume makes me a child-hater. It doesn't (though being one might make the story less painful to endure. I can't promise that).
We never get to meet little Daniel, but somehow the ripples and waves - some almost tsunami-like - that his short life and his tragic death create in his small family make meeting him unnecessary to grieve for him, and for what his bereaved young parents feel in the aftermath.
There's very little in life that compares to losing a member of your immediate family, and I know first-hand how it feels (having lost my mother when I was 16 and she just 46). This novella captures so, so very well all those feelings: the numbness, the tiny, brief flares of anger or resentment, the fragility surrounding the interactions of everyone involved and the fears, both of its happening to another loved one and of the damage breaking apart the remainder of the family in question.
This is not an easy piece to read. If it were, it wouldn't be right. But then, from the summary, did you expect otherwise? It's a rough read. Have the tissues ready. It's worth it. Very much so.
This story will tear your heart out slowly and stand - not stomp - on it until it gets squished. But I believe it does what it was meant to do, and that well and finely tuned. I am childfree by choice, which many people assume makes me a child-hater. It doesn't (though being one might make the story less painful to endure. I can't promise that).
We never get to meet little Daniel, but somehow the ripples and waves - some almost tsunami-like - that his short life and his tragic death create in his small family make meeting him unnecessary to grieve for him, and for what his bereaved young parents feel in the aftermath.
There's very little in life that compares to losing a member of your immediate family, and I know first-hand how it feels (having lost my mother when I was 16 and she just 46). This novella captures so, so very well all those feelings: the numbness, the tiny, brief flares of anger or resentment, the fragility surrounding the interactions of everyone involved and the fears, both of its happening to another loved one and of the damage breaking apart the remainder of the family in question.
This is not an easy piece to read. If it were, it wouldn't be right. But then, from the summary, did you expect otherwise? It's a rough read. Have the tissues ready. It's worth it. Very much so.
November 20, 2016
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
This was such a sad story! Even the mice could not lighten the mood as they grief for the God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures...
After the earlier foreshadowing the bad thing has come. We rejoin Jonathan and Fran as they are burying Daniel, their son. This short story is very different from the others (which are usually quite light and funny), it is not an easy read. But I thought it was a strong story and I would certainly not skip it.
This was such a sad story! Even the mice could not lighten the mood as they grief for the God of Early Arrivals and Earlier Departures...
After the earlier foreshadowing the bad thing has come. We rejoin Jonathan and Fran as they are burying Daniel, their son. This short story is very different from the others (which are usually quite light and funny), it is not an easy read. But I thought it was a strong story and I would certainly not skip it.
July 6, 2021
Jonathan and Fran Healy
To begin, let me lay out what I will be reviewing here. Seanan McGuire's website has a page entitled Incryptid Short Stories. About two dozen stories are listed here. These stories are also listed as books in the Goodreads Incryptid Series page. Neither of these lists is complete: McGuire has also published many stories on her Patreon site. They can be found in the Bibliography page on her site. I don't know if the Bibliography is complete with respect to Patreon stories.
Most of the stories on the Short Stories page are available for free download there. Some of them, however, were published in anthologies, and to get these you need to buy or borrow the book. For access to the Patreon stories you need to sign up as a supporter at Patreon. The minimum charge is $1.50. That's a recurring charge, but you only need to sign up once for access to all currently available stories. The Short Stories page is organized by the primary characters and time period. Here I will be reviewing the stories listed under the heading Jonathan Healy and Frances Brown (1928-1945). These are:
The Flower of Arizona (published in Westward Weird)
One Hell of a Ride (free download)
No Place Like Home (free download)
Stingers and Strangers (published in Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West)
Married in Green (free download)
Sweet Poison Wine (free download)
The First Fall (free download)
Loch and Key (free download)
We Both Go Down Together (free download)
Oh Pretty Bird (free download)
Bury Me In Satin (free download)
Broken Paper Hearts (free download)
The Star of New Mexico (free download)
As you can see, there's a lot of material here. Even though it is formatted as stories, the stories in totality (in the order listed) are pretty much a novel about Jonathan and Fran. Of the two anthologized stories, which you would have to buy or borrow, the first, The Flower of Arizona, is entirely dispensible. You will read most of it in the other stories. Stingers and Strangers, in contrast, is a substantial story and important both to the continuity of the Jonathan and Fran stories and to the Incryptid series as a whole. What's more, the anthology Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West is pretty good, with a star-studded list of science fiction authors. So, if you're going to buy or borrow something, I would recommend it.
Well, how are the stories? They're excellent, of course. If you really want the backstory on the Healy/Price family, this is the place to look. Although the stories focus on Jonathan and Fran (more Fran than Jonathan), Jonathan's parents Alexander and Enid Healy are important characters as well, and you will pick up several hints about their backstories. Fran doesn't have a regular family, but the members of the circus/carnival where she performed before Jonathan swept her away are also important characters.
Of the main Incryptid novels, I have only read Discount Armageddon, and I was a bit surprised by the Jonathan and Fran stories. They are not as light-hearted as Discount Armageddon. Although McGuire's trademark humor and irreverence permeate the stories, they are more somber than I expected. In fact, there is tragedy, especially in the so-short-it-is-barely-there Broken Paper Hearts. I was also surprised at how important the Aeslin Mice were. In Discount Armageddon they are mostly just comic relief -- delightful, but not terribly necessary to the plot. In the Jonathan and Fran stories I can think of at least three occasions where they play crucial roles in the plot. The most important occurs when Alice, The Exceptionally Noisy Priestess, is born.
So, yeah, if you're into the Incryptid books, you should definitely read these stories.
To begin, let me lay out what I will be reviewing here. Seanan McGuire's website has a page entitled Incryptid Short Stories. About two dozen stories are listed here. These stories are also listed as books in the Goodreads Incryptid Series page. Neither of these lists is complete: McGuire has also published many stories on her Patreon site. They can be found in the Bibliography page on her site. I don't know if the Bibliography is complete with respect to Patreon stories.
Most of the stories on the Short Stories page are available for free download there. Some of them, however, were published in anthologies, and to get these you need to buy or borrow the book. For access to the Patreon stories you need to sign up as a supporter at Patreon. The minimum charge is $1.50. That's a recurring charge, but you only need to sign up once for access to all currently available stories. The Short Stories page is organized by the primary characters and time period. Here I will be reviewing the stories listed under the heading Jonathan Healy and Frances Brown (1928-1945). These are:
The Flower of Arizona (published in Westward Weird)
One Hell of a Ride (free download)
No Place Like Home (free download)
Stingers and Strangers (published in Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West)
Married in Green (free download)
Sweet Poison Wine (free download)
The First Fall (free download)
Loch and Key (free download)
We Both Go Down Together (free download)
Oh Pretty Bird (free download)
Bury Me In Satin (free download)
Broken Paper Hearts (free download)
The Star of New Mexico (free download)
As you can see, there's a lot of material here. Even though it is formatted as stories, the stories in totality (in the order listed) are pretty much a novel about Jonathan and Fran. Of the two anthologized stories, which you would have to buy or borrow, the first, The Flower of Arizona, is entirely dispensible. You will read most of it in the other stories. Stingers and Strangers, in contrast, is a substantial story and important both to the continuity of the Jonathan and Fran stories and to the Incryptid series as a whole. What's more, the anthology Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West is pretty good, with a star-studded list of science fiction authors. So, if you're going to buy or borrow something, I would recommend it.
Well, how are the stories? They're excellent, of course. If you really want the backstory on the Healy/Price family, this is the place to look. Although the stories focus on Jonathan and Fran (more Fran than Jonathan), Jonathan's parents Alexander and Enid Healy are important characters as well, and you will pick up several hints about their backstories. Fran doesn't have a regular family, but the members of the circus/carnival where she performed before Jonathan swept her away are also important characters.
Of the main Incryptid novels, I have only read Discount Armageddon, and I was a bit surprised by the Jonathan and Fran stories. They are not as light-hearted as Discount Armageddon. Although McGuire's trademark humor and irreverence permeate the stories, they are more somber than I expected. In fact, there is tragedy, especially in the so-short-it-is-barely-there Broken Paper Hearts. I was also surprised at how important the Aeslin Mice were. In Discount Armageddon they are mostly just comic relief -- delightful, but not terribly necessary to the plot. In the Jonathan and Fran stories I can think of at least three occasions where they play crucial roles in the plot. The most important occurs when Alice, The Exceptionally Noisy Priestess, is born.
So, yeah, if you're into the Incryptid books, you should definitely read these stories.
August 5, 2014
{August 4th, 2014} THE REVIEW
3.5 stars.
No parent should ever have to bury a child.
That line has always haunted me for these kinds of stories, because no parent should ever have to bury their children. But for Fran and Jonathan, it's an unfortunate reality. Everything just haunts me in a bad way about this short story.
3.5 stars.
No parent should ever have to bury a child.
That line has always haunted me for these kinds of stories, because no parent should ever have to bury their children. But for Fran and Jonathan, it's an unfortunate reality. Everything just haunts me in a bad way about this short story.
November 15, 2015
I wasn't expecting this short story, and it was a strong departure from the combination of wonder and mayhem that's made up a lot of the Incryptid shorts so far. I'm hoping that theere will be a sequel, because it feels like I really need to see the family recover afterwards, and heal as best they can.
August 2, 2021
The First Fall, written by Seanan McGuire, is number 0.07 in the InCryptid series. We're still following Fran and Johnny Healy, whom I'll admit I've become very fond of. I know that's probably not the smartest decision on my part, given that their story is set in the past. But the heart wants what the heart wants.
It also makes this story all the more painful. This is not an easy read, nor is it a light one. In fact, I'll be straight with you here - this short story had me crying. It's borderline too much at times, so readers should consider themselves warned.
This is the story of how Fran and Johnny Healy had to bury their baby boy – who was only a few years old at the time. It will gut readers, though I'm sure our pain would only pale in comparison to what the parents would be feeling, were they not creatures of fiction.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
It also makes this story all the more painful. This is not an easy read, nor is it a light one. In fact, I'll be straight with you here - this short story had me crying. It's borderline too much at times, so readers should consider themselves warned.
This is the story of how Fran and Johnny Healy had to bury their baby boy – who was only a few years old at the time. It will gut readers, though I'm sure our pain would only pale in comparison to what the parents would be feeling, were they not creatures of fiction.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
July 2, 2025
A short portrait of grief. In the last short, we met baby Daniel--and my tragedy sensors were tingling... we've never met, or heard of, a great-uncle Daniel... And sure enough. Thankfully, this short starts out after the fact, so we don't have to live through it, just the aftermath. Waiting to find out what happened also holds some tension in the story. No new creatures, but a little more worldbuilding, and some hard lines are drawn in the characters of John & Fran.
January 12, 2018
"I don't want to go back to just being sad all the time. I don't think my heart can bear it."
I won't say what happens, because spoilers. I will say that this one's a sad one and that it also feels right. Like maybe we needed to remember just how dangerous this life Johnny and Fran have decided to take on really is.
I won't say what happens, because spoilers. I will say that this one's a sad one and that it also feels right. Like maybe we needed to remember just how dangerous this life Johnny and Fran have decided to take on really is.
February 8, 2017
I'm crying. So very sad, which is absolutely not what I want to read, but I supposed it's important to the series.
June 24, 2017
This was a pretty sad short story, I knew it was going to happen, but yeah, it was hard to read!
July 23, 2017
Incredibly sad and touching.
March 22, 2018
WHY? /tears
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2018
I am not ok.
Very much... Not ok.
Don't read this one without a tissue... Or two.
Very much... Not ok.
Don't read this one without a tissue... Or two.
April 3, 2019
This one made me cry.
April 7, 2019
A lovely short in a set of lovely shorts.
July 22, 2019
It may explain a lot about their descendants, but this pivotal moment is a heartbreaking one.
August 30, 2019
Sad but well done.
May 5, 2020
This story was absolutely heartbreaking.
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