Skin in the Game

by Sabrina Vourvoulias

Three kinds of people live in Zombie City-La Boca Del Diablo: the zombies, los vivos, and the ghosts. Officer Jimena Villagrán, not truly at home with any of these groups, patrols the barrio for stalking monsters. Magic con men and discarded needles make this beat hazardous enough, but the latest rash of murders threatens to up the ante by outing the horrors of Jimena's personal history.

Genres: Short Stories, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction

32 pages, ebook

First published November 3, 2014

About the author

My novel, Ink, was published by Crossed Genres in October of 2012. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...)

I was born in Bangkok, Thailand -- the daughter of a Mexican-Guatemalan artist and an American businessman. I grew up in Guatemala, and moved to the United States when I was 15. I studied filmmaking and creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., which -- it has to be said -- suited me for none (and every one) of the occupations I've plied since.

I've done stints as everything from art gallery assistant to the director of a historic opera house, but eventually found my way, permanently, to newspapers. I've been staff writer, production coordinator, editor and managing editor at a string of local weekly newspapers in New York and Pennsylvania; I briefly edited a monthly magazine as well. I'm currently the managing editor at Philadelphia's largest Spanish-language newspaper, Al Día news.I'm something of a social media enthusiast, at both work and play, and habitually haunt the Latinos in Social Media twitter party (#latism) and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Chat (#sffwrtcht).

In addition to news, I write speculative fiction and poetry. My poetry has appeared in Dappled Things, Graham House Review, We'Moon, La Bloga's Floricanto online and Scheherezade's Bequest at Cabinet des Fees. My fiction has appeared at Tor.com, Strange Horizons, Crossed Genres #24 and in the Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History; The Many Tortures of Anthony Cardno; Menial: Skilled Labor in Science Fiction; Fat Girl in a Strange Land and Crossed Genres Year Two anthologies and is slated to appear in an upcoming issue of GUD magazine and in the anthology Latino/a Rising.

Though my favorite place in the world is a small log cabin in the Central New York woods, I live in a charming, dilapidated old farmhouse about an hour outside of Philadelphia, with my husband (a diehard Minnesota Twins fan) and a brilliant and cantankerous teenage daughter who refuses to speak Spanish though her pronunciation is perfect.

Reviews

[Karlyflower *The Vampire Ninja, Luminescent Monster & Wendigo Nerd Goddess of Canada (according to The Hulk)* · Rating 3 out of 5]

v, is for Vourvoulias

2.5 Stars

This short story is a case of intriguing concept/disengaging writing. Don’t take my word for it, though, here are some of hers:

I am at B Street and Somerset, headed for Zombie City. Or La Boca del Diablo – the Devil’s Mouth – as the Latinos in the surrounding barrio call it.

Neither name shows up on the GPS, of course, because maps are pure fantasy. What is real doesn’t fit on the grid. The Zombie City/La Boca del Diablo is real.

These are the first two paragraphs *snores*.

The concept of this story is really quite interesting, though. A barrio inhabited by zombies, ghosts, los vivos, witches and monsters. A cop, hiding a secret that’s tearing her apart, stands on the edge; the last line in the defence between this land and its own self-destruction. Her two duelling natures wage a war within her, as she patrols streets and buildings perhaps best left forgotten. A new world, with new racisms and prejudices, rooted in old hatreds. I loved the IDEA of this story, however, I found the execution of it…. wanting, to say the least.

This short story is written like a very rough first draft of a story rather than a final copy. Although there are moments of brilliance to be found, it’s floundering. These moments are overwhelmed by continuous repetition of racial barriers and pre-conceptions of varying species. What ultimately happened, I believe, is that Vourvoulias got caught up in the details and forgot to tell the actual story.

I find myself wishing that another writer had tackled this idea, or failing that, that Vourvoulias had tackled it with a better idea of incorporation and balance for all the different ideas and thoughts she tries to shuffle into this 17 page story. Perhaps a novella would have been a better structure for this.

[Rain Misoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written short story of what it's like to be Latinx in a world filled with zombies, ghosts, and monsters.

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivid short story--an urban fantasy with vampires (or something like vampires), but also a nifty little story about identity and injustice and police brutality. Vourvoulias is apparently a Philly resident, and this story is set in a Philly that many of us never see (while many others see all the time). This is the kind of story that I've been discovering this year that has made me excited about the possibilities of fantasy for the first time in years.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can a creepy monster story be so beautiful and vibrant? It just is.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and creepy, kept me wondering...

[Maja]

Well, that was weird. I needed more story. The world seems interesting but I was missing the details which you can't really get in 30 pages of story. I would like to read a longer work set in this world.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting urban fantasy with a Latin flavor. Three kinds of people live in Zombie City-La Boca Del Diablo: the zombies, los vivos, and the ghosts. Officer Jimena Villagrán, not truly at home with any of these groups, patrols the barrio for stalking monsters. Magic con men and discarded needles make this beat hazardous enough, but the latest rash of murders threatens to up the ante by outing the horrors of Jimena's personal history.

[Kimikimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Tor.com short story

I love the way this story said it was one thing, became another, and then returned to the original premise in a better way.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite, original ! Very good

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting concept and good writing, but not as fleshed-out as it could have been. It felt almost like I was reading excerpts from a novel-length piece.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this one - didn't expect the twist at the end, but thought it worked really well.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this. Read almost like Daniel Jose Older. Great exploration of the formation of identity and community bonds.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An atmospheric short story set near the border of North and central America.