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With Only a Razor Between
Barber Gio Monsargo has learned to stay quiet and keep his head down, offering shaves and haircuts, not political opinions. But when a high-ranking military official of the Empire begins visiting his shop, Gio finds himself tested in ways he could never imagine.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
35 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2025
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 3, 2025
writers who manage to worldbuild, give adequate character traits for us to care as readers and still deliver a story with substance in under 50 pages are so impressive to me, how does it feel to be god’s favourite
to add to that, even with the page count restriction, there are so many ways i felt this resonated with today’s political climate, like the line:
“Oh, Giovanni, you grow familiar. You think because you run your fingers across my face that we are friends, or equals. We never will be, sir.”
such a good, concise example of white proximity in our world & how aligning yourself with white values, culture, etc will allow you access to privileges associated with whiteness, yet it will never truly protect you from systemic oppression. you’re the exception, not the norm, and any day, that privilege you have can disappear with any perceived slight, so effectively described with the line:
“It didn’t do any good to ruminate on what had done him in. All of it was against the grain. Even the gentlest betrayal would be enough to earn him the blade, the bullet, the noose, however Caprelle saw fit.”
anyways i also really like this quote!
”The chair. The cup. The novel. Isabel. Anissa. Each waiting for him to come home. Each would be sorely disappointed. But not in him, he hoped. Like his favorite anise liqueur, the certainty rested bittersweet on his palate. That he would not die a coward.”
also, so random but i love how there’s a mouth-related motif to how the empire is named, like the Empire of Tongues, the army being called the Maw, Toothcounters as their version of the police — it’s just so unnatural? grotesque? like the whole imperial structure is just built to consume & devour, which is very reminiscent of our capitalistic society today.
i also love the way the names are so glaringly engineered — products manufactured with intent, rather than an evolving cultural process — as anything built too quickly usually misses the deeper, messier roots that provides it real durability (rome wasn’t built in a day, or wtv they say). even the name itself, the Empire of Tongues, an empire of control through language, of surveillance and renaming, suggests it might be more concerned with current perception rather than long lasting permanence.
anyways, brilliant story! genuinely just encapsulated how important even a single voice is in the fight for liberation & why, so frequently in history, hope is always the one thing oppressors target as it acts like a match in lighting the fires of revolution. can’t wait to read more of cahill’s work!
this story is available for free on Reactor Mag
to add to that, even with the page count restriction, there are so many ways i felt this resonated with today’s political climate, like the line:
“Oh, Giovanni, you grow familiar. You think because you run your fingers across my face that we are friends, or equals. We never will be, sir.”
such a good, concise example of white proximity in our world & how aligning yourself with white values, culture, etc will allow you access to privileges associated with whiteness, yet it will never truly protect you from systemic oppression. you’re the exception, not the norm, and any day, that privilege you have can disappear with any perceived slight, so effectively described with the line:
“It didn’t do any good to ruminate on what had done him in. All of it was against the grain. Even the gentlest betrayal would be enough to earn him the blade, the bullet, the noose, however Caprelle saw fit.”
anyways i also really like this quote!
”The chair. The cup. The novel. Isabel. Anissa. Each waiting for him to come home. Each would be sorely disappointed. But not in him, he hoped. Like his favorite anise liqueur, the certainty rested bittersweet on his palate. That he would not die a coward.”
also, so random but i love how there’s a mouth-related motif to how the empire is named, like the Empire of Tongues, the army being called the Maw, Toothcounters as their version of the police — it’s just so unnatural? grotesque? like the whole imperial structure is just built to consume & devour, which is very reminiscent of our capitalistic society today.
i also love the way the names are so glaringly engineered — products manufactured with intent, rather than an evolving cultural process — as anything built too quickly usually misses the deeper, messier roots that provides it real durability (rome wasn’t built in a day, or wtv they say). even the name itself, the Empire of Tongues, an empire of control through language, of surveillance and renaming, suggests it might be more concerned with current perception rather than long lasting permanence.
anyways, brilliant story! genuinely just encapsulated how important even a single voice is in the fight for liberation & why, so frequently in history, hope is always the one thing oppressors target as it acts like a match in lighting the fires of revolution. can’t wait to read more of cahill’s work!
this story is available for free on Reactor Mag
August 15, 2025
A delightful story of a man's change of heart.
August 18, 2025
This is so relevant today in Palestine's constant struggle against the occupation, that's I haven't really read even as a fantasy, it read like histroy.
August 20, 2025
This is an odd one. It's not really a fantasy story, just has the trappings of a fantasy setting. Was an interesting character study for sure.
September 1, 2025
Really good.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews